In the summer when we aren't drawing up hog barn designs or installing equipment, you can often find us at the BBQ. Whether it is whole hog roasts with the entire neighborhood and everyone else you know or flipping burgers for the family, you can't beat relaxing by the grill, enjoying the longest days of the year. Although we only do it a couple times each year, our favorite BBQ is whole hog BBQ. That's why we want to share our top 5 helpful hints for whole hog roasting.

I am a graduate student at Kansas State University studying swine nutrition, and I was given the opportunity to conduct research on a sow farm containing NEDAP electronic sow feeders for group gestation pens. Conducting research involving gestating sows can be a daunting task, however with all of the advancements in technology, specifically the use of ESFs, doors are being opened into areas of gestating sow research that have never been explored before.

Group sow housing barns are not new to the industry, but people are often not sure what it is like inside one of these hog barns. Most of us are familiar with gestation stall barns from either working in one or seeing images of them online and throughout different media. While there are many gestation stall sow housing facilities in North America, the industry is transitioning to loose housing facilities. Get a first hand account of operations inside these facilities by listening to what Janae Metzger from Pig Hill Farms has to say about working in an ESF barn.

Tuesday was not just another day in the 5j Design office. Nope, on Tuesday, we had the wonderful opportunity to see what one of our clients does...by taking a tour of a hog barn. Jake and I are the web guys for New Standard, and typically we don't like to call ourselves city boys. But let's face it, when in comes to farming and livestock production, we are definitely city boys. Tim and Ben from the New Standard Group were gracious enough to take us where we had never been before. Read more about our first journey through a group sow housing barn.