Parameter	2005	YTD 2006
	Carcass weight, kg	92.6	94.0
	Carcass index	111.0	n/a
	Fat measurement, mm	17.5	18.2
	Lean depth, mm	60.3	60.6
	Lean incentive, $/hog	1.03	1.00

The growth in carcass weight this year May be further enhanced where select hogs from various farms may be delivered to have an average carcass weight of 100 kg in future, by those producers able to deliver high quality hogs. More finishing space (one week’s worth/7 kg live gain) will be needed to feed hogs to heavier live weights relative to existing square footage per hog in most barns. It is not unexpected that heavier hogs will be fatter (note increase of 0.7 mm for 1.4 kg gain) nor that loin depth increases as hogs get heavier. [Vol. 8 No. 7 showed that loin depth increases 0.5 mm/kg increase in carcass weight.]

Boars and gilts probed at Five Lakes Farms at the end of June continue to show terrific improvement in loin size. Biggest loin probed at 100 kg live weight on Landrace gilts was 71.3 mm; on Pathfinder Duroc boars was 74.6 mm; Pathfinder Duroc gilts was 70.1 mm and on Yorkshire boars was 65.6 mm.

Hutterville Colony is now using Trailblazer boars in the herd: T1 is producing 15.5 live pigs per litter while T3 is producing 14.0 live pigs per litter from older sows. The piglets are noticeably heavier than those produced in the white breed breeding herd; some commercial litters weigh as much as 115 kg at weaning.
 

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