Integrated Research and Extension Planning – Organic Swine
Project Director
Yuzhi Li
Year Funded
2017
Award Number
2017-51300-26817
Funded Institution
University of Minnesota
Grant Program
OREI (Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative)
Project Overview
The goals of this planning project were to establish the nation’s first organic swine production program at a land grant university, to develop a full proposal to address farmer-identified research priorities, and to enhance sustainable organic swine production in the Midwest. A survey of organic swine producers (15 respondents), four focus groups (total 64 participants), four workshops (84 participants), and project personnel visits to five swine farms identified the following barriers and information gaps facing current and aspiring organic producers:
(1) Meeting National Organic Program (NOP) standards, especially pasture access.
(2) Animal health: parasites, diarrhea, vaccines, NOP-allowed remedies
(3) Best swine breeds for organic: parasite resistance, growth performance
(4) Confinement-free housing systems, outdoor access, pasture, and parasite management
(5) Accessible and affordable organic feed, protein sources, and bedding.
(6) Accessing meat processing facilities and markets for organic pork.
In addition to identifying constraints on the growth of the organic pork sector, the project’s educational events highlighted current best practices, including housing systems, and provided practical guidance to about 120 participants, including 90 organic pig farmers.
The planning project launched the organic swine research and outreach program at the University of Minnesota with the help of USDA funding for two Organic Transitions (ORG) program proposals:
• ORG 2018-51106-28772: Manure and pasture management to reduce swine parasites in organic pastured pork production).
• ORG 2017-51106-27129: Breaking barriers to organic swine transition: utilizing cover crops as feed ingredients to reduce feed cost.
Farmer Takeaways
(1) Barriers to successful organic swine production include high cost of organic feed, challenges in pasture management and NOP-compliant animal health care, and lack of processing facilities and markets for organic pork.
(2) Knowledge shared among farmers, researchers, and other stakeholders through this project has set the stage for lowering these barriers through ongoing research.
(3) The University of Minnesota organic swine research and extension program has issued three excellent practical fact sheets and is conducting additional research into best housing options, alternative feed sources, and parasite management.
Project Outputs
Li, Y., Tallaksen, J., Heins, B., Johnston, L., Martin, W., and Lazarus, W. 2018. Early detection of sick pigs in organic systems. University of Minnesota Extension.
Li, Y., Tallaksen, J., Heins, B., Johnston, L., Martin, W., and Lazarus, W. 2018. Improving health of organic pigs. University of Minnesota Extension.
Johnston, L., Schieck, S., Shurson, J., Martin, W., Koehler, B., Hadad, R., & Koehler, D. 2018. Designing feeding programs for natural and organic pork production. University of Minnesota Extension.
Florentino, S. 2024. Standards for organic livestock and poultry production. University of Minnesota Extension.