Inspirational ideas: Pig farms in Flanders improve their performance by sharing data and results

There are significant differences in profitability between pig farms in Flanders, Belgium. To improve this, ‘knowledge cooperatives’ and the ‘Pigs Academy’ were set up to make knowledge and research results more accessible for pig farms and provide ways for exchanging information between pig farmers.

The new initiatives also allow farmers to compare their results and to discuss their individual approaches and compare the results and costs, as a study by Ghent University found that the data on many pig farms in the region was not adequately collected, analysed and used.

Knowledge cooperatives: together we can go further

Small groups of pig farms (6-10 farmers) in Flanders have been sharing their specific individual farm data with one another to improve their own results. They discuss their individual approaches and they compare the results and costs. These so called knowledge cooperatives bring together farms with the same characteristics and they meet regularly. All the information remains confidential and stays within the group. The farmers discuss one specific pig farm problem per meeting.

Participating farmer Filip Bonte, stated: “If you want to make progress as a farmer, you need to share your farm data with colleagues. This is the only way you can get information from others. Only by sharing our farm data can we improve our farm management. Together we get smarter and we can go further.”

These meetings are facilitated by the practical research institute INAGRO. They invite and motivate farmers to volunteer to be part of knowledge cooperatives. The institute translates the results into understandable applications which are ready to be used.

Pigs Academy

These knowledge cooperatives in Flanders are supported by a ‘pigs academy’ which is a platform for knowledge exchange between pig farms. This pigs academy works together with different knowledge cooperatives and organises networking activities for pig farmers, such as practice oriented workshops and training courses.

The Pigs Acadamy runs, for example, comparisons of technical data in sow husbandry looking into the average number of weaned piglets per sow per year, average piglet mortality, the average number of times a sow gives birth a year, average time between the weaning of the sow and the conception, feed consumption etc. The differences and the practices are discussed, and the groups analyse how to each farm can improve its results.

Contact: elien.vancaysele@inagro.be

Website

Watch a video which explains this network (in Dutch).