When talking with our customers, we often use this phrase. We use it to emphasize that the attitude and belief in an ESF group housing system can be just as important as the system itself. The people running the barn need to believe in the system and how it should operate first, only then will they be able to make it work. When you come across challenges in a loose housing barn (and you will), if you believe there is a solution, you will find it. If you believe that the system is flawed, then you will blame that on the system, your staff, or some other element of your operation instead of looking any further for a solution.

Hear from Kristina Horback on her latest research, identifying pig personalities and how they relate to aggressive behaviors in a group gestation pen.

Deciding to house and feed sows in group gestation pens is not something to bat an eye at. It's a decision that comes with a lot of work and hours of planning, but the payoff is well worth it. Hear from Chet of Pig Hill Farms on what the process is like when deciding to implement group sow housing from planning to final training to maintenance and ongoing support.

How long does it take a group of sows to develop a social hierarchy? Do the pigs struggle getting used to group pens and Electronic Sow Feeding? When implementing group sow housing for the first time, quite a few questions about feeding sows and animal behavior arise. We want to help answer those questions! So we compiled a few answers to some of the common questions we hear into an easy to digest graphic.

Those unfamiliar with well-designed group housing for sows may think that a large open pen will be prone to stress, higher disease rates and an increase in general health problems. With good hog barn designs, sows are actually maintaining good health in loose housing. It's easier than you might think. 

Kees (Kase) van Ittersum has been with New Standard as part owner since its beginning. He specializes in hog barn design and has been involved in Electronic Sow Feeding (ESF) since 1995. The group sow housing and ESF movement started in Europe in the late 90s while Kees was still living in the Netherlands. There he gained a great amount of experience with loose housing hog barn design and equipment.

When he moved to Canada in the early 2000s, the movement had not yet reached North America, but he knew it would soon come. While Kees has always sold ESF and loose housing equipment with the focus being on barn efficiency and precision farming, North American animal welfare pressures kick started the group sow housing movement around 2007. Learn more about Kees and his role in the development North American sow housing.

Thinking about converting to a group gestating pen design? Remember these 6 musts when putting your pig barn plans together.

When feeding sows, our focus should always be on each sow's health. Keeping your sows healthy will both improve their performance and reduce your production costs. When determining how to feed sows during gestation, the following overarching goals should always be top of mind.

Sow stress leads to lower litter sizes and loss in production. Producers all across North America are in constant search of how to reduce stress in swine barns. Many are converting to group sow housing to allow the pigs more freedom, reduce stress, and improve animal health.

While many believe sow stress might multiply in group sow housing with the animals having constant contact and the freedom to fight, this is not the case with the right barn design and proper training. When sow stress is handled properly, group gestation pens are calm, quiet, and comfortable for the pigs. Learn more on how to properly handle sow stress and stressors in a loose housing barn.