As a result of these transportation developments, the
pork industry relocated to the upper Midwest where
ample amounts of feedgrains were produced. The
“Corn Belt” became known
as the “Hog Belt” as
well. In fact, the states of Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota,
Nebraska, Indiana and Missouri held the top six spots in
state rankings for many years. Iowa is still the largest
porkproducing state.
The 1980s and 1990s brought major technological
developments in the pork industry, some of which
allowed production to grow dramatically in states not
known for pig production. The most notable growth
occurred in North Carolina, which is now the second
largest pork-producing state.
Despite inherently more expensive feed, North
Carolina producers became cost competitive by using
pigs with the genetic capability for higher reproductive
efficiency and enhanced lean muscle growth, resulting
in better feed efficiency. They also captured economies
of size and developed pig-raising methods that control
diseases, therefore improving productive efficiency.
Many producers in other areas have now adopted these
same methods.
Today the United States is one of the world’s leading
pork-producing countries. Also, the U.S. was the
second-largest pork exporter in 2004, trailing only the
European Union (E.U.). U.S. production accounts for
about 10.2 percent of total world supply.
Pork
Production Today
Production Inputs
Pork production combines many inputs into a complex
process of converting feedgrains, high-protein feed
ingredients, vitamins, minerals and water into live hogs
and eventually, pork and pork products. This ultimate
goal is attained by three basic production systems:
• Farrow-to-finish farms
that involve all stages of
production from breeding through finishing to market
weights of about 260 pounds.
• Farrow-nursery farms
that sell 40-60 pound feeder
pigs to grow-finish farms.
• Farrow-to-wean farms
that sell 10-15 pound weaned pigs to nursery-grow-finish
farms.
• Wean-to-finish farms
that buy weaned pigs and
finish them to market weights. |
Feed is the major production
input to the pork
production process. In fact, feed accounts for more than 65
percent of all production expenses. The average whole-herd
feed conversion ratio, or pounds of feed required per pound
of live weight produced, for the
U.S. pork industry is about 3.4 to 3.6 and is improving
(getting lower) steadily. This figure includes the feed fed
to the boars and sows.
For comparison, consider that beef cattle take 7-10
pounds of feed to produce a pound of live weight, and
broiler chickens require about 2 pounds of feed per
pound of live weight produced. The best U.S. swine
herds have whole-herd feed conversion ratios under 3.0.
A variety of feed ingredients is used in proper
proportions to produce “balanced”
diets for pigs at
each stage of their lives. Corn, barley, milo (grain
sorghum), oats and sometimes wheat are used to provide
dietary energy in the form of carbohydrates and fat.
The U.S. pork industry used 1.08
billion bushels of corn and 265 million bushels of soybeans
in 2004.
Oilseed meals, mainly soybean meal, are the major
source of protein, the building block of muscle and
other organs. Vitamins and minerals, such as calcium
and phosphorous, also are included in balanced diets.
Young pigs usually are fed a diet containing 20-22
percent crude protein. Diets are changed when pigs
reach pre-determined weights in order to balance the
amounts of nutrients that the pigs consume with what
they actually need. This balancing improves growth |
