Minnesota hog breeding farm will rebuild after fire

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  Andrea Gantz

  A Minnesota hog farm devastated by a fire on October 25 will rebuild, but it may take as long as a year to do so.

  From WATTAgNet:
  A hog breeding farm in southern Minnesota that was devastated by a fire on October 25 will rebuild, but it could take as long as a year to do so, managers said. The fire claimed three buildings at the Cougar Run Farm near Truman, Minnesota. It also killed an estimated 4,000 sows and as many as 7,000 piglets.
  About 1,300 sows were saved. Four employees were working at the time of the fire, and none suffered any injuries.
  The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it does not appear to be of a suspicious nature. Luke Minion, CEO of Pipestone System, the owner of the farm, said that once investigators clear the site, the process of putting up replacement structures and herd rebuilding will begin.
  "We've got a lot of work to do. A farm this size is going to take seven months (to rebuild). It could be a year before producers can get back to normal pig flow," Minion said.
  Firefighters from 10 agencies battled the fire for hours and returned the following day to check hot spots. Four other emergency agencies were also on the scene to provide assistance.
  The Truman Fire Department said in a statement that early estimates place fire damage in the multi-millions of dollars.