animal science 10/28

Activity: Practice will include moving piglets around in the barn.
Expectation: Some students may be inexperienced with pigs while others have shown pigs before.
Personal Experience: Speaker shares they have been told pigs are generally gentle due to daily handling in another class.
Contrast to Previous Year: Last year, pigs were less gentle, including an incident where a student fell after being knocked over by a pig.

Top Five States:
1. Iowa (Rank 1)
2. North Carolina
3. Minnesota
4. Illinois
5. Indiana
Reason for Location: Midwest's flat, dry climate is conducive to pork production.
Infrastructure: Corn is predominantly grown in these regions, providing feed for pigs.

Average Herd Size: Greater than 1,000 pigs, indicating large-scale operations.
Comparison with Other Livestock:
- Cattle: Average herd size is approximately 43.
- Dairy Cows: Around 120 cows per herd.
Example of Scale: Smithfield has a farm with 1,130,000 pigs at a single location.

Pork Production Concentration: 70% of all pork produced in the U.S. comes from the top five states, highlighting significant production concentration similar to the dairy industry where 50% comes from five states.
Arkansas Position: Ranked 22nd; has approximately 134,000 pigs with an average herd size of about 1,000.

Majority located in Northwest Arkansas, with some presence in Southwest Arkansas.
Tyson Foods has ventured into swine production but closed many facilities.
The trend indicates hog farming is moving away from populous areas due to waste management challenges and regulations.

Weaning: Pigs are weaned at 14 to 21 days (approximately 3 weeks).
Age of Puberty: Pigs reach puberty at 5 to 7 months.
Gestation Period: Approximately 4 months.
Production Cycles: Sows can produce multiple litters, with around 7.5 piglets per litter, leading to around 35 babies over a sow's lifetime if she produces 5 litters.

Multiparous Female Pig: Known as a "sow", typically bred back 4 to 7 days after weaning when she cycles again.
**Piglet Colors and Classes:
- Nursing Pig: Still milk feeding from the sow.
- Nursery Pig: Weaned piglet.
- Feeder Pig: Ready to go to a fattening operation.

Iron Injections: Provided due to iron deficiency as piglets do not dig in soil to obtain iron naturally.
Teeth Clipping: Done to prevent harm to the sow and minimize injury among piglets.
Ear Notching: A universal identification system for pigs, crucial for record-keeping.
- Left Ear: Indicates litter number.
- Right Ear: Indicates piglet number.
Tail Docking: Prevents tail biting among pigs.
Castration: Performed for male pigs not intended for breeding.

Reading Method: When facing a pig, the left ear denotes the litter number, while the right ear indicates the pig number.
Notch Values:
- Closeness to head at the bottom represents values from 1.
- The outer half of the ear on the bottom represents 3.
- The upper part of the ear represents 9.
- And special values like 27 and 81 are noted.
Example Calculation: A pig with notches showing values of (1, 3, and 9) could represent its index as 18.
Testing Knowledge: Ear notching, including questions on reading and identifying conditions, will be part of testing moments in the lab.

Definition of Farrowing: The term used for birthing in pigs, managed often in farrowing crates to protect piglets from being squashed or eaten by the sow.

Nursery Phase: From weaning (2-3 weeks old) to about 35-50 lbs, focusing on weight gain.
Finishing Phase: Market pigs are typically about 250 lbs and are prepared for slaughter. They are kept for 70-80 days on feed.

Farrow to Weaning: Involves breeding and weaning operations until pigs reach about 50 lbs, then they are sold as feeders.
Finishing Operations: Focuses on finishing feeder pigs to market weight (250 lbs) quickly and efficiently.
Farrow to Finish: Encompasses all aspects of pig production on one farm.
Purebred Seed Stock Operations: Raise purebred pigs or specialized genetic lines primarily for breeding.
Integrated Corporate Production: Similar to farrow to finish, but with physical locations for different phases to ensure biosecurity by spacing them out.

Rising Trend: The industry has shifted toward larger farms and increased vertical integration, meaning one entity controls multiple phases of production.
Statistical Changes:
- Number of swine farms has decreased significantly; from 2.2 million in 1950 to about 87,000 in 2000.
- 90% of pigs are now raised on farms with over 5,000 pigs.

Leading Companies: Tyson, JBS, and Cargill dominate the swine production market.

Yorkshire: Solid white, erect ears, muscular, large litters; most common breed in commercial production.
Duroc: Red pigs, down ears, efficient growth performance.
Berkshire: Black with white points, known for high-quality meat.
Chester White: White pig, down ears, consistency in quality with low PSE issues.
Hampshire: Black with a white belt, prolific musculature.
Landrace: Down eared, prolific with significant litter sizes.

Physical Traits: Recognizable differences tied to ear orientation and color, which can be critical for field identification and breeding decisions.
Considerations for Growth: Consideration of whether breeds contribute better to meat quality or growth efficiency based on feed conversion rates, litter size, and other performance metrics.

Pig production is a complex industry heavily reliant on management practices, the efficiency of operation types, and an understanding of genetics and breeding. The rapid changes in the industry reflect a significant move towards larger operations, emphasizing the need for adaptation and awareness of current trends and regulations.