4 Broadcaster Press February 20, 2018 www.broadcasteronline.com 2017 SD Master Pork Producers Recognized S.D. Master Pork Producers is a volunteer organization comprised of allied industry members who have the goals of recognizing outstanding pork producers and promoting pork production in South Dakota. The 2017 S.D. Master Pork Producers include: Dan Rodas, Spencer; Lenny Wipf, Lakeview Colony, Lake Andes and Bruce Burkhart, Dell Rapids. The Honorary Master Pork Producer is Jeri Westra, Smithfield, Lennox. Dell Rapids, was named a 2017 South Dakota Master Pork Producer and is one of three South Dakota pork producers recognized during the S.D. Master Pork Producer banquet held this January in Sioux Falls. The S.D. Master Pork Producers is a volunteer organization comprised of allied industry members who have the goals of recognizing outstanding pork producers and promoting pork production in South Dakota. The other South Dakota honorees include: S.D. Master Pork Producers, Lenny Wipf, Lakeview Colony, Lake Andes and Dan Rodas, Spencer and Honorary Master Pork Producer, Jeri Westra, Smithfield, Lennox. Burkhart originally started with a farrowto-finish operation, and in 1998 built a 2,000head, naturally ventilated finishing barn. It took seven meetings with Minnehaha County officials before being approved, but Burkhart approached the situation as a teaching opportunity to educate local officials on modern pork production. His efforts proved successful, because when he applied for a permit in 2008 to build a second 2,000-head mechanically ventilated finishing barn, it was approved the first meeting. Burkhart later switched to strictly finishing pigs so he could to do a better job managing pigs and other enterprises. In 2012 he joined the Pipestone System. Today, he markets 8,000 pigs annually. The feed comes from the Edgerton feed mill. Burkhart utilizes split-sex feeding and hot water heat from a wood-burning furnace to keep his pigs warm. He believes that continual preventative maintenance and paying attention to details EVERY day is what makes them successful. In 2017, the pigs in his barns had a 1.58 pound average daily gain, a 2.53 feed efficiency, and a 4.79 percent wean-to-finish mortality. Along with sons Jase (full time) and Brandon (part time), long time employee, Lenny Stahl, helps make a successful team. Kim Morgan and Mike Vanden Bosch from Pipestone System are Burkhart's main resources. Burkhart is also an environmental steward. He applies all the manure from the finishing barns on his own crop ground. When soil phosphorus levels were getting high on his ground close to the place, he trucked the manure 5 miles away to another set of fields to make sure they were utilizing the manure in an environmentally sustainable way. He also plants trees for odor control. Not only is Burkhart an excellent pork producer, but in 2016 he was recognized by Ag United for South Dakota with the AgVocate of the Year award for his work on educating policy makers and the general public on what a modern family farm looks like through the Adopt A Farmer program and testifying at local hearings. Dan Rodas Though growing up on a dairy farm in northeast Iowa, Rodas is a natural pig person and leader. He started with Pipestone Systems in 2002 and has moved up rapidly, holding supervisory positions at multiple barns. He managed the first barn in the Pipestone System to wean 12 pigs per litter, and now has the best producing barn in their system weaning 35.78 pigs per sow per year. Rodas leads by example and has high standards for himself and his 18 employees. He believes this projects a "Will Do" attitude to his crew, and strives to develop a team mentality. Also, Dan believes that you have to make the difficult, but right decisions. His philosophy appears to working because the farm also has a 92 percent farrowing rate, 15.7 pigs born live per litter, and has weaned 14-plus pigs per litter for 54 straight weeks. Currently they wean at 19 days of age, but plan to build more farrowing rooms and wean at 24 days of age to help the pigs get off to a stronger start at weaning. The feed for the farm comes from Central Farmers in Montrose. Thunder Ridge utilizes DNA Genetics, and is also the highest producing farm in the DNA system. To protect the health of the animals, they follow a strict biosecurity plan, and replacement gilts are brought to the farm at weaning. Rodas believes that great protocols are essential to their success, and he