Swine Production: Industry Overview, Breeds, and Management Sequence

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the biology, taxonomy, breed characteristics, production sectors, economic data, and sequential management stages of swine production.

Sus scrofa

The wild boar of continental Europe, recognized as the biological ancestor of all modern domestic swine.

Who are the top producers for pork?

1. China

2. European Union

3. USA

Where does Canada rank in global pork production?

7th

This less than 2% of pork production

Where does rank for worldwide pork exporter

4th

China is one the top countries we export to

Now many pig farms in Canada

7,100

Top countries Canada export to:

United States

Japan

China

Mexico

Are pigs exported alive or dead?

USA receives live pigs because they will continue to raise to market weight

→ Cheaper to feed in USA

What are the top provinces for Canadian pork production?

81 % of production occur in: Quebec (31) , Ontario ( 26) , Manitoba (24)

→ Atlantic provinces do more poultry production

What is happening to pork production in Canada

Number of pigs increasing, where as the number of farms are decreasing

Bigger farms and forming and will take over little ones → ex farms. Maple leaf , high life

Where does SK rank in Canadian pork production?

Account for 6. 7 % of Canadian pigs : about 400 farms

→ Ranked 5th behind QC, ON, MN, AB

How much of sk pork is exported?

80% → this covers both live and processed pigs ( USA take live pigs, Japan, China, take meat)

Less than 20% is consumed in the province

Feed cost in SK are…

Cheaper than other places because of abundance and easy access to grain ( barley , wheat , canola )

→ this is 12-17% cheaper than eastern Can or USA

Where is SK processing plant ?

Thunder creek pork in Moose Jaw

Where were pigs most likely domesticated?

China and England

Monogastric

An organism possessing a simple, single-chambered non-ruminant stomach, characteristic of swine.

Boar

An intact, uncastrated adult male pig kept specifically for breeding purposes.

Barrow

A male pig that has been castrated before attaining sexual maturity.

Gilt

A young female pig of breeding age that has not yet farrowed or produced a litter of piglets.

Sow

A mature female pig that has given birth to at least one litter of piglets.

Hog

A mature pig that is fully grown and ready to be processed or harvested for meat.

Farrowing

The physiological act of parturition (giving birth) in pigs.

Weaning

The management process of permanently separating young piglets from their dam to prevent suckling, typically occurring around $3\text{ weeks}$ of age.

Bacon

Pig meat that is cured and preserved, typically by immersing cuts in a brine solution.

Swine External Anatomy

The exterior physical regions of a pig, which include the snout, jowl, cheek, shoulder, back, loin, rump, ham, side, belly, flanks, pastern, and dewclaw.

What are the top Canadian swine breeds ?

Yorkshire (45%)

Landrace ( 28%)

Duroc ( 24%)

What breed was developed in Alberta in Canada?

Lacombe

Yorkshire (Large White)

A white, bacon-type British breed with erect ears that constitutes $45\%$ of Canada's national herd;

highly valued for maternal productivity, crossbreeding, and carcass quality.

Landrace

A white Danish-origin swine breed with large drooping ears that comprises $28\%$ of the Canadian herd;

• celebrated for mothering ability, temperament, longevity

• average daily gain, feed conversion , and leanness

• High carcass quality

Duroc

A solid pinkish-red American breed that accounts for $24\%$ of the Canadian herd;

• dominates male lines

• superior feed efficiency

• Strong feet and legs

• high intramuscular marbling → excellent carcass quality

Lacombe

A Canadian swine breed developed in Alberta, represented among the $3\%$ of minor breeds in the national herd alongside the Hampshire, Pietrain, and Berkshire.

Importance of swine production:

Meat consumption- give all amino acids

Give opportunity to convert inedible feed into valuable products because pigs can consume it

Lard-Type Swine

Swine breeds historically selected to yield heavy body fat and lard, including the Duroc, Poland China, Chester White, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Spotted Poland China.

Bacon-Type Swine

Swine breeds selected primarily for producing lean meat, bacon cuts, and longer sides, represented by the Tamworth and Yorkshire.

Farrow-to-Finish Enterprise

A production system encompassing the breeding and gestation of sows, farrowing, and feeding progeny to market weight over approximately $10\text{ months}$; requires the highest capital, labor, and long-term commitment.

Farrow-to-Wean Enterprise

A production enterprise focused strictly on breeding and farrowing sows, selling weaned piglets to finishing units at approximately $3\text{ weeks}$ of age; vulnerable to wean-to-finish market price fluctuations.

Grow-to-Finish Enterprise

An enterprise that purchases weaned pigs and feeds them out to market weight, allowing crop producers to utilize homegrown grains without managing breeding stock.

Flushing

The nutritional practice of increasing a sow's feed intake above maintenance requirements $2\text{ to }3\text{ weeks}$ prior to breeding to achieve a positive energy balance and increase ovulation rate and litter size.

Swine Gestation Period

The pregnancy duration of a pig lasting approximately $114\text{ days}$, colloquially remembered as $3\text{ months}, 3\text{ weeks}, 3\text{ days}$.

Electronic Sow Feeding (ESF)

An automated system used in group sow housing that recognizes individual animals via RFID tags and dispenses precise feed rations tailored to body weight and body condition score.

Farrowing Crate

A specialized pen structure designed to house a sow during and immediately after parturition, providing safe creep areas that prevent accidental crushing of newborn piglets.

Cross-Fostering

The management practice of transferring newborn piglets between litters shortly after colostrum intake to balance litter sizes and equalize teat access.

Nursery Phase

The production stage spanning from weaning at $3\text{ weeks}$ until approximately $8\text{ weeks}$ of age, where piglets transition from liquid to solid feed under elevated ambient temperatures of $24\text{ to }30^\circ\text{C}$.

Slatted Floors

Pen flooring engineered with open slots that permit manure and urine to drop through into an underlying collection pit, maintaining sanitation and reducing labor.

Market Weight (Swine)

The target live body weight of $125\text{ to }130\,\text{kg}$, typically attained after a total sequence of approximately $23\text{ weeks}$ ($6\text{ months}$).

Canadian Pork Industry Distribution

The geographical concentration of hog production in Canada, where $81\%$ occurs across three provinces: Quebec ($31\%$), Ontario ($26\%$), and Manitoba ($24\%$).

Thunder Creek Pork

The primary federally inspected swine slaughter and processing facility in Saskatchewan, located in Moose Jaw.

Prairie Swine Centre

A dedicated swine research facility affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan, located near Saskatoon.

Sask Pork

The producer organization that represents and leads the swine production sector in Saskatchewan, administering mandatory commercial registrations, symposiums, and producer training.

Saskatchewan Feed Cost Advantage

The economic edge enjoyed by Saskatchewan swine operations due to regional abundance of wheat, barley, and canola by-products, reducing diet costs by $12\%\text{ to }17\%$ relative to Eastern Canada and the U.S.