Ghent farmer Travis Engels is raising 1,800 hogs in a barn he is renting from a neighbor.

GHENT – Travis Engels, 21, might be young, but he’s already made a serious investment in farming and the pork industry.

He farms 80 acres near Ghent and is harvesting his corn crop. He also rents a finishing barn from a neighbor, where he raises 1,800 hogs at a time in a 20-week finishing process.

He is a 2020 graduate of Lakeview High School in Cottonwood and has an agribusiness degree from Ridgewater College in Willmar. He’s always wanted to farm because of how he grew up helping his father John Engels and his grandfather.

“I’ve been around farming all my life,” Travis said. “It was natural for me to work with it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

He said hogs are a good way to add value to his farm operation. He finishes for Posen Livestock from the Wood Lake area.

The young pigs come from eastern South Dakota. After the 20 weeks of finishing they’re shipped to Sioux City, Iowa, to be processed. At that point they’ve reached a weight of about 280 pounds.

He enjoys being part of a pork industry that produces a variety of meat products for consumers. Two of the main items are pork chops and pork loins.

Ham and sausage are versatile as both breakfast foods and as main dinner dishes. Another favorite breakfast food is bacon.

Pork often works in combination with other meats. Bacon is a popular wrap for steaks, pork chops, turkey, and chicken. Sausage is popular with chicken in both soups and rice dishes.

“I’m proud to be part of the pork industry,” Engels said. “I definitely think there’s a future in it. The demand for pork products is strong. People have built more barns to keep up with the demand.”

He has an off-farm job at Neuman Collision Repair near Hanley Falls. He said the combination works well since his boss is always flexible for his farming needs.

He noted that starting out as a farmer takes careful planning. He said there’s a need for background knowledge, which is learned from school, life experiences and sometimes employment in agriculture.

“It takes patience,” he said. “I’m starting out small and want to build it up. Someone needs to know what they’re getting into. It helps to have firsthand knowledge and good connections.”

In the not too distant future he hopes to gradually bring his operation up to a larger size, one that can support a farm family.

“My two main goals are to raise more pigs and farm more land,” Engels said. “I’m open to new opportunities. When possibilities come up, I hope to be ready to work with them.”