Dr. Thomas E. Socha
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Largest Duroc Breeder
 Most Litters recorded each Year
 More Genetic Diversity than other Duroc Breeders
 Continually out perform other Duroc breeders
▪ National Barrow show
▪ Other NPPC tests
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Six A.I. Centers use only Waldo Duroc or
Duroc Cross terminal sires
Use pooled semen for commercial producers
Approximately 1,000 boars per year
Large producers use only Waldo boars in their
private A. I. centers
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Several National Tests have proven Waldo’s
are the best
Best for Growth Rate
Best for Feed Efficiency
Best at National Barrow Show based on the
performance of their Offspring
Have been Tested against other Durocs, PIC,
Danbred and other companies
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Herds Originated from Caesarean derived
pigs
Herd additions are by lab or A.I. only
No live pigs are brought into the Nucleus
herds
Continual Blood Testing and Slaughter
inspections
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Growth Rate
Feed Efficiency
Carcass Lean Percentage
Meat Quality
Body Conformation
Continual Selection for Economically
Important Traits
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Duroc are fastest growing of all pigs
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York and Landrace are the fastest growing of
York and Landrace in the U.S.
 Based on data from National Swine Registry
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Fewer Days for getting to Market weight
From 30kg to Market – Groups average daily
gains are .8 - .9 kg / day
Reduce the amount of Finisher Space Needed
 At .6kg per day you need space for 121 days
 At .8kg per day you need space for 91 days
Results from Rapid Lean Growth
Growth Rate and Leanness are related to Efficiency
by 30%
 Saving 10% in Feed Usage can result in 90rmb per
pig or 810-900rmb per litter
 This is worth more than getting 2 more pigs per
litter
 Best way to DECREASE production costs
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Presently most pigs are at 3.0 feed conversion
Waldo pigs can be 2.7 – 2.8 conversion
Save .3kg of feed for each kg of pig weight
100 kg pig will save 30 kg of feed
At 3rmb per kg of feed (3 X 30 = 90rmb)
Each litter has 9-10 pigs (810 – 900rmb / litter)
2 extra pigs / litter 350rmb (175rmb / pig)
Improved feed efficiency is more important than increasing
litter size
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By the U.S. system Waldo Pigs average 56 –
60 % lean
 This is at 130-140 kg
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This is considered the ideal lean percentage
for commercial pigs
 Pigs that are too lean cause problems in skinning
and in having thin bellies
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Started testing 1992
High pH Values
High Intramuscular Fat Percentage
Good Color Scores (Visual & Minolta)
Thick Belly Walls that are Firm
Excellent Meat Flavor
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Proper feet and leg structure for longevity
Higher percent of high value cuts
 Loin, Ham and Belly
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Ability to grow fast and stay lean at heavier
weight which may become more important in
China than what is considered today
Growth rate, Leanness, and litter size
Have proven Continual Genetic improvement over
the last twenty years
 Customers can be assured that the Genetics they
get in the future will be improved above the current
Genetics
 Changes made in the selection techniques over time
will reflect what is best for the swine industry
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Many factors are used to produce the best
pigs
Waldo pigs in China will follow the same
procedures as those used in the U.S.
Many of the procedures have been used for
over 40 years in the U.S.
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Data collected on over 95% of all pigs raised
on the farm
Growth rate and backfat -1960
Litter traits added 1980
Loin size added 1992
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Need to test as Many pigs as possible to find the
very BEST
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Methods must be as easy as possible to help get the
job done
 Could be testing 300 pigs per week
 At 60 pigs/ hour – 5hours per week
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Need to Adjust all Records to a Standard
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Backfat at 100kg
Days to 100kg
Loin size at 100kg
Litter weaning weights at 21 or 28 Days
The Most Important item in a Selection program is
MAKING GENETIC improvement
 A Consistent program must be followed over time
 When Methods of Evaluation, testing procedures
and Indexes are decided, they should not change for
at least 5 years
 Re-evaluation of all procedures is required every 510 years
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Gilts – Top 25%
Boars
-4
-3
-2
-1
mean
+1
+2
+3
+4
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Growth- heritability = .35
 Days to market - standard deviation = 10 days
 Feed efficiency
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Leanness – heritability = .50
 Backfat – standard deviation = 2.0 mm
 Loin eye size
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Reproduction – heritability = .20
 Number of pigs born and raised – standard deviation = 2.0 pigs
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Days to market
 1979-160 days to 100 kg
 2009-148 days to 115 kg
 About 1 day per year improvement
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Backfat
 1979-20mm at 100 kg
 2009-14mm at 115 kg
 About 0.3 mm decrease per year
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Requires Labor and Dedication
Litter Birth weights
Number Born Alive
21 Day litter weights
Number at 21 Days
Weight, Backfat, Loin Size at about 140-150
days
Meat Quality Traits
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Sow Productivity Index (SPI)
 In Herdsman program (sow index)
 Litter birth weight
 Number born alive
 21 day litter weight
 Survival at 21 days
Used for evaluating and culling sows
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Terminal Breeds – used for sire side
 Growth rate 50%
 Leanness 30%
 Litter traits 20% (SPI values)
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Maternal Breeds – Used for female side
 Litter Traits 40% (SPI values)
 Growth rate 40%
 Leanness 20%
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Selection
 Keeping the best animals
▪ Boars
▪ Gilts
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Culling
 Sell poorest animals
▪ Performance of Offspring
▪ Reproduction of females
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Rank each sex by their breed index after testing most important part of selection
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Determine how many of each sex must be selected
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Evaluate 200% of needed boars-phenotype
 If we need 2, we select the top 4 to evaluate
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Evaluate 150% of needed gilts-phenotype
 If we need 20, we select the top 30 to evaluate
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Length of body
Loin Width
Levelness of the top
Levelness of rump
Width of hams
 Too large can affect the ability to move or to decrease longevity in
breeding system
 Too small can reduce overall leanness and decrease high quality meat
cuts
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Depth of chest
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Genetic Change = Selection intensity X
heritability X standard deviation
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Change per Year = Genetic Change /
generation interval
 Age of parents when replacements are born
 Ideally the generation interval should be about
1.50 -1.75 years
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We need to make genetic progress, so we need to
turn generations as quickly as possible
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Boars should generally be used for 9 – 12 months
Females should generally be used to produce 2 -3
litters
 If we keep the same animals around for three years
we make no progress during that time
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We expect the next generation to be better than the
last if we are selecting properly
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Cull boars based on breeding percentage, offspring
performance and feet and legs
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Females should be culled based upon SPI values and
for injury problems
 Should cull 20% of each group weaned
 Each female will farrow 2.4 times / year
 This will mean culling 50% per year
Breeder herd progress
G
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C
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Buyer herd
One generation behind
Generations of Breeding
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Maternal Effects
 Litter size
 Milking Ability
 York and Landrace
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Terminal Effects
 Growth Rate
 Feed Efficiency
 Duroc is the Best
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Advantages of crossbred pigs
 Heterosis effects – greatest for traits with
lower heritabilities
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Two breed gilts
 One extra pig born –Y=11.9, L=11.8; then Y X L
= 11.85 + 1 =12.85
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Three breed market hogs
 100% heterosis = 7 days faster to market
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If all replacements come from Nucleus herd
Maternal traits
 Must produce
 Must raise pigs
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Culling 15% in each group
 Annual culling about 35-40%
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Rations need to have all essential ingredients
 Protein
 Energy
 Vitamins
 Minerals
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Testing of Pigs
 All Pigs have performance data
 Tested at 100 kg (120-130 kg)
 Growth
 Back fat
 Loin eye area
Ultra sound equipment
Aloka 500
Mr. Fu, owner of Liuma-Waldo
JV farm at Beijing
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Need five or six different rations
 Starter feed
 N1 (10 – 15 kg)
 N2 (15 – 30 kg)
 F1 (30 – 70 kg)
 F2 (70 – 100 kg)
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Feed Full Feed (ad-lib) until 120kg
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Limit Feed from 120 kg to breeding
 2.5 kg per day
 Want gilts to gain 450 grams per day
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Increase feed two weeks before breeding
 Flushing effect to improve litter size
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Limit feed from breeding to 100days
 2.5 kg per day
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Feed 0 kg on day they farrow
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Bring up to full feed
 York and Landrace – about 5 days
▪ Increase 1.5 kg per day
 Duroc – about 7 days
▪ Increase 1.0 kg per day
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Weight loss in Lactation- 18 – 20 kg
Body
Protein
Reproduction
Milk
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Farrowing House
 Fill in one week
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Nursery
 Fill in 1 – 2 weeks
 Can be from 2 farrowing rooms
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Finisher
 Fill with 1 – 2 weeks ages
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Must circulate and change air
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Sow Housing And Finishing
 Cool Season – use natural ventilation
 Hot Season – use tunnel ventilation with cool cells
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Farrowing and Nursery
 Use multiple inlets with fan exhaust
 Could have cool cell for hot weather