No foolin'
An innovation conceived April 1 offers serious help to hog farmers

By Dan Lemke

St. Cloud, Minn. - Entrepreneurs Darryl Metcalfe and Tony Schmitt are launching an innovative product that could make life easier for hog farmers - even though the idea started with a little foolishness.

“We got together on April Fools Day,” chuckles Metcalfe, recalling the partners’ first business meeting.

But the two wisely formed USA Solutions, makers of Bio Mat, a patented corn-stalk mat made for hog nurseries and farrowing crates. The biodegradable mats are an alternative to rubber mats - currently the industry standard - that have to be disinfected between uses.

The single-use mats have a 7 to 10 day life span and are available in 30”x 4’ farrowing mats and 4’ x 4’ nursery mats.  

The cursed rubber ritual 

Metcalfe, who has 25 years experience in the hog industry as a herdsman and swine manager, used to curse rubber mats that have to be dragged out and disinfected each time a new batch of hogs is brought to the nursery or new sows are moved into farrowing barns.

“Most guys I know hate the rubber mats because they’re heavy, hard to handle and hard to clean, but they’re the industry standard,” Metcalfe says. “I just thought there had to be a better way.”

Metcalfe says rubber mats can also promote health problems such as scours because washing and disinfecting doesn’t clean off all the bacteria. So he conceived a disposable, biodegradable mat that does not require cleaning, is user friendly, promotes animal comfort and cuts bacteria.

The 80th phone call

On April 1, 2004 Metcalfe met with acquaintance Tony Schmitt, who had already built and sold his own bulk-oil container business and had experience with patents. The two decided the bio-mat idea was worth pursuing.

Then the dialing marathon began.

“I made phone calls from one end of the country to the other looking for someone who could help us,” Schmitt says. “After about 78 calls, I didn’t think it would happen. The 79th call went to Alan Doering (AURI technical services specialist). He directed us to Mat, Inc., who got the 80th call - and here we are.”

Doering, who works extensively with biomass and coproducts, knew the biodegradable hog-mat concept sounded promising. He had worked with Mat, Inc. on other value-added projects, including wool mulch and landscape mats, so he suggested Schmitt connect with the Floodwood, Minn. company. (See accompanying article, next page) 

“We were afraid we’d be doing business in California or somewhere else a long ways away,” Schmitt says. “We’re fortunate to find it all right here.”

Schmitt and Metcalfe made and tested several mats at Mat, Inc. before finding the right process and product mixture for both nursery and farrowing mats. The mats have been through several barn trials and testing and are now ready for commercialization.  

Hog pleasing 

“There’s a great opportunity here,” Doering says. “The mat is something the hog industry will use, plus it’s made from an abundant, renewable resource that is of relatively low value.”

USA Solutions has worked with animal health professionals to evaluate Bio Mat and assess the market size. Because of market demand, Schmitt and Metcalfe project they will market one million mats their first year. The mat is available only though the USA Solutions warehouse in St. Cloud, Minn., but distributors may be added to help market the products.

Hog producers will be interested, Doering predicts. “It’s an improvement over what they’re currently using.”

“We wouldn’t have come this far if we didn’t believe in it so much,” Metcalfe says. “It would have been easy to quit. But now we have a product that is made exclusively from ag fibers, that’s grown and made right here in Minnesota.”