Profile and structure of modern pork
production AND Society Issues for
Pork Production
John J. McGlone, PhD
Texas Tech University
4/9/2020
Outline







National and international competition
USA pork production areas
Changing structure of farms
Large vs. small farms
Legal requirements
Modern systems
Society Issues
4/9/2020
National and international competition

Today:



In 30 years:



1 billion pigs
91 million mt/year
3 billion pigs
231 million mt/year
Who will produce pork for the future?
4/9/2020
USA grain production
Where has pork production grown in recent years?
4/9/2020
Why is pork production moving?



To get away from population centers
To lower the cost of environmental
compliance (and to minimize the risk of
pollution)
To lower cost of land and labor
4/9/2020
Largest USA farms
Name
#Sows
# Pigs (millions/year)
Smithfield
Conti/PSF
Seaboard
Triumph
Prestage
Pipestone
Cargill
Total
710,000
201,000
185,000
140,000
122,000
120,000
109,000
1,587
14.2
4.0
3.7
2.8
2.4
2.4
2.2
31.7
4/9/2020
Recent re-structuring




Farms are getting larger
Fewer companies are owning more market
share
Family farms are declining rapidly
Corporate farms are growing


4/9/2020
In the 1990s by building new farms
In the 2000’s by buying their competitors
Legal requirements






Set-back from houses
Water or well requirements
Waste treatment rules and regulations
Ground or surface water protection
Air quality protection
Fire, flood and disaster protection
4/9/2020
Other factors to consider before
building a pig farm






Available capital
Through-out of pigs required
Neighbors
Labor force
Other operating costs (power, bedding, markets)
Regulations



4/9/2020
Environmental
Food Safety
Animal welfare
Model farms
4/9/2020
Large farm organization
4/9/2020
Life cycle of a pork production unit
4/9/2020
Production schedules




Based on a 20 or 21 week cycle
20 groups of sows would be on a weekly
schedule
Each week one group farrows another is
weaned and another is bred
Shorter lactation length results in more litters
per sow per year (up to a point)
4/9/2020
What drives production?


Lower the cost
Increase pigs per sow per year





Increase farrowing or conception rate
Increase litter size
Increase weight gain
Improve feed efficiency
Improve animal health


4/9/2020
Morbidity
Mortality
Society Issues
If the public perceives
there is a problem with
the industry, then there
is a problem that must
be dealt with.
4/9/2020
Issues







Pig farms smell
Pigs suffer on farms
You can get worms from eating pork
Pork has cancer-causing chemicals
Pigs pollute the water
Pigs eat grain that people could eat
Corporate farms kill the family farm
4/9/2020
Pig farms smell




Would you like to have your home next to a
pig farm?
Why are pig farms not inside city limits?
(note the orient)
If a pig farm actually did not smell, would
you like to live near it?
“The Nebraska retirement program”
4/9/2020
Pigs suffer on farms




How much space do you think sows need?
Enough to turn around?
Enough for social interactions?
Should aggressive animals be penned apart
from submissive animals?
4/9/2020
You can get worms from eating pork!


Should pork be required to be free from
Trichinae?
Should the industry eradicate Trichinae?
4/9/2020
Pork has cancer-causing chemicals



Should additives be used in meat products?
Would reducing acute deaths by 90% be
worth adding 10% to the long-term cancer
rate?
What advanced technologies could be used to
reduce chemical-induced cancer?
4/9/2020
Pigs pollute the water




Should farms of all sizes be required to spend
what ever is required to prevent water
pollution?
Should farms be located where water
pollution risk is low?
Should farms be allowed to be near
waterways?
Where should farms be located?
4/9/2020
Pigs eat grain that people could eat



Feed fed to 100 million pigs in the USA could
feed 54 million people
What would happen if the world grew and we
could not feed everyone; would we feed grain
to pigs? (and cattle)
What happens to meat consumption when
poor countries improve their income?
4/9/2020
Corporate farms kill the family farm




Are corporate farms killing the family farm?
The Kansas Experience
The Nebraska Experience
The Iowa experience
4/9/2020
4/9/2020