1. Swine Notes

2. Leading states in hog production:
Iowa - #1
Illinois
Minnesota
Indiana
Nebraska
Missouri
North Carolina
Ohio
Kansas
South Dakota

3. People prefer to raise hogs because?
Faster turnover in money
- breeding to marketing offspring is only 9-10 months
Hogs eat large amounts of grain
-more efficient in converting feed
Hogs give birth more than once per year
Hogs produce more young per birth than any other animal
Labor is low
Hogs are profitable 9 out of 10 years

4. 4 prime cuts of meat:
Picnic shoulder
Loin
Boston shoulder
ham

5. Factors for selecting a herd boar:
Reproductive soundness (testicles)
Type and quality (length, loin-eye, back fat thickness)
Performance testing results
Pedigree (ancestry)
Health (brucellosis, leptospirosis, pseudorabies)
Age (don’t breed before 9 months old)
Show ring performance

7. Selecting sows: Soundness (sexual and structure) Conformation
Gain and feed efficiency
Litter size
health

8. Sow Productivity Index:
# pigs born alive
# pigs weaned
Litter weight at 21 days of age
# litters per sow per year

9. Feeder pig selection:
Health
Type
Size (35-80 lbs.)
Uniformity

10. Feeding Swine Corn – basic energy feed used in hog rations
-lacks several amino acids necessary (lysine and tryptophan)
-must be supplemented with protein, minerals, and vitamins

11. Feeding Swine Barley: substitute for corn
-higher fiber and less digestible energy than corn
-check barley for scabs (disease in barley)
-must be supplemented also

12. Feeding Swine: Milo (grain sorgum) -ground in the south
-Higher protein than corn
-substitute for corn
-add supplements also

13. Breeding Facts:
Gilts should be 8 months before they are bred (weigh 250lbs)
Boars should be 9 months old before they are bred
Breed gilts twice at 12 hour intervals
Breed sows twice at 24 hour intervals
Put in farrowing crate 1 day before they should give birth
Keep newborns at degrees

15. Clip needle teeth and naval cord right away
Dock tails of pigs and give iron shots
Castrate young
Wean 5-8 weeks old and at least 12 lbs.
Ear notch

16. Kinds of swine markets:
Direct marketing:
-selling to packing plants, order, buyers, or country buying stations
-76% of hogs are sold this way
-producer deals with the buyer
2. Terminal markets:
-hogs are cosigned to a commission firm
-the firm deals with the buyer
-12% of hogs are sold this way
-buyers compete and can raise the profit more than in the direct market

17. 3. Auction markets:
-8% in US sold this way
-cost to market the swine are commissions, insurance, yardage, and feed costs
4. Group marketing:
-groups pull together in a co-op to fight for better market prices

18. Pricing methods: Sold on weight at market
Sold on weight and grade groups at market standards (standards are set by the buyer)
Grade and yield
-determine price after slaughter
-in an error is made, no possible way to re-grade the animal

19. Market Classes and Grades:
Determine classification by:
Sex
Use (slaughter or feeder)
Their grade
Barrows and gilts’ grades are based on carcass quality and the yield of the 4 lean cuts

20. 5 USDA grades
US No1
US No2
US No3
US No4
US Utility

21. To determine official grade, estimate:
Backfat thickness
Muscle score
Equation:
(4.0 x backfat thickness over last rib, in inches)-(1.0 x muscling score)

22. Muscle Scores: Thin = 1 Average = 2 Thick (superior) = 3
Exp: backfat = 1.05 inches and superior muscling
Answer = 1.2 (US No 1 Grade)

23. Preliminary Grades: <1.00 in = US No 1 1.0 – 1.24 in = US No 2

24. Shrinkage: Hogs lose weight when shipped
You’ll always have at least 2% shrinkage no matter the distance