February, 1997 . Volume 20, Number 1
February, 1997 . Volume 20, Number 1
Today we are managing a more prolific mature sow that may be both leaner and larger in mature body size; in addition, gilts now grow faster, reach puberty at a heavier weight and are mated both younger and leaner. Simultaneous advances have been made in pigs/sow/year, predominantly due to management, and lean (growth rate and percentage) predominantly due to genetics. Young breeding females of lean genotypes must maintain fatness throughout breeding life. With sows this can be accomplished by minimizing lactation fat losses and encouraging gestation fat recovery. Several studies have clearly demonstrated that a P2 backfat depths of less than .5 in. (12 mm) are likely to be associated with reproductive inefficiencies. However, there is also a likely negative effect in the sow achieving more than 1 - 1.2 in. (25 - 30 mm) of P2 fat. At lactation milk yield can reach 26 lb. per day. For the gestating gilt that is still growing and has not yet achieved mature size all of this implies that there is a substantially increased maintenance requirement and during lactation the pressure is on management actions to encourage feed intake. The appropriate management program for the breeding female is one that will:
Appropriate age and weight at first mating is very dependent on genotype. In many cases a mating weight of approximately 275 lb. live weight and an age of 210 days appears most appropriate for optimum subsequent fertility and longevity. It is also important at first mating that adequate fat stores are available for good lactation and a short weaning to estrus interval. This adequate body composition may be represented by a P2 fat measure in excess of .7 in. (18 mm). However, age, P2 fat and live weight are not themselves the targets for the right time for first mating but are indicators of age pattern of puberty, the weight pattern of fatty tissue growth, and the relationship between ultimate mature size and the proportion of mature size that is required before reproduction should be initiated.
Achieving the desired combination of age, weight and P2 fat depth in lean genotypes may necessitate a gilt development program that is very different from conventional finishing. Replacement gilts raised as finishing pigs will lead to increases in mature body weight and maintenance requirement of the breeding herd. Breeding females should most likely be reared on a conservative diet of adequate protein and relatively low energy. Some restriction of feeding may also be required to achieve the target fat, weight and age endpoint. There is new evidence (Foxcroft, et al.; 1996) to support the concept of short-term "flushing" before first mating. Flush feeding by allowing gilts to eat to appetite is simply a corrective process to ensure the potential ovulation rate of the female. Restricted feeding of gilts nearing puberty will inhibit the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) which regulates ovulation. When the animals are put back on ad libitum feeding LH releases immediately begin again.
The flush feeding should end immediately after mating in the gilt. It has been demonstrated (Foxcroft et al., 1996; Ashworth, 1991) that high feed intakes immediately after mating in the gilt result in a significant decrease in embryonic survival. Therefore, flush feeding should only continue until mating and then feed intake of gilts and sows should be restricted to normal gestation levels of 1.5 times maintenance. For group housed females this poses an additional management problem because unmated gilts should be fed ad libitum and gilts that are mated should be restricted in their intake. Forming new groups is also undesirable during the first 3 weeks of pregnancy as fighting during the establishment of the social hierarchy may lead to embryo losses and the subsequent reduction in litter size.
Todd See
Any of you who were fortunate enough to have attended the recent Pork Profitability Summit in Myrtle Beach, SC, December 10-11,1996 had the opportunity to hear some excellent presentations. Among these was a discussion by Dr. Dennis DePietre of characteristics common to all successful swine producers, regardless of herd size. He identified ten of these characteristics, all of which reflect a fundamental change in the producers from being primarily technology based in their mode of operation to that of being primarily knowledge based. These ten characteristics and a summary of his comments on each are outlined below.
1. Successful producers will operate from a knowledge base.
Producers who lack complete production records lack the knowledge base needed for them to make informed and profitable business decisions. Many of these producers also view themselves as being in the business of producing pigs. As producers become more knowledgeable of their business and how it competes in the market, they begin to view their commodity not as pigs but as least cost lean meat.
Having efficient, least cost production of lean meat in response to packer pricing systems that encourage this gradually reduces actual product quality. Because this trend is counter productive in terms of consumer preference and consumer sales, there must follow another change in the production concept. The focus must change from the efficient production of lean meat to the production of cost and quality controlled food from pork. This focus requires that producers recognize that the characteristics of food safety, shelf life, texture, color, taste, tenderness, etc. be part of the product they sell.
2. Successful producers will be final consumer oriented.
Futures will discontinue pricing live hogs after the close out of the December 1996 contracts. Within five years cash markets will begin pricing food instead of pricing meat. But, for this to pay off, the entire pork chain must become knowledge based. This means that consumer preferences must come into play. In other words, the final product must meet the consumers expectations in quality. Lean premiums for poor quality meat will not continue.