also gives a lot of credit to Dr. Luke Minion, Dr. Scott VanderPoel, Dr. Emily McDowell and Jared Hemelstrand Lenny Wipf Wipf started working with pigs in 2002 and has been the swine manager at Lakeview Colony since 2012. He was actively involved in the building of the original barn. The operation is a 1,000 sow, farrow-to-finish operation using Genesus genetics. There are 1,000 sows, 3,500 nursery pigs and 3,000 finishing pigs on-site. Offsite they have three, 1,000 head finishing barns and one, 2,400 head wean-to-finish barn. Sows are bred in crates, but then put in gestation pens two days after breeding. Wipf and his crew sort females based on weight and backfat so they can manage the sows better with less competition, and gilts are placed into their own pens. They also use hot water radiant heat to keep the pigs warm. Wipf has four other people working with him on-site, and there's an additional person who oversees the offsite barns and the feed mill. Pork production is done differently at Lakeview Colony. They are part of an "Antibiotic Free Program" with Natural Foods in Sioux Center, Iowa. Not only are all diets free of antibiotics and animal-based feed ingredients, but they also utilize pen gestation, and farrowing crates that are turned into farrowing pens three days after farrowing. With these unique circumstances, Wipf and his crew of four are producing an impressive 29 pigs/sow/year, which takes a lot of extra management and skill. However, Wipf credits their success to the guys doing the work, saying they all work together in a team effort. Also, Wipf utilizes Dr. Rob Fisher & Dr. Jon Ertl from Sioux Nation for nutrition and herd health advice. Jeri Westra Westra grew up on diversified livestock operation in southeast South Dakota. He is a graduate of South Dakota State University. Following graduation, Westra started in the packing industry first working with IBP in the late 1970s. He then went to worked for Cloughtery Pack, Los Angles Ca. where he covered terminal markets, as well as buying out of stations in Nebraska, Missouri and Colorado. Interestingly, back then, the hogs were still loaded on rail cars and shipped to Los Angles. Wanting to return home, Westra then took a position with Steele Siman Commission Company in the Sioux Falls Stockyards. In 1984, Westra made the move across the street and started with John Morrell & Co as area Hog Buyer covering southeastern South Dakota. Since then, he has held a variety of positions within the company. Westra currently serves as the Director of Procurement for Sioux Falls Smithfield plant. Since the plant harvests approximately 19,500 pigs per day and more than 5.5 million pigs each year, Westra and his crew are kept very busy. However, Westra still maintains a very close relationship with the pork producers of South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Nebraska. He views them more as family than clients. Westra serves the South Dakota pork industry in many ways outside the plant. He has serve as the Lincoln County 4-H swine superintendent, and has served for many years on multiple committees of the Sioux Empire Farm Show. Westra was instrumental in purchasing the current State Fair 4-H Swine Show hogs - the show means a lot of work for Westra and his team because they individually tattoo and weigh more than 500 4-H pigs, as well as write checks to the 4-H youth that are showing them. Westra is a supporter of the South Dakota Master Pork Producers by having Smithfield Foods donate the pork served to the 250-plus attendees of the annual banquet. Also, he is a very proud Jackrabbit alumni and supports his alma mater by having Smithfield Foods donate all the pork used at the SDSU Pork Classic basketball games, as well as the 20 pork bundles auctioned off. That support alone provides at least $4,000 additional of scholarship money to SDSU students pursuing a career in some facet of pork production. Westra is very active in the Delaware Reformed Church, and currently serves as a church elder. Also, he has served on the Board of Center of Hope Outreach Ministry, which does Christian mission work in downtown Sioux Falls. With Border Security, I’m Focused On Results By Sen. Mike Rounds When I was elected to represent you, I focused on getting results. South Dakotans, like many Americans, are tired of the same-old Washington politics that is more focused on political grandstanding than making lives better for the citizens we represent. I’m proud