Swine Barn Grows With Its Animals

By Darla White

The swine industry in North Dakota has a small footprint, er, hoofprint, but the NDSU Swine Unit is doing its best to change that.

The most noticeable indication of that is the construction under way at the barn. Another finishing area is being added that will allow the swine unit to function at full capacity. The current facility, which was built in 1983, contains two farrowing (birthing) rooms. Only one room is used at a time because there’s not enough space for the pigs to reach market weight if both rooms were utilized. The new addition will solve that problem along with making it easier to get the finished pigs to market thanks to a proper loading chute. A classroom is also being built to expand the educational opportunities at the barn.

Megan Kavanagh, the swine unit manager, is excited about the new possibilities. She jumped into the position in August 2024, right as she was finishing her master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She has a passion for pigs and is eager to share it with others.

“Pigs are smart,” she says. “I like to see their personalities, and the way they’re thinking.” She also appreciates how much can be done with pigs. “The industry is so much larger than it seems,” she says.

Megan and half a dozen student workers take care of the 400 to 500 pigs that are typically at the swine barn. About 75 of them make up the breeding herd the sows and boars that stick around for years.