Alternative swine cost of production project

Pork producers interested in niche market production need information on the costs of alternative operations. Records from current niche producers were collected and analyzed

Swine Feed Efficiency: Effect of Sow Feed on Whole Farm Efficiency

Feeding the sow herd has direct and indirect influences on whole herd feed efficiency. Direct effects on sow herd feed efficiency should be analyzed by phase. Within each phase, sow weight gain (\u3e 6:1 F/G), gilt developing gain (\u3c4:1 F/G), and nursing pig gain (\u3c3.5:1 F/G) have very different feed efficiency ratios and value of gain. Indirect influences on whole herd feed efficiency are dependent on the quality of the weaned pig. A larger and healthier weaned pig will have lower morbidity, mortality and faster growth rate influencing wean to finish feed efficienc

Swine Feed Efficiency: Influence of Market Weight

To understand the reason that F/G becomes worse as pigs mature, it is important to understand the physiology of growth. During the growth cycle of a pig, the pounds of feed required per pound of gain increases, or said another way, the feed efficiency becomes worse as the pig’s weight increases. Because it is more efficient to build muscle than fat, the efficiency of converting feed to live weight gain is best for young pigs and declines as pigs grow larger and older. Early growing pigs convert dietary feed at less than 2:1 F/G while finishing pigs convert feed at over 3:1 F/G. The poorer feed efficiency is caused by two major factors. First, the feed required for maintenance relative to lean growth increases as the pig gets larger. Second, the composition of gain shifts from primarily lean growth to a larger segment of lipid accretion as a pig approaches mature weight. Therefore, the mature frame size of the genetics is an important factor in feed efficiency near market weight. Early maturing pigs enter the less efficient fattening phase at a lighter final weight. Modern high lean genetics typically stay in the lean growth phase longer

The Niche Pork Production Handbook

Niche pork markets grew rapidly in the late 1990’s and have continued to expand. There are currently at least 35 pork niche markets active in Iowa. These range from direct sales to consumers by individual farmers to organized marketing groups. Marketers consistently report more demand for pork than the existing supply of pigs that meet the niche market criteria. They also consistently report a shortage of producers and the expectation that the niche markets will continue to grow. The lifestyle and financial opportunities offered by niche pork markets are attractive to many individuals. These individuals may have little or no experience with raising pigs. Much of the existing pig production resources are not appropriate for this audience. To address these needs, a Niche Pork Production handbook was developed in 2007. The handbook is a collection of 30 individual leaflets addressing practical issues of niche pork production. The handbook is available for download from the Iowa Pork Industry Center website: http://www.ipic.iastate.edu/publications.html. This handbook was written to serve as an introduction to pig production with a focus on the practical issues facing niche market pig producers. Although perhaps most valuable to the novice, the information in this handbook is also useful to the more experienced pig producer considering niche pork production as well as the seasoned niche pork producer

Costs, Returns, Production and Financial Efficiency of Niche Pork Production in 2006

This report provides a summary of the costs, returns, and production and financial performance for participating niche pork producer s for the year 2006. There were 41 niche pork farrow-to-finish producers who completed records fo r 2006. Five of these were certified organic producers, four were purebred Berkshire producers, and 32 were ‘natural’ producers, meaning their pigs were raised without antibiotics using bedded pens with outdoor access. An initial evaluation of the data showed th at the average production efficien cies were similar between the organic, purebred Berkshire and other operations . Thus, all are combined for this analysis

Feeding DDGS to Finishing Pigsin Deep-Bedded Hoop Barns

The ethanol industry in Iowa has rapidly expanded in the last several years. A major coproduct of ethanol production is dried distillers grains with solubles(DDGS). Higher prices for corn and ample supplies of DDGS has generated interest in feeding DDGS to finishing pigs. Challenges in feeding DDGS supplemented diets to finishing swine include problems of feed flowability in bulk bins and feeders, reduced feed intake, and softer, oilier fat in pork carcasses. Pelleted diets have improved flowability and may stimulate feed intake, but thus far no studies have examined feeding DDGS-supplemented dietsin pelletted form to pigs. The objective of this study was to evaluate pelletted DDGS-based diets fed to finishing pigs

Maximizing DDGS for Finishing Pigs in Bedded Hoop Barns

Higher prices for corn and increasing supplies of DDGS have generated questions about feeding DDGS to market swine. The objective of this study was to evaluate various programs to maximize DDGS feeding to finishing pigs in bedded hoop barns. The project was conducted during 2008 and 2009 at the ISU Western Research Farm, Castana, IA. The pens were in small hoop barns with two pens per barn. Each pen was assigned to one of three dietary treatments— continuous 20% DDGS (Cont), a step-up program from 0% to 30% DDGS (Step), and a high DDGS program that rapidly got pigs to 30% DDGS (High). All treatments were fed a 20% DDGS diet for the last phase of the trial. There were 4 dietary phases in the 98-day trial. Phase 1 and 4 were each 21d. Phase 2 and 3 were each 28d. The diets were pelletted and fed ad libitum. Within each phase, the diets were formulated to be equal in apparent digestible amino acids—lysine, threonine, and tryptophan. The pigs consumed the diets readily with no apparent problems making the transition among the diets. Feed intake (ADFI), growth (ADG), and feed per liveweight gain (F/G) did not differ among treatments (P \u3e 0.05). No major differences were noted in backfat thickness (BF) and loin muscle area (LMA) (P \u3e 0.05). Also, based on the means of fatty acid saturation, iodine values, and belly flop scores of selected pigs in trial (one, two or three), the differences in unsaturation percentages, iodine value and belly flop scores between treatments were minor. On average, a pig fed the continuous program consumed 119 lb of DDGS or 20% of the total feed over the 98-day feeding trial (from 54 to 274 lb). A pig fed the Step-up program consumed 106 lb of DDGS or 17% of the total feed. A pig fed the High program consumed 162 lb of DDGS or 26% of the total feed. This work suggests that diets and feeding programs can be designed to increase DDGS usage by market swine without negatively affecting pig performance. Also formulating diets on apparent digestible amino acid content may be advantageous when using DDGS on swine diets. The pelleted diets worked well with no problems in feed flow or fines separation

Effect of Dietary Changes on Manure Nutrient Content and Value

The design of the model is to evaluate a more comprehensive valuation swine feeding programs other than cost per ton of feed or cost per pound of gain. Ingredient supplies and value may be part of the a production system, but if that system depends upon more than pounds of pork out the door, and utilizes manure as a fertilizer input for crop production, then how the pigs are fed has consequences other than feed cost per pig or gain. The model may be used to help identify the role of swine diet formulations in the determination of manure nutrient content and value. This is just one component within a crop to feed to fertilizer cycle, and there are other factors which may influence the nutrient concentrations in swine manure and manure samples need to be taken and analyzed prior to field application

Maximizing DDGS for Finishing Pigs in Bedded Hoop Barns: Trial One

Iowa’s ethanol industry continues to expand rapidly. A major coproduct of ethanol production is dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS). Higher prices for corn and increasing supplies of DDGS have generated questions about feeding DDGS to market swine. The objective of this study was to evaluate various programs to maximize DDGS feeding to finishing pigs in bedded hoop barns. The work reported is the first of several trials planned