It was a hot, sunny Thursday just outside of Red Deer when I was at Spruit Farms to film the Farm Team award winner video (accompanied by Justin Machnik from Uplift Media), Edwin and Sandra Spruit, along with their barn manager, Laura Meyer.
As we were ready to begin shooting the video it was coffee break for the staff so I quickly grabbed a few group photos. We then sat around the kitchen table to work through the questions to prepare the video, which was presented during the Alberta Pork Congress banquet in Red Deer.
Edwin and Sandra could not pass on enough praise and accolades to Laura, about the way she runs and manages the barn. Laura, originally from Mexico, has been part of the Spruit team for five years, the last three as barn manager. “She runs everything,” said Edwin. “This is her award.”
Later, while taking outside pictures of the barns, Edwin asked if I would like to have a barn tour. Yes, yes please. Following all bio-security protocols: first the Danish entry, then showering in, we were ready to begin the tour.

Let me back up. Edwin and Sandra emigrated to Canada and purchased the farm in 2002. They were looking for an opportunity to have a good life and hoped one day to expand their own farm. Edwin had worked on hog farms back in Europe. After working at a few different operations in Canada, they had the opportunity to buy their current home farm just on the southwest outskirts of Red Deer.

This home farm is now home to 2,100 sows. They also own two other properties: a nursery and finisher barn south of Stettler and a feedmill and finisher barn near Gadsby.
While the Spruits, Edwin and Sandra are 50 – 50 partners for their ongoing hog operations. They look after different aspects of duty. Where Sandra specializes more in paperwork, financials, reporting and HR, Edwin manages the operational part of their main farm and two other locations. They both feel it is important to give back to the hog sector. Sandra currently sits on the Alberta Pork board of directors, and Edwin is current chair of the Western Hog Exchange and acting temporarily as GM while search is on for a new General Manager temporarily.

With wet hair, fresh barn clothes, coveralls and boots, we began the tour. We first saw workers Jonathan and Tyler moving a sow into a farrowing room. With calm hands, soothing voices and demeanour, the sow slid right into her stall. Edwin said Jonathan has a gift. It takes a special touch to move the animals smoothly.
Edwin, a perfect host and tour guide, supplied me with pen, paper and even a set of his reading glasses so I could take notes while in the barn.
While we were walking down the hall, Edwin told me that Laura runs a great operation. Laura handles all the day to day work in the barn, whether it is scheduling vet visits with Dr. Kurt Preugschas, contacting their nutritionist, Malachy, booking loadouts with Steve’s Livestock and the rest of the barn operations. Edwin told me another of Laura’s talents is the great relationship she has with members of the barn team.
Entering the most recent farrowing room through a double internal bio-security door we changed footwear again. Here we were able to see Laura and Angela processing three-day old piglets. Also in the room was Elizabeth, who was completing health checks and drying a brand new piglet. Elizabeth showed us the colour codes for hanging ribbons to help draw worker attention to an animal. A blue ribbon highlights a gilt, a white ribbon for milk and red for scours. It is just another way to ensure attention to specific pigs.

These ladies were all tending to their jobs as smooth as silk. It didn’t even phase them when I was taking pictures of them and asking Edwin tons of questions.
Spruit farms has TOPIGS sows and uses PIC Terminal semen and has Meishan boars onsite for stimulation. Edwin said the boars are a bit smaller and easier for staff to handle.
Currently, they are weaning ~ 25 days and farrowing about 100 to 110 sows a week. Each sow averages 16 piglets and comes back into service five to six days after farrowing. Every part of the production is tracked and placed on the review board in the lunch room. This way the entire staff can see how they are doing to reach their goals and targets. When targets are reached staff are treated to special lunches.
As was mentioned in their award video, they have at least a couple of events every year when the entire staff, families and ownership gets together. It’s a great team building time.
All the rooms in the barn are connected by hallways that make moving animals and cleaning easier and helps guide the animals to the load-out chute. The oldest part of the barn was originally built in 1975, with the most recent edition in 2017. Edwin knew changes to sow housing were coming and made changes with future loose housing rules in mind. The farm currently has about 1,300 sows in the loose housing barn, following the 22 sq. ft. standard requirement. They choose to have a separate loose housing area for the gilts to make it “easier to train them and have less aggression with older sows,” added Spruit. They do not use any chemicals for flies but rather bring in larvae to target the flies.
Prior to the last expansion they had to get approval from all the neighbours. To complete compliance they bought an adjacent property. Their farm is right beside the Red Deer airport which did prevent Justin, the videographer, from taking drone footage of the property.
In one of their dry sow rooms, the gilts are bred and pregnancy checked at five weeks then moved into the gilt loose housing pens which houses about 55 gilts per pen.
Passing into the gilt development room, we passed another internal bio-security door and changed footwear again. Edwin emphasized bio-security is of utmost importance to keep a healthy herd. Their farm has had a closed herd since 2007. Here we saw Jessica checking the pigs in each of the pens.

When asked if he thinks one or more of their five children will keep up with the farm, Edwin replied, “I think at least one of them will. But, before they can take over an operation like this we would like them to get some experience on other farms or in a trade for a few years. After having experienced that, our belief is they will be a better manager for the farm and its employees.”
Even on very hot days the pigs were all content and resting comfortably. Ventilation is a big part of ensuring pig comfort. Edwin pointed out all the windows in the barns, which are a benefit to the staff. All the pens, whether it was in the gilt development room, weaners, growers, finishers or sow loose housing rooms had enrichment devices.
Congratulations again to the team at Spruit Farms and a huge thank you to Edwin for the tour through his barns. •
— By Laurie Brandly