1. Swine Industry

2. Lesson Outcomes Understand the size and scope of the swine industry
Understand common terminology used in the swine and pork industry
Describe the components of the swine industry
Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock.com

3. Lesson Outcomes
Understand production systems used in the swine industry
Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock.com

4. Swine Industry in the United States
In 2012, the U.S. swine industry generated $22.5 billion in sales
Top producing states
Iowa
North Carolina
Minnesota
Illinois
Indiana
Tsekhmister/Shutterstock.com

5. Common Swine Terms Pig or piglet—term to describe young
Boar—young, noncastrated male
Barrow—castrated male
Gilt—young female
Sow—mature female
Pork—type of meat
Farrowing—act of giving birth

6. Production Cycle of Swine
Tails docked, ears notched, needle teeth clipped, navel disinfected, castration, iron shot
Gestation 114 days
Mating with boar or through A.I.
Farrows and gives birth to litter
Weaning
(three weeks)
Sow
Nursery
Grower-finisher facility
Harvest at 240–280 lb
Replacement gilts or boars

7. Swine Production Systems
Outdoor facilities
Uncommon for large production operations
Pastures with huts or sheds for farrowing
Little environmental control
Inefficient waste handling
Mark William Richardson/Shutterstock.com

8. Swine Production Systems
Indoor facilities
Referred to as confinement operations in which pigs are bred, born, and raised indoors
Separate pens for growing and farrowing
Complete environmental control
Efficient waste handling
Most operations are vertically integrated

9. Swine Production Systems
Confinement operations
A_Lesik/Shutterstock.com; branislavpudar/Shutterstock.com

10. Swine Production Systems
Farrowing crates
Tawin Mukdharakosa/Shutterstock.com

11. The Swine Industry Purebred operations Commercial operations
Raise seedstock for breeding animals
Less than one percent of hogs produced in the United States
Commercial operations
Farrow-to-finish
Feeder pig
Finishing

12. Commercial Operations
Farrow-to-finish operations—herd is maintained with sows farrowing year-round and pigs are raised to market weight
Feeder pig operations—piglets are weaned and sold to finisher operations
Finishing operations—feeder pigs are purchased and raised to market weight

13. Maintaining Herd Health
Establish a herd health and vaccination program
Purchase from reputable breeders
Observe animals for disease and parasites
Ensure farrowing takes place at an appropriate time in clean facilities
Provide fresh, clean water
Dmitry Kalinovsky/Shutterstock.com

14. Maintaining Herd Health
Clean and disinfect facilities
Provide protection from extreme temperatures
Use biosecurity to prevent the spread of disease
Modfos/Shutterstock.com

15. Handling Swine Swine are prone to stress while handling
Pigs range of vision is nearly 360 degrees
Pigs tend to move from dimmer to well-lit areas
Using moving aids when appropriate
Stay calm and avoid loud noises
Animals can be aggressive during mating or when having young