Either pasture
or controlled-environment facilities
could be used for the grow-finish phase. There are five
general types of buildings that are used:
• Totally enclosed,
controlled-environment –
Usually the most costly but provides the greatest
control over temperature and humidity. Electric fans
provide ventilation.
• Open front with outside apron –
Costs less to
construct than other types, but because one side
(usually the south) is always open, pigs are exposed
to temperature variation that may reduce comfort
and performance.
• Modified open front – So-named because one
side, generally the south, may be opened for summer
ventilation and completely closed during the winter. This
type of building depends upon the air’s convective currents
for natural ventilation.
• Double-curtain buildings –
Have automatically-controlled curtains on both
sidewalls and are usually placed perpendicular to prevailing
winds.They use a combination of mechanical and natural
ventilation to maintain proper temperatures and provide
fresh air. They are sometimes tunnel-ventilated, with big
fans at one end of the building. These buildings have been a
major technological development. To be cost-competitive,
these buildings must usually hold at least 800 pigs per
all-in, all-out group. |
• Hoop buildings – Hoop
structures have wooden or concrete sidewalls that are three
to four feet high upon which are mounted hoops. The hoops
support covers made of specially treated fabric or plastic.
Straw or cornstalks are used for bedding over dirt floors.
Research shows that these buildings can provide
cost-competitive all-in/all-out finishing facilities for as
few as 200 pigs per group.
Marketing
When pigs reach about 265 pounds, producers sell them on
either a live-weight basis at terminal markets or auctions,
or on a live-weight or carcass-weight basis
direct to packers. Also, some producers use livestock
exchanges or producer-owned marketing networks for
price negotiation and transportation.
As noted earlier, terminal markets
developed in the
late 1800s near slaughtering plants in major
metropolitan areas. These markets played a major role in the
development of the U.S. livestock industry but have declined
in importance in recent years as communications systems have
improved. Today, less
than one percent of all pigs are sold through terminal
markets.
Auction markets were
organized in many rural
communities to provide a point of sale for small lots of
livestock from relatively small geographic areas. Like
terminal markets, these markets are less numerous and |