of the successes we’ve had lately – enacting historic tax reform, rebalancing the court system, undoing over 1600 burdensome regulations and repealing some of Obamacare’s most egregious mandates, just to name a few. But we still have work to do. Most recently, we’ve been working on bipartisan legislation to enhance border security and provide a permanent solution to th 140 DACA recipients, paving the way for broader reforms on a fairer immigration system that is merit-based. Recognizing that strong bipartisan support is needed to pass anything out of the Senate, I have spent the past month meeting with a broad, bipartisan group of senators to find a solution to adequately address these vital issues. At times, upward of 30 members of the Senate– from all sides of the political spectrum – participated in these lively, spirited conversations. At the end of these discussions, after incorporating many ideas from a number of our colleagues, we introduced a bill with 16 original cosponsors, eight from each side of the aisle. What became the Rounds-King bill included $25 billion in new funding for border security – a historic investment in our nation’s borders that would greatly strengthen our ability BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION! Honk your horn and make some noise, it's time to celebrate with the Gilbertson boys! Feb 24th is the chosen date, so please come at 7 and don't be late! Come on out to Bunyan's to wish Milo and Roger Happy Birthday! to keep bad actors out of the country and keep ment from the status quo and likely the only Americans safe. Additionally, we permanently framework capable of passing the Senate so and fairly addressed DACA recipients, so these that we can actually move the ball forward on young people – brought here through no fault comprehensive border security and immigraof their own – can stop living in fear of being tion reform. Ultimately, our bill was not able deported. These two issues have long enjoyed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. This broad, bipartisan support from both sides of the is disappointing because opening debate on aisle, the White House and the American people our bill would have allowed us to continue the we represent. dialogue as we seek to keep our borders safe We also for the first time began to undo what and reform our immigration system to one that is known in D.C. as “chain migration,” in which is merit-based. citizens and legal residents can sponsor green But, that does not mean we give up in our cards for their families. Our bill breaks the chain efforts. The two issues of DACA and the presiby preventing DACA children from sponsoring dent’s campaign promise to fund a border wall their parents for legal status in the U.S. It also system still linger. When Congress returns to prohibits lawful permanent residents from spon- session toward the end of the month, I will consoring unmarried children over 21 years of age tinue to work with my colleagues to get results for family-sponsored immigrant visas. Another on pragmatic reforms to our border security huge break in the chain. and immigration systems, using our bill as the Our base, or another one if it can accomplish the proposal is same thing. Getting results is what you sent me 3.5” x 2.5” | Maximum Font Size: 30 pt a significant here to do, and that’s what I intend to do. improve- BRULE TOWNSHIP ANNUAL MEETING Brule Township in Union County, SD will hold the annual township meeting Tuesday, March 6th, 2018 5:30pm Have 403(b) questions? Let’s talk. in the Union Co. Shop, Spink, SD for the election of officers and any other business proper to be done when convened. Alternate date if bad weather: March 13th at 5:30pm. Curt Robinson Financial Curt Robinson Advisor . Financial 23 Market Street Advisor Patrick M Higgins Financial Advisor 605-624-2028 www.edwardjones.com 7 W. Cherry Street Vermillion, SD 57069 605-658-0205 www.edwardjones.com Vermillion, SD 57069 23 Market Street 605-624-2028 Vermillion, SD 57069 www.edwardjones.com Gregg Hanson, Clerk Member SIPC Purchase a 60,000 BTU, 90+ High Efficiency Furnace and a 2 Ton, 13 SEER Air Conditioner For Only 3895 * $ *No other discounts apply *Certain restrictions apply ?Tax Included ?Wired ?Installed ?Done HEATING & COOLING 24 Hours...Any Time...Any Day 2401 Broadway, Yankton Yankton Vermillion 605-665-9461 • 605-624-0034 Serving the Yankton, Vermillion and Surrounding Areas For Over 36 Years www.larrysheatingandcooling.com