Table 1. Production and price forecast for the next four quarters.

A US survey asked producers what challenges the pork industry faces in the next five years that could influence production outcomes:

Table 2. Percentage of respondents for each challenge.

Operational size (annual hog sales)

Thank you to every one of our customers!

Bloomsbury Farms is experiencing excellent results in shipments to OLYMEL: 336 gilts were slaughtered at 89.7 kg, with 16.6 mm backfat, 60.3 mm lean (43.64 mm spread), and 113.3 average index. Barrows in the same group measured 18.4 mm fat, giving 111.6 average index.

Rock Lake Colony has achieved the first-ever 114 average index at World Wide Pork (carcass weights 85 – 95 kg). The load was made up of 117 hogs. In his 31 years in the swine industry, this is the first time Les Robinson has seen a perfect marketing score!

From an economic standpoint, production systems that have low(er) sow replacement rates are more profitable than those with high rates.

When replacement rates are high, replacement gilts are worth no more than 175% of market hog value, but if replacement rates are low, the same gilts may be worth up to 450% of market hog value. A replacement female must produce a sufficient number of offspring to offset her cost: purchase price and maintenance. Any pigs produced beyond the purchase and maintenance costs may be viewed as profit.

Improving your sows’ lifetime should improve profitability by reducing replacement gilt expenses. Reproductive failure is the primary reason sows are removed from the herd. Sows removed for poor performance had on average 5.11 parities but sows removed for reproductive failure had only 2.37 parities.

Management factors that appear to lower the risk of sow mortality include:

1. Weaning at 28 days or greater,
2. Smaller litter size at birth (12 pigs or less),
3. Reaching maximum daily feed intake before the 15^th day of lactation, and
4. Having maximum daily feed intake at less than 17.5 lbs.

Increasing herd size negatively affects sow mortality rates; increasing the herd by 500 sows increased sow mortality by 0.5%.

Table 1. Ideal Parity Distribution (by percentage)

Values by parity within a row indicate the percentage of females that should be in each classification for an ideal distribution. Table adapted from the Pig News and Information article published in June 2004.

Studies suggest that the ideal economic time to remove a sow is after her 8^th or 9^th parity. Improving sow longevity may improve producer profitability by reducing replacement gilt expenses and associated development, isolation and acclimatization. Crossbred females are better at surviving commercial operations than purebreds and they produce one more litter than their purebred counterparts.

There may also be a relationship between body composition at mating and sow longevity. A minimum level of backfat is likely needed on replacement gilts if they are to maximize the lifetime number of pigs born alive. Gilts with 0.70” to 0.87” of backfat, averaging 330 lb., averaged 7.2 more pigs born alive over five parities as compared to gilts with 0.55” to 0.63” of backfat.

A major factor contributing to poor sow longevity may be related to gilt pool management. Gilts are often bred early to meet breeding targets and sows of uncertain productivity can then be removed. But breeding gilts early may be a reason why sows do not remain long in the herd. Gilts bred early are not always physically mature and have not fully acquired the necessary body reserves or immunity to provide them with a long productive life in the herd. Delayed breeding of gilts that cycle early generally allows gilts time build body reserves needed to remain in the breeding herd for longer periods of time.

Other factors include:

1. Season influences sow herd culling and mortality rates,
2. Sow housing systems, like crates and pens,
3. People and/or management factors (misdiagnosed pregnancies, heat not identified, unsuccessful inseminations),

Diseases like PRRS, pseudorabies impact sow replacement rates.

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