Swine Industryhttp://www.murphybrownllc.com/ABOUT/AUDIO/index.html

Swine in NC

#2 Producer in the country

Income in the state is $1 billion per year

~9.5 million headhttp://www.pigbusiness.co.uk/issues/destroying_small_farmers/

Trends of the industry

Farms are getting fewer and larger

Most farmers grow on contract to bigger companies.

Trends lead to better reproductive (genetics) and feed efficiency

http://www.murphybrownllc.com/OPERATE/index.html

Vertical Integration

• Definition-two or more steps of production, marketing, and processing are linked together usually by contract between producers and feed manufacturers or between producers and processors or include all three.

• Example- a corporation such as Smithfield Foods, Inc. purchases feeder hogs from a producer and then raises the animals to a market weight in their company owned finishing house. Then they transport animals to the slaughter house that is also owned by Smithfield Foods, Inc.

Veritical Integration

Highly integrated

Farrow to Finish

Where the contract growers come in

Farrow

Finish

Contract growers

Types of Swine Operations

• Sow- maintains sows for breeding, gestation and farrowing. Manages piglets until they are weaned at approximately 21 days.

• Nursery- manages piglets after they are weaned until approximately 10 weeks or 50lbs.

Types of Swine Operations

• Grow-Finish- manages barrows and gilts until they are ready for market.

• Farrow-to-Finish- manages a group of breeding sows and maintains piglets to market weights. Also known as complete sow and litter operation.

• Commercial operation will typically house animals in separate facilities to manage disease.

• Typical operation for a small scale producer raising hogs for local markets.

Segments

Farrowing Operation

Farrowing Barn2-4 weeks

Nursery 3 months

40 - 100 lbsFeeder Pigs

Growing/FinishingOperation

3 months~ 40 lbs

6 -8 months

240 -260Market Hog

Life Cycle

3 months 3 weeks 3 days~ 114 days

birth

5 months

puberty

Breed

~ 114 days

6 MonthsFarrow

~ 11 monhs

3 months 3 weeks 3 days~ 114 days

birth

5 months

puberty

6 - 8 monthsSlaughter

240 - 260 lbs

Processing Pork Products

• Finishing operations send animals to processing facilities. In many cases the finishing operation and the slaughterhouse are vertically integrated.

• Pork is processed into primal cuts and subprimal cuts. These products are sold to retailers and foodservice companies.

• Some packing facilities sell subprimals to meat processors who create value added products such as ham, bacon, pre-cooked items, sandwich meat, etc.

Fill In The Blank

• The gestation period of swine is __________ months, __________ weeks, and __________ days or just __________ days.

• The term used for swine giving birth is ___________________.• At at the age of ____________________ pigs are moved to the nursery. • After three months, pigs are _________ - _________ lbs or more and are called ____________ pigs. • After leaving the nursery, pigs are the put into the ________________/________________

operation. • The idea of more than one segment of the industry being owned by one person or company

is called _______________ _______________ also known in the swine world as ________________ to _________________.

• Replacement females are bred at _____________ months.• Pigs are slaughtered at the age of __________ to __________ months. • Two advantages of combining segments of the swine industry include better _______________

and _______________ ________________.• In NC, the swine industry is ___________ in the nation for production. • Income in North Carolina for the swine industry is $___________________.

Short Answer

• Describe the function of a contract grower in the swine industry.

• Explain what all happens in a farrowing barn.

• What is a feeder pig?

• What is the current trend of swine farms in the U.S.?