Transcript Swine Nots - Tomball FFA

Swine Notes
Leading states in hog production:
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Iowa - #1
Illinois
Minnesota
Indiana
Nebraska
Missouri
North Carolina
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Ohio
Kansas
South Dakota
People prefer to raise hogs because?
Faster turnover in money
- breeding to marketing offspring is only 910 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
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4 prime cuts of meat:
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Picnic shoulder
Loin
Boston shoulder
ham
Factors for selecting a herd boar:
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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
Selecting sows:
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Soundness (sexual and structure)
Conformation
Gain and feed efficiency
Litter size
health
Sow Productivity Index:
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# pigs born alive
# pigs weaned
Litter weight at 21 days of age
# litters per sow per year
Feeder pig selection:
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Health
Type
Size (35-80 lbs.)
Uniformity
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
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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
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Feeding Swine:
Milo (grain sorgum)
-ground in the south
-Higher protein than corn
-substitute for corn
-add supplements also
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Breeding Facts:
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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 90-95 degrees
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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
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
1.
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
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
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Market Classes and Grades:
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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
5 USDA grades
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US
US
US
US
US
No1
No2
No3
No4
Utility
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)
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Muscle Scores:
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Thin = 1
Average = 2
Thick (superior) = 3
Exp: backfat = 1.05 inches and
superior muscling
Answer = 1.2 (US No 1 Grade)
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Preliminary Grades:
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<1.00 in = US No 1
1.0 – 1.24 in = US No 2
1.25 – 1.49 in = US No 3
1.5 -> in = US No 4
Shrinkage:
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Hogs lose weight when shipped
You’ll always have at least 2%
shrinkage no matter the distance