The old situation at Porcherie Lac du Onze, with sow stalls.
And then the opportunity came in 2010 to purchase a site with an empty barn and feed mill, and PLDO went for it. “The barn became a parity segregation unit to supply the PLDO sow farm in order to stabilise the health status,” Préjet ex- plains. “The feed mill got some significant upgrades and then manufactured feed for all the sites.” In 2013, PLDO purchased a building with a two-bay shop/ wash bay and offices in Notre Dame, and hired Johnny (who had been working in the farm finance sector) to work with his father. And expansion continued. In 2014, PLDO purchased nearby 5,800-head Cardinal Nursery, and in 2015 PND purchased an 8,400-head finisher site followed by a 7,800-head finisher site in 2017.
In transition – the stalls are being taken out for a more modern interior.
Guiding principles of success Along with the expansion that was required in the minds of Préjet and his colleagues to ensure survival, he points to oth- er keys to their success over the years. These include having as many things under their direct control as possible and keeping the cost of production down at every level. PLDO and the other group companies were aggressive with the purchase of feed ingredients, medications and other sup- plies in bulk with other producers, and kept all sites close in terms of location to reduce transport costs. A like-minded group of shareholders is also essential, Préjet says, as is keeping an open mind to potential opportunities. “Surround yourself,” he adds, “with top-notch industry part- ners from nutritionists to veterinarians, bankers, account- ants, etc. Get the best staff you can. Treat them well. Know the business, your farms and staff and be involved daily.” In terms of performance metrics, at the sow level, pigs weaned per sow per year are measured, and also pigs weaned per sow farrowed. At the finisher level, feed effi- ciency, growth rate and shipping pigs in the ideal weight category are monitored.
The new sow housing system is, bit by bit, being implemented. 38
▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 38, No. 3, 2022
Conversion to group housing In 2017, it was decided to convert the original PLDO sow barn to a group housing system, as the barn was in need of renovation and group housing was going to be mandatory in Canada. They decided to install a Gestal system from Quebec. In 2018, PLDO also renovated and expanded the Treherne site to include a 400-sow multiplication unit and a 1,900-sow commercial unit, again with a Gestal group housing system. Pig training was needed. “We were told 80%+ of our ani- mals would start using the new feeding system on their own within three days without any assistance from employ- ees,” says Johnny. “We saw less than 50% of animals using the feeding system without assistance after three days. Be- cause of this, we had to come up with our training strategy, which included earlier intervention.”
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