VetsOnCall - Ice cream + clean air for pigs at Ness Farms

"Our farm's a little different than some," says farmer Ron Ness of Illinois, "We're feeding our pigs ice cream rinse from a local ice cream plant. Ice cream has fat and energy to help the pigs grow. Energy and protein make a balanced diet. The pigs love it, when the fresh ice cream hits the building, they'll be screaming to get at it. There's no sense in pouring it down the drain if it has nutrient value, better to recycle it."
In this episode of Vets On Call, swine veterinarian Dr. Noel Garbes of Illinois checks the herd at Ness Farms. "Today, animal welfare is huge," says Dr. Garbes, who grew up on his family hog farm in Iowa and has always loved working with animals. Farmer Ness agrees, "Health is paramount, you need healthy pigs to be successful in business."
The air in Ron's pig barns is different too, Ness installed an air cleaning system to provide better air and healthier breathing for the pigs. He explains, "Dust in the barns can carry viruses or bacteria. Anything we can do to get the dust out of the air will help with pig health."
"Farmers don't like to see their animals suffering," says Dr. Garbes, whose clients are farmers in the Central Midwest. "Our objective is to keep the pigs as comfortable as possible."
Veterinarians On Call is presented by Zoetis and features vets on the job and their clients across the U.S. who volunteered to be filmed, those appearing were not compensated to participate and the opinions expressed are theirs.