My Visit to a Pig Farm: Part II  Last week, I introduced you to
Wakefield Pork, Inc, in Gaylord, Minnesota and shared my
experience of a recent visit there, including seeing piglets
born! Today, I'll share more of my visit, so please read on.
The next stop on our tour of Wakefield Pork, Inc. was the
gestation barn where the sows get impregnated. It's a massive
temperature controlled barn of sows housed in individual
gestation stalls. I asked our hosts why they used individual
stalls. Manager, Todd Marotz responded, ” 'We always ask, what's
the right thing for the animal?' And in this case, it's better
for them to be housed individually than in groups.” He added,
“These sows can fight, sometimes to the death, so it's safer for
both the animals and the workers.” In fact, several of the
employees that day shared similar stories about how when sows
are given the choice to go in individual stalls or group pens,
they almost always choose the stalls.   Sows in the gestation
barn. (Photo, J Jorgensen)  Individual st