Pork Production
in the United States
Joel Brendemuhl
Tim Marshall
University of Florida
U.S. swine industry
is changing fast
Who raises hogs?
How hogs are raised?
Where hogs are raised?
Vertical Integration
of the Swine Industry
• One company controls, through ownership or
contract relationships, from the farm to the
fork
Trends Changing
the U.S. Swine Industry
1. Improved herd performance
- Producer efficiency 2. Fewer & bigger hog farms
3. Specialization
4. Fewer & bigger packing plants
5. Geographic shift in production
6. Integration of production and packing
7. Contracting
8. Globalization
Trends in the Industry
• Producer Efficiency
– Pigs/litter
– Litters per breeding animal
– Market pigs per breeding animal
– Pork production per breeding animal
– Slaughter weights
Estimated Daily Slaughter Capacity,
U.S. – June, 2000
Company
Smithfield
IBP
Swift
Company Total # of hd/d
80,300
69,500
39,400
Excel
Hormel
Farmland
38,700
31,600
22,800
Seaboard
Total all U.S.
16,000
377,620
PorkFacts, 2000-2001
Fewer & Bigger Hog Farms
Total Hog Farms, 1000 farms
United States
850.00
750.00
650.00
550.00
450.00
350.00
250.00
150.00
50.00
1970
1975
USDA/NASS, 2001
1980
1985
1990
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
Average Inventory Per U.S. Hog Farm
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
R. Plain - Univ. of Missouri
Percent of Inventory by Size of Operation
United States
60.00
48.00
1995
2000
50.5
36.00
27.5
21.5
24.00
18.0
17.0
17.0
17.0
13.0
12.00
3.5
6.0
8.0
1.0
0.00
1-99
USDA-NASS, 12-28-00
100-499
500-999
1000-1999
2000-4999
5000+
60.00
Percent of Operations and Inventory
United States
55.5
Number
Inventory
48.00
50.5
36.00
24.00
21.5
20.6
13.0
12.00
6.0
9.0 8.0
6.8
5.6
2.4
1.0
0.00
1-99
USDA-NASS, 12-28-00
100-499
500-999
1000-1999
2000-4999
5000+
10 Largest U.S. Hog Farms
Smithfield Foods
Conti Group
Seaboard Farms
Prestage Farms
Tyson Foods
Cargill
Iowa Select
Christensen Farms
Purina Mills
Goldsboro Hog Farm
Source: Successful Farming
675,000 sows
201,000 sows
175,000 sows
122,000 sows
110,000 sows
109,000 sows
96,000 sows
74,000 sows
70,000 sows
70,000 sows
Specialization
Allowed producers to become more efficient
and lower costs of operation.
Early Production
1950’s
Today’s Confinement Building
Farrowing Barn
Farrowing Crate
Nursery
Growing - Finish
Most operations are an All-in /
All-out type of production
A “Pot”
200 Slaughter Pigs
Conventional farrow to finish
Breeding-gestation
Farrowing (3 to 4 wk)
Site 1
Nursery (to 50 #)
Finishing (to 260 #)
Segregated Early Weaning
3 Site
Breeding-gestation
Site 1
Farrowing (2 to 3 wk)
Site 2
Site 3
Nursery (to 50 #)
Finishing (to 260 #)
Modern Swine Production
Intensive management
• Breeding programs - hybrids
• Feeding programs
• Environmentally controlled buildings
• Disease control/sanitation is critical
– “all in, all out” production systems
– “shower in, shower out”
– Multiple-site systems
Where are pigs produced in the
United States?
Corn Production
3
1
2
Primary energy source = CORN
Soybean Production
2
1
Primary protein source = soybean meal
Traditional Swine Producing Areas
1
Geographic Shift
Geographic Shift
in Hog Production
Sows are leaving the corn states
Hogs went to N.C. because N.C. developed a
better system
Hogs are moving west to get away from rain
and people
Percent of U.S. Swine Breeding Herd
State
N.C.
Okla.
Colo.
Utah
Ky
Wis
Ill
Ga
Iowa
1980
3.73
0.54
0.44
0.08
2.01
2.95
9.77
3.84
22.98
2000
15.95
5.42
3.03
1.27
0.80
1.20
7.18
0.88
17.86
Change
+12.22
+4.88
+2.59
+1.19
-1.21
-1.75
-2.59
-2.96
-5.12
Where are the Pigs?
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
State
IA
NC
MN
IL
IN
MO
NE
OK
KS
OH
US
Breeding
Market
Total
---------1000 hd -------------------- ------------------1120
13980
15100
1000
8700
9700
600
5300
5900
420
3680
4100
350
2750
3100
390
2660
3050
360
2540
2900
330
1860
2190
165
1365
1530
160
1300
1460
6198
52883
59081
Contracting
• Farrowing
• Nursery
• Finishing
Swine Breeds & Breeding Mgmt
Categorizing Swine Breeds
• Colored:
– Paternal -- muscle, growth traits, leanness
• White:
– Maternal -- milk, litter size, mothering ability
Duroc
• Paternal breed
• Red
• Droopy ears
Hampshire
• Paternal breed
• Black w/ white belt
• Erect ears
Yorkshire
• Maternal breed
• White
• Erect ears
Landrace
• Maternal breed
• White
• Large droopy ears
Reproductive Mgmt of Swine
Boar Reproductive Tract
Accessory Sex
Glands
Epididymis
Testes
Scrotum
Vas Deferens
Penis
High semen volume: 150-250 ml
Low concentration: 200-300 million/ml
If use AI, may breed 10-20 sows/ejaculate
Sow Reproductive Tract
Rectum
Ovary
Vagina
Oviduct
Uterus
Cervix
Mammary
Sow Reproductive Information
Item
Age at puberty
Estrous Cycle length
Duration of estrus
Occurrence of ovulation
Gestation length
st
1 estrus postpartum
Average
4-7 mo
21 d
2-3 d
nd
2 day of estrus
114 d
3-5 d post-weaning
Reproductive Management
• Estrus Detection - expose the sow/gilt to boar
– vocalization, “flirt” with the ears
– respond to pressure on the rump (won’t move)
– greatly swollen vulva
Reproductive Management
Mating systems
• Pen mating
– natural, but controlled matings based on estrus
• Artificial Insemination (AI)
–  usage by large integrators (nearly 100%)
– use “fresh” semen,
collected from boars on site
– frozen semen yields
smaller litters than fresh
Farrowing
• Process of the sow/gilt giving birth.
• Farrowing stalls (crates)
– protect baby pigs from being “crushed”
– provides for “dual heat”
• drip coolers for the sow
• heat pads/lamps for
baby pigs (85-95o F)