2010 FW Awards: Pig Farmer of the Year finalist Richard Smith

The Farmers Weekly judging visit may have been the only interview Richard Smith of Bedfordia Farms, Bedford, has had in his lifetime, but it certainly didn’t stop him from shining.

In his 47 years at Bedfordia, after joining at 15 years old from school, Richard’s knowledge, skill and passion has seen major changes and substantial investment to the pig enterprise, which has resulted in a unit which is one of the most modern and technologically advanced in Europe.

Now, as livestock manager, Richard’s desire is to keep the pigs “going and growing” while at the same time remaining sustainable. And this sums up the farm’s long-term vision; to produce a consistently high quality bacon pig as efficiently as possible and to operate in the top 10% of UK herds key performance indicators.

And to be one of the best units in the country, significant investment has been ploughed into the enterprise which consists of three units: Two breeding units – Highfields Farm and Arnoe Farm; and one finishing unit – Twinwoods, which is one of the largest in the UK with 1100 sows producing 22,000 pigs a year.

This investment in Twinwoods five years ago and more recently in Arnoe Farm has produced healthier, more productive pigs, according to Richard. “You can definitely tell which pigs are from Arnoe Farm and which are from Highfields, as the ones from Arnoe are finishing faster.”

Part of the reason for this has been some of the technology installed at Arnoe. “We did a lot of research in Holland and one of the things we found out was sows give off 125W of heat when suckling.” Taking this information on board, Richard installed cold-water plates just above the shoulders of the sow, which take away the heat. This means the sows are eating more food pre-and post-farrowing and thus milking better which, in turn, has increased piglet weight by 1kg (a 15% improvement) as well as improving the sow’s reproductive ability.

Other technologies incorporated into farrowing accommodation at Arnoe Farm include a “Dutch-style” ventilation system which Richard believes has cut also electricity costs by 50%, slurry trays which have halved the level of ammonia emissions and “balance floors” which raise the sow above the level of the piglets when the sow stands and, as a result, has reduced piglet mortality.

And, although such technology costs about £3000 a farrowing pen, it is justified, explains Richard. “This is about £1000 more than a conventional crate but, with piglets getting off to a better start with weaner weight gains of 44g a day and feed conversion rates (FCR) of 1.4 I believe we will be able to write the cost off within 10 years.” A planning application has already been submitted to transform Highfields Farm to the same standard.

Over at the Twinwoods finishing unit the same level of thought has been put into the unit. For example, smaller, slower-growing pigs are placed in a separate room to reduce competition and bullying and this alone has increased weights by 4kg.

Feeding liquid co-products to all finishing pigs has also improved the FCR with finishers at 2.45 and growth rates of 850g a day, which means pigs can be sold at 110kg at 22 weeks to supply Tulip.

Everything about the rearing and finishing unit has been carefully thought out, and not only works to maximise sow and piglet welfare and production or to maximise efficiency, but is also aesthetically pleasing, which enhances the staff working environment.

Richard can’t stress enough how important the seven employees are to the unit. “Without them we wouldn’t have the results and this is why we offer financial incentives – when we sell on average 23 pigs a sow a year out of the gate each member of staff gets £1750 every half-year.”

Richard has also been pushing hard to get more money from his pigs by approaching the supermarkets to see whether they would market a “low-carbon” pig. “Because of all the new technologies we have on the farm, including the fact the slurry is processed by our sister company BiogenGreenfinch‘s anaerobic digestion plant, we are probably producing one of the lowest carbon-footprint pigs, which I believe there is a market for.”

It’s clear Richard is successfully striving to be the best in the industry and, to sum it up in his own words, to do this “labour, food and energy are the main things you have got to harness”.

Farm Facts
• Three units; two rearing, one finisher
• 1100 sows producing 22,000 pigs a year
• 11.5 born alive a litter; 2.3 litters a sow a year

What the judges liked
• UK’s most advanced units
• High welfare for pigs and staff
• Producing low-carbon pig

• For more on the 2010 Farmers Weekly Awards
• For more on the the 2010 finalists