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Hagenbuch Family Farms

John & Kati Hagenbuch

(815) 667-5898

hagenbuchfamilyfarms@gmail.com

Who are we?

• 3^rd generation family farmers in Waltham Township, living in the house where Charles Hagenbuch established the farm in 1933.
• Parents of the 4^th generation of Hagenbuch farmers:  Bella—5 years, Mae—3 years & Nolan—2 years.
• We currently own and operate a 75 sow farrow-to-finish operation at our home farm, in addition to crop production.

What is this?

• This building project is simply an expansion of our commitment to the safe and humane production of hogs.  Each site will have two finishing barns connected by an office and shower facility. 
• Each finishing barn can house up to 2,400 hogs, giving each site a MAXIMUM capacity of 4,800 hogs.
• The pigs will enter the building at 50 lbs. and leave at approximately 275 lbs.

Where are these buildings going?

• One site will be built on our home farm in Waltham Township where we currently house all of our animals.  Our home is the closest residence to that site.
• The other site will be built on another farm of ours in Ophir Township. 

Why are we building these buildings?

·        Our primary purpose behind building these new finishing barns is to continue the family farm legacy that the Hagenbuch family has been part of for nearly 80 years.

·        The world we live in is ever evolving.  As farmers, we take responsibility for the demand to feed the growing population. 

Why are we building these barns there?

• Ideally we would be able to build all of the finishing barns at our home site.  Due to regulations, however, we are unable to house this number of animals at that location. 
• We selected the Ophir site after considering road and traffic conditions, biosecurity issues, prevailing winds, and set-back guidelines.

What about all the regulations?

• We have hired an engineering firm to help us ensure that we are meeting all Local, State, and Federal guidelines.
• The State Dept. of Ag. has already been out to inspect the site locations.  They will also continue to follow the project, and they provide inspections at specific times during the building project.

What are we doing about the manure?

• We will be using the manure as fertilizer on our farms according to a CNMP (Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan), which also has to be submitted to and approved by the Dept. of Ag.  Application will be done via injection into the ground, which decreases the odor by up to 75%.