Faced with aging barns and regulatory change, many hog producers will remodel or make upgrades to their facilities this season. While some new barn construction is likely, the focus will be on improvements to existing structures.
That’s the expectation of several dealers for AP, the AGCO brand that produces equipment used in swine production.
“The average age of barns is getting older,” said J.D. Myers, national sales manager of swine projects, with QC Supply based in Schuyler, Neb. “The farming economy has gotten better and producers are looking to reinvest in their barns in 2021.”
The biggest issue driving the improvements, the dealers say, is California Proposition 12, which requires producers to provide more space for breeding pigs, egg-laying hens and calves raised for veal. Effective Jan. 1, 2022, a minimum of 24 square feet of usable floor space must be provided per gestating sow for pork products used in the state.