Dean Tofteland, family farmer (2) - By Dean Tofteland

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Entry 2

Posted Tuesday, March 19, 2002, at 1:17 PM ET

Dean Tofteland is a family farmer who raises pigs in southwestern Minnesota.

I don't need an alarm anymore. The aroma of brewing coffee floating in from the kitchen gently pulls me back from the surreal dreaminess of the night. It is 5:15 and the truck will arrive in 30 minutes. As I cross the yard, I feel the cool dampness of the country morning.

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The loin limoThe fog this morning is as thick as pea soup (or maybe split pea and ham soup). Each time we load the pigs it can be different. Sometimes they go slow so then the main thing is to take our time. We use our own truck to reduce scheduling pressures associated with custom haulers and then load our pigs so they have room to lie down. For example, we only haul 185 pigs in a trailer designed for 220. You could call it the "loin limo." We do this for a good reason. Pigs with less stress produce meat that is more tender, has increased juiciness, and is more flavorful. This is also why we never give our pigs growth hormones.

Loading onto the truckAt the barn I meet Jens, Ryan, and James—these are the guys that help me sort and load the truck. First, we take time to identify the pigs that are within the target weight. Many of these pigs have been marked previously, and now we do the final sorting to ensure that the pigs are the same size and will produce similar-sized chops and hams. The pigs that don't make the cut (no pun intended) will stay home to grow some more. We call this "topping the barn." Next, each of the guys moves four or five pigs through a zone at a time. It's sort of like taking four big offensive linemen and sending them forward—and you're the quarterback following them. The pigs seem to like to go together so they can take turns going first. They have never ridden in this truck before, so they are apprehensive about the whole matter. As I move the pigs along, I can't help but think how nice these pigs look, and I mentally review some of the things that make my pigs different …

Much of the pork in the market today is lean. We see labels at the store claiming lean this and lean that. But many of those pigs were given growth hormones. I've seen pigs on Ractopamine, a growth hormone, and they wouldn't make the Olympics. Many other pigs are fed animal-sourced proteins. Many large corporations and packing plants feed their hogs animal proteins because it is an end by-product of their processing. They then hire employees or "contractors" to raise the pigs and prescribe continuous-use feed grade antibiotics. Not much different from the chicken industry, I guess. Hope this isn't becoming the trend in the pork industry. I don't see many benefits of packer ownership of livestock. This is just my opinion.

Our pigs are fed home-raised corn and soybean meal. The corn is from my own farm, and the soybean meal is a plant-based protein source made from the soybeans I raise. We won't allow the continual use of feed antibiotics, and no hormones please!

It's really a great system. The manure we produce is tested for nutrient content and then injected under the surface of the soil at rates that match the soil tests that we take every year. This in turn reduces my need to purchase commercial fertilizers. The manure is a great source of natural fertilizer that enhances my crop quality and yields. And since my family lives right here on the farm, you can bet that we are responsible and take great care with the manure. Well, enough thinking out loud; there are still more hogs to load …

The quarterbackThis morning the loading is going unusually smooth. As I said, it can be different every time. We were just about finished with the load when, "Here she comes!" warns Jens. I look up and see a 270-pound full back, (that's a full back of muscle) with an extremely low center of gravity, that turns around and plows through Jens, under Ryan, and is now bearing down on me. Fake right, fake left, fake left, "Weeeeee," and right on through she goes. "University of Nebraska." say Jens. "Definitely a Cornhusker," confirms Ryan. This one's a keeper. I'll put it in my freezer!