J. Anim Sci.
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J. Anim Sci. 1983. 57:100-118.
© 1983 American Society of Animal Science
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The Swine Industry: Changes and Challenges

H. T. Fredeen1 and B. G. Harmon2

Agriculture Canada Research Station, Lacombe, Alberta TOC 1SO and Ralