A swine entrepreneur

Staff
Posted 3/27/17

Tracking business helps with FFA competitions

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A swine entrepreneur

Posted

About the time he started high school, Lance Huftalin decided to take an interest in the family business. He began farming a 15-acre field to sell the grain for animal feed, investing the profits in a dozen sows that he now breeds and sells to Hormel.
Huftalin has carefully documented every step along the way.
“Keeping a record book in an operation like this or any business really, is a good way for you to keep track of where your time and money go,” he said. “It’s also a good way to become involved in the competitive aspects of the FFA.”
Huftalin is using his record book to compete for a state title in Swine Entrepreneurship. Lance won the section in February and then won the District competition on March 8.

His book tracks soil types, planting schedule; the seed, fertilizer and insecticide applications as well as production levels and crop sales. Likewise on the swine side, he tracks his sows, their AI schedules and costs as well as the litters and the cost to feed and house the herd he manages before they’re ready for market.
Huftalin can breed the sows quarterly, so the herd is actually approximately 150 strong. He said an average litter contains 12-14 piglets which spend three weeks with their mother and then eight weeks in the nursery. Between five and six months from birth, the animals should be approaching approximately 285 pounds and if prices are right, he sells them to market.
Every aspect of the hogs’ short lives is documented in his records which a team of judges will carefully study and then call him in for questioning.
Huftalin may not have been especially well-informed about hog breeding before high school, but he knew all about the FFA long before he landed at Rochelle Township High School.
Nearly seven decades ago, Huftalin’s grandpa, Don Huftalin, was the RTHS FFA Chapter President.
“My grandpa won a lot of accolades as an FFA member. He has all kinds of records,” he said.
Grandpa Don is the first person he called when he won the sectional title. His father, Bert, manages Huftalin Farms and as his dad before him and his sons after, he too was an FFA kid.