PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
PIH-48
pork industry handbook
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • PURDUE UNIVERSITY • WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA
Pork Production Systems with Business Analyses
Selecting the "Right" System
Authors
David H. Bache, Purdue University
James R. Foster, Purdue University
Reviewers
David Spruill, North Carolina State University
Clyde Weathers, North Carolina State University
The Basic Pork Production Systems
Although production is greatest in the Corn Belt, hogs are being raised profitably in all fifty of our United States— and under many different systems of production, sizes of operation, combinations of facilities and management techniques. And there’s no reason to suspect that such diverse production units, if well designed and adapted to the operators’ situations, won’t continue to "turn a profit." In other words, there is no one "magic” swine production program, but rather there is opportunity for choice.

It would be impossible to describe all the different techniques and facilities being used today in hog production. However, in our opinion, there are eight basic systems that seem to encompass the relevant choices. With only minor adjustments, you should be able to fit one or two of these models to your farm.

Following is an outline of the eight basic pork production systems compared and a brief description of each.
A.	Sow herd enterprises
1.	Feeder pig production operations
a.	Low-investment system
b.	High-investment system
2.	Farrow-to-finish operations
a.	One-litter pasture system
b.	Two-litter pasture system
c.	Low-investment confinement system
d.	High-investment confinement system
B.	Feeder pig finishing enterprises
a.	Low-investment system
b.	High-investment system
A. Sow Herd Enterprises
This category includes all the systems that maintain a breeding herd and, therefore, have all the problems
associated with sow husbandry (i.e., selection, conception, baby-pig mortality, etc.). Another characteristic of sow herd enterprise is lack of production flexibility. For instance, to stop production requires the sacrifice of breeding lines which may have been painstakingly developed; and to start up again is slow and is inefficient in use of facilities.
1. Feeder Pig Production Operations
These produce immature animals (common sale weight, 30-60 lb.) which are sold to feeders who then carry them to slaughter weight. Such operations are usually found on farms that do not produce large amounts of grain. Therefore, emphasis is on making full use of a set of buildings and a constant supply of labor rather than trying to "work around" cropping activities. Farrowings are scheduled as frequently as possible, within the limitations of disease control and proper breeding herd management.
a.	Low-Investment System. These are usually relatively small enterprises (less than 50 sows) designed primarily to supplement rural family earnings by providing a way to gain cash income from the use of available labor and facilities. Low-investment feeder pig production often employs a central farrowing house (many times a converted building or maybe a pull-together building on concrete slab) and an open-sided sow-and-pig nursery. The breeding herd is usually maintained on pasture or dirt lot; and most of the pigs produced are sold in graded, comingled sales.
b.	High-Investment System. This is a feeder pig production "factory" that often maintains 200 sows or more and is operated by full-time swine herdsmen. It employs sophisticated buildings and equipment to reduce labor requirements and provide a controlled environment. Pigs often by-pass the organized feeder markets and move directly to feed-out operations through some contract or base-pricing arrangement. This avoids certain selling costs and the dangers of spreading disease among "pooled" pigs.
Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics, State of Indiana, Purdue University and U. S. Department of Agriculture Cooperating. H. G. Diesslin, Director, West Lafayette, Ind. Issued in furtherance of the Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. It is the policy of the Cooperative Extension Service of Purdue University that all persons shall have equal opportunity and access to its programs and facilities without regard to race, religion, color, sex or national origin.