Thursday brought several people to the Rippey area for a hog confinement open house hosted by the Bardole family and the Coalition to Support Iowa Farms.

The two barn facilities will each be able to hold 2,490 hogs, and Schyler, Tim and Pete Bardole will operate it and feed the hogs for Seaboard Foods. Schyler says the buildings are essentially automated, from the temperature controlled climate censors, to the feeding and watering operations, it is all controlled by censors and computer monitors. The facility is also on a hill to prevent the typical odor from a hog site to linger. The site was also originally on sandy ground, which took property that wasn’t in production to make it profitable.

Speakers during the event included Coalition to Support Iowa Farms Executive Director Brian Waddingham, Iowa Corn Growers Association District Field Manager Janelle Kraft and Iowa Soybean Association Chief Operating Officer Karey Claghorn. Claghorn said not only does having hog confinements on family farms help diversify their operations, it also has other impacts.

“Think about the rural development that happens here (with) building these buildings, the commerce that happens to pour the concrete, construction, electricity, the ongoing support from veterinarians and feed services and supplies. And not only that but it enables, in this case the Bardole family, the 6th generation to join the family farm and potentially set it up for the 7th generation.”

Schyler is that 6th generation Bardole family member who decided two years ago that he wanted to farm full-time on his family’s Century farm. He felt raising hogs was the best financial decision for him.

“It’s going to allow me to stay on the farm and really provide financial stability for my family and the hogs will really compliment our operation. We’re a ‘no-till, strip-till” operation for row crop. We (also) do cover crops, we try to do everything right and we think this is the next piece to the puzzle to be able to be the best farmers we can be for the land.”

The Bardole family started farming their property in the Rippey area in 1901 and Roy Bardole thanked all of his family members for their support and effort to continue their farming operation.