Opened in 2004 the Swine Center replaced a facility that had been erected in 1960. The new state-of-the-art $1.4 million Swine Center was built without state tax dollars. Mr. Bob Clare, a local banker, donated the 30 acre site and the UW-Platteville Foundation funded the construction project through loans that will be paid off by private donations.

This high-rise composting swine facility, located on the south side of College Farm Road at Pioneer Farm, is the first of its kind in the state. The design was developed by Mr. Thomas Menke, an Ohio farmer, and patented by EnviroLogic. In this system pigs are housed in an upstairs level. Manure falls through slats into a pit below where it is mixed with a carbon source such as chopped corn stalks or sawdust. Air blown under and up through holes in the floor of the pit dries the waste. By keeping the manure as dry as possible, odor is much reduced. Periodically the material in the pit is removed to a composting floor in a nearby shed. Pioneer Farm is now producing an additional saleable product, composted swine manure.

The 16,000 square foot Swine Center is an ideal teaching and applied research facility. The complex supports a farrow-to-finish production system. At capacity it can house a 60 sow herd in group pens. It has a farrowing room and after weaning the pigs move to one of five production rooms. Up to 1400 pigs can be finished and shipped to market each year. The building includes a demonstration area and windows into each room so students and the public can see firsthand how the facility's design, technology, and management practices work. The Swine Center supports the class and laboratory activities of the School of Agriculture. It offers work opportunities for student employees. It is an ideal site for demonstration and outreach programs in support of the swine industry. It can support applied research in swine nutrition, manure and odor management, composting, and other areas of interest to producers and agricultural business professionals.

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