Day 6: Tama County by Ruca and Lauren

 Do you know where your pork comes from? On todays visit we met up with Mr.Gienger, the man who helped educate us and give us a tour of his farm. He has a special place in Florida advocating for the pork industry at our state fair and selling his delicious pork products!

At this destination we learned that the Gienger family finishes swine for Brenneman Pork, and grows crops such as corn and soy, on over 1500 of their own acres, and 1500 rented acres. All pigs on their land are certified. Some interesting facts we learned were: the crops cause humidity, and that the fields have quality black dirt on top of their clay, corn produces three times the volume of product versus soy per acre.

Some of the swine we saw on the farm.

 A fascinating process we learned about involved their swine. The swine barn has thin slots in the floor, allowing manure to pass through, into a large pit, which collects until pigs are moved (about twice a year). The pit is then pumped out to be used as fertilizer in their fields within the day. This creates a really good cycle for the farmers. 

After a lunch of sub sandwiches sponsored by the Gienger family, we took a trip to the Matchstick Marvel Museum. Here we got to see sculptures, big and small, carefully crafted to make intricate works of art containing anywhere from a couple hundred matchsticks to over 1 million! Some of what the artist, Patrick Acton, designs includes, historical monument buildings, animals, aircrafts, and even life size vehicles.

One of the amazing works of art from the matchstick museum with Ashley for size reference.

From there we took a trip to the next part of the Gienger operation. Here we got to learn about what goes into growing corn and soy beans and even the engineering that goes into the design of the farming equipment. The best part was our entire group got to drive the different tractors, a state of the art $350,000 tractor and a 70 year old one. Both gave us a perspective on the industry, new and old.  

Next we head to the storage barn where we learned about all the equipment used to operate a swine farm and to grow crops. This equipment ranged from manure tanks to grain bins and everything in between.

    

    To end our learning filled day day we met at the Gienger's house where we feasted on farm fresh grilled pork chops. During this meal he had family and friends advocate for the industry and tell us a little about what role they play in the operation. In the end they provided us with very valuable life advice. 

Mr. Gienger grilling for us.