Cooper Farms has announced the completion of its newest addition, Grand Republic Sow Farm. The new farm will be home to just under 6,000 mother pigs, which will give birth to 150,000 piglets per year.
Grand Republic is Cooper Farms’ first hog farm in Williams County. The farm will provide 20 new full-time jobs and use over 180,000 bushels of corn purchased from local farmers each year.
“We have had the opportunity to grow our hog division, which led us to the construction of this new sow farm,” said Jim Cooper, CEO. “We will also be working with over 30 local farmers to raise the hogs from this farm.”
Grand Republic utilizes group pen gestation for sow housing and an electronic feeding system. This system allows the sows to have free movement in a group setting, while providing individualized feeding information about each sow. The electronic tags will provide information about how much each sow is eating and drinking, allowing the farm team to still tend to sows’ individual needs.
“This farm has a real focus on efficiency and animal care,” said Kevin Stuckey, Sow Division Manager. “New technology and small design changes throughout the farm will make a big difference.”
The farm will be landfill-free upon construction completion and design adjustments have been made throughout the farm to improve energy efficiency. For the safety of team members, scales have been built into the legs of the feed bins, allowing the mill to know feed volumes without having someone climb a bin.
As always, Cooper Farms aims to work with local businesses and contractors as they construct the farm. Over 30 contractors took part in the construction of Grand Republic.
An open house and ribbon cutting were held Friday, April 26, and on Monday, April 29, the farm opened its doors to area schools as nearly 200 FFA members toured Grand Republic.
Source: Cooper Farms
