Pig company reference farm for productivity, durability and efficiency
In 1957, Joost Beel's parents started a pig farm in the Flemish Ardennes (Wortegem-Petegem, Belgium). With 60 sows and 400 meat pigs, they laid the foundation, almost 50 years ago, for what today is a reference farm in terms of productivity, sustainability and efficiency.
Joost took over the farm in 1991. Some 7 years later he expanded to 150 sows and 1150 meat pigs.Today the pig farm accommodates 480 sows and 1650 meat pigs.
The future of the family business is already assured. Their son Pieter-Paul is also well and truly infected with the pig farming bug. He works on the farm together with Mieke, Joost's wife.
Roxell equipment in all compartments
The houses are well equipped from A to Z with Roxell solutions: starting with feed bins, Flex-Augers™, Discaflex™ circuits, Multifast® controllers to feeders for sows, piglets and meat pigs...
The Multifast concept steers the feed transport across all compartments. It sends the correct feed mix to all the animals, using preprogrammed feed curves. Drops in feed intake and growth rate, often associated with feed changes, are avoided. This results in improved feed conversion ratios and significant lower manure production.
In the nurseries and finishing houses Blu'Hox™ is used
In the service area and farrowing pens, Dos7®, the individual sow feeding dispenser, was installed. Young maiden gilts, housed in small groups, are fed with Dozit™, the slow dozing feeder of Roxell. For the gestation area, the choice fell on Fidos™, the electronic sow station. Sows are put on different feed curves, according to the backfat thickness of the animal.
This enables Joost to respond perfectly to the individual needs of each animal, so that the sow remains in perfect shape.
Excellent results
With a daily growth of 780 g in meat pigs, a meat percentage of 65.5%, a feed conversion of 2.3 to 2.4 (to 110 kg) and a mortality rate of less than 1% in meat pigs and 2 to 3% in piglets, Joost is more than satisfied with the results.
Sustainable solutions
Quality is at the top of this farmer's agenda. The Belgian environmental legislation requires pig farmers to invest in biological, sustainable solutions. Joost recently installed a biological air purification system. Following these investments, 73% of the ammonia as well as a large amount of the small dust particles are filtered out of the house air. Solar panels and the in-house water purification system, converting rain and drainage water into drinking water for the animals, allow significant cost savings in energy and water supply.
In brief, the Beel family chooses the best, robust and sustainable solutions for all aspects of their business.