3. Successful producers will be interdependent (relationship oriented).
Networking arrangements provide advantages to producers that would not be available to them if each tried to operate alone. Networking advantages extend beyond competitive buying and selling. It also provided the opportunity to increase the amount of specialization. The example was used of producers who have invested together in joint farrowing facilities to insure a source of high quality pigs for their nurseries and finishing floors. In the future, this networking will extend vertically to packers and input suppliers to help deliver high value added products to the customer.
4. Successful producers will employ a sustainable growth rate.
Run-away expansion has been the nemeses of many would be producers. Getting bigger before getting better has taken its toll of some highly visible production units. For a producer to adopt a steady sustainable growth rate requires a thorough knowledge of the financial situation of that unit. Growth that is too conservative can lead to a slow death in the business. Growth that is too rapid, on the other hand, usually leads to early failure. A correct sustainable rate of growth is necessary for long-term profitability.
5. Successful producers will create high productivity/low variance production systems.
Basically, this means that the highest level of production management will be practiced throughout the unit. Health maintenance, breeding systems, facility design and operation, nutrition employed and personnel management will all be in concert so that total output is appropriate for the resources in place.
6. For successful pork production it is: location, location, location.
Dr. DiPietre makes a point of the fact that the reason that environmental laws are lax in some areas is because no serious challenges to the environment currently exists in that area. When environmental challenges arrive, environmental constraints begin. Also, operations must be accessible to communities that can sustain the social and cultural needs of a highly educated work force. Likewise, their is a tremendous advantage in locations within an economic distance of low cost grain and competitive packing.
7. Successful producers will be environmentally sustainable.
There is no alternative to this.
8. Successful producers will exhibit flexibility and the willingness to change.
The swine industry has experienced a rapid increase in technological advances in production methods. Progressive producers, in turn, must make use of these advancements by having a flexible willingness to be creative, adapt and change. In this sense, knowledge will be the key to wealth. Choosing those advances that will be profitable and omitting those that do not fit will be a major requirement of each operation.
9. Successful producers will develop effective marketing plans.
In the past, the approach of most producers has been to concentrate on controlling input costs. There was not much latitude between average selling price and highest bid for the day. Also, just obtaining the highest bid of the day did not, in itself, guarantee financial efficiency.
In the future, a knowledge based approach will probably center on achieving levels of financial efficiency, rather than minimizing cost or maximizing selling price. The reason for this is that consumer acceptable products, i.e., those with high value food attributes such as outlined in Characteristic No. 1, may not be the cheapest to produce. Hence, the focus will have to be on net return, not just on minimizing cost or maximizing selling price. Higher value carcasses may be more expensive to produce and blindly following a plan to minimize cost can be detrimental to the profitability of the operation. Return on assets (ROA) or return on investment (ROI) are much more important than just cost or selling price.
10. The successful producers will be benchmarking their business.
Benchmarking begins by having a complete and accurate understanding of each system on the farm. This includes the strengths and weaknesses of each system and how it compares to the best system used in the industry at large. Benchmarking goes beyond simply comparing a system or operation with another, as DePietre says "to see how I stack up."
Benchmarking needs to be the basis for an ongoing, proactive process of evaluating strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvements. Producers need to realize that a program for increasing profitability will require continuous, incremental improvement and reinvestment.
For a copy of the complete proceedings of the 1996 Pork Profitability Summit, call the National Pork Producers Council at 515-223-2600.
Charles Stanislaw
Producers who purchase complete feeds often have the option of choosing the feed in either pellet form or in meal form. Since pellets cost more than meal, the question that is immediately raised is how to establish the value of pelleting.
Numerous studies have shown consistently improved feed efficiency and growth rate with pelleted rations. There are other advantages too, such as less dustiness, reduced storage space requirements, decrease feed wastage and less sorting of the ration by the pigs. Also, some feed-borne pathogens such as salmonella are destroyed by pelleting temperatures that exceed 180 to 190° F.
Pelleting is most common with starter pig diets. Newly weaned pigs prefer pellets over meal and small pigs prefer a small pellet. Diets high in milk products are prone to bridge in feeders and pelleting reduces this problem. In larger pigs, pelleting corn or milo-based diets produces a feed efficiency improvement of approximately 5 to 8 percent. Growth rate is improved about 3 to 6 percent. Efficiency is improved even more in fibrous feeds such as barley or oat-based diets that are improved 7 to 10 percent. Some of this improvement comes from improved nutrient utilization and some from reduced wastage.
Calculating the economics of pelleting is rather direct. As outlined in the latest Nebraska-South Dakota Nutrition Guide, the formula to use is:
Thus, if pelleting increases feed cost from $110 per ton to $120 per ton, the calculation would be:
Charles Stanislaw
Producers and industry officials seeking resources to environmental issues may call The Environmental Law Education Network at 1-800-705-6270. Established in 1994, it is a checkoff-funded resource network designed as a service to help producers and their legal consultants address environmental challenges. The network provides immediate access to the latest information available on environmental law as it pertains to hog production. It also includes an information bank of law review articles, reports, clippings and cases and director of experts.
Pork Leader
January 3, 1997
Vol. 16, No. 1