Animal Science and the
Industry
Exploring the Swine Industry
Common Core/ Next Generation
Science Standards Addressed
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4 - Determine the meaning of words
and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary
describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social
science.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.9-10.2a - Introduce a topic and organize
ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and
distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g.,
figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding
comprehension.
Agriculture, Food and Natural Resource
Standards Addressed!
• AS.01. Analyze historic and current trends impacting the animal
systems industry.
• AS.01.01. Evaluate the development and implications of animal
origin, domestication and distribution on production practices and
the environment.
• Sample Measurement: The following sample measurement strands
are provided to guide the development of measurable activities (at
different levels of proficiency) to assess students’ attainment of
knowledge and skills related to the above performance indicator.
The topics represented by each strand are not all-encompassing.
• AS.01.01.02.b. Describe the historical and scientific developments
of different animal industries and summarize the products, services
and careers associated with each.
Bell Work
1.Name as many breads of swine as you
can?
2.Are pigs Ruminants?
3.Can a gilt be a father and why?
4.What is better ham or bacon, and why?
Student Learning Objectives
• Locate major physical characteristics of
swine.
• Describe common swine breeds.
• Explain selection of superior animals.
• Contrast various pork production systems
and methods of marketing hogs.
Terms
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Barrow
Boar
Farrowing
Feeder Pig
Gilt
Meatiness
Meat-type hog
Pedigree
• Piglet
• Porcine Stress
Syndrome (PSS)
• Production testing
• Prolificacy
• Sow
• Specific pathogen
free
• Type
Swine Terms
• Piglet
– a baby pig
• Barrow
– a male pig that was castrated at a young age
• Gilt
– a young female pig that has not given birth or “farrowed”
• Sow
– an older female pig
• Boar
– mature male hog
Swine Terms
• Prolificacy
– the ability to produce large numbers of
offspring
• Meat-type hog
– hog that produces the greatest amount of high
value meat cuts
What are the major parts of a hog?
What are the major parts of a hog?
Main use of swine is for meat
• 4 primary carcass cuts (most valuable meat)
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picnic shoulder
ham
loin
Boston Shoulder
• Other carcass cuts (usually ground into sausage)
– jowl
– side
– hock
What are the major parts of a hog
carcass?
What are the common swine breeds
and characteristics of the breeds?
Duroc
• Originated in the United
States
• color is varying shades of
red
• droopy ears
• good mothering ability
• efficient feed converters
• fast growth rate
• a meat-type hog
Hampshire
• Originated in England
• black hogs with a white
belt that encircles the
forepart of body, starting
behind head and neck
• erect ears
• foraging ability
• leanness of carcass
• muscling
• used as show animals or
in crossbreeding
programs
Yorkshire
• Originated in Yorkshire,
England
• color is white, can have
black freckles
• long bodies
• erect ears
• large litters
• good mothering ability
• good feed efficiency
• rapid growth
• used as bacon-type hogs
or in crossbreeding
programs
Hereford
• Originated from the
Poland China, Duroc
and other breeds
• color is red with a
white face
• droopy ears
• prolific
• good mothering ability
• foraging ability
Berkshire
• Originated in
Berkshire & Wiltshire
Counties in England
• color is black with 6
white points (feet, tail,
snout)
• erect ears
• medium-sized hog
• lean carcass
Poland China
• Originated in Ohio
• color is black with six
white points (feet, tail, &
face
• drooping ears
• large breed
• produces carcasses with
large loin eyes
• very little back fat
• commonly used in
crossbreeding programs
Chester White
• White in color with
drooping ears.
• Originated in
Pennsylvania.
• Very aggressive
• Used in cross
breeding programs
• Black and white
spots with drooping
ears.
• Original cross
between a Poland
China and English
spot. Developed in
Ohio.
Landrace
• White with very
large drooping ears
• Originated in
Denmark
• Considered a
bacon breed in
Europe.
Tamworth
• Red/brown with
erect ears.
• Originated in
England/Ireland.
• A lean breed, but
not noted for
exceptional growth.
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
Terms
• Specific pathogen free (SPF)
– these swine are free from diseases at
birth/raised indoors
• Porcine Stress Syndrome (PSS)
– an inherited neuromuscular disease in
heavily muscled animals
• Type
– means that you are trying to find an animal
that is close to ideal as possible
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
More terms
• Meatiness
– describes how much meat and fat an animal has
• Pedigree
– a record of ancestry or heredity
• Production testing
– the best way to evaluate and make predictions on an
animal’s potential to be productive
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
• Selection will vary based on your personal
preference and production needs
• buying wrong animals could lead to failure
of your business
• Things to look for:
– size
– health
– type
– pedigree
– production testing
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
• Health of animals is very important
• You want to purchase animals that are disease
free
• Herds should be certified brucellosis &
pseudorabies free
• Never buy swine from herds that do not offer
health information available from the seller
• Test for PSS
• Observe animals for parasites & diseases
• Isolate animals with problems to avoid spreading
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
• Select for type
– meatiness
– genetic defects
– PSS
– pedigree
• avoid genetic defects by researching pedigrees
How do I know which hogs are
better than others?
• Swine registries have production testing for
purebred animals
• characteristics included in registries
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offspring
health
appearance
back fat
ability to grow quickly
reproductive qualities
if breed standards are met
What are the different production
systems and how do they work?
Terms
• Farrowing
– process of a female pig giving birth
• Feeder pigs
– a pig that has been weaned and weighs
approximately 40 pounds
Sow and Litter Systems
• Pigs are farrowed and fed up to slaughter
weight at the same farm
• confinement or pasture systems
• most common swine operations
Sow and Litter Systems
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•
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Confinement
Pasture
Advantages
Advantage
pigs can be marketed • lower initial investment
throughout the year
less labor
Disadvantages
income throughout
• more labor intense
the year
• production might be
Disadvantage
limited depending on
expensive startup
season
costs
Purebred System
• Produces breeding stock that others
producers will use in their systems
• Requires intense management
– registration paperwork
• Least common operation
• Less than 1% of all hogs raised in the U.S.
are registered purebreds
• Purebreds are extremely important
because of breed improvements
Purebred Systems
• To be a purebred producer you must know:
– a great deal about genetics
– showing & promotion of your breed
• Purebred Producers are working to:
– create animals that will meet consumer
demands
Feeder Pig Production System
• Breed & farrow litters of piglets
• This systems farrows and weans and sells
the feeder pigs
• Keeps a breeding herd of sows that farrow
between 14 to 16 piglets each
• Minimal investment is required
• Must mange to keep a steady supply of
feeder pigs to sell
• Less feed is required in this system
Finishing Feeder-Pig System
• Operations that buy feeder pigs and feed
them until they are market weight
approximately 240 pounds
• Profit is based upon how much feed it
takes to produce 1 pound of pork
• The less feed it takes the more profit
• Balancing feed rations is very important in
this system
Review
• What are the major parts of a hog?
• What are the common swine breeds and
characteristics of the breed?
• How do I know which hogs are better than
others?
• What are the different production systems
and how do they work?
The End!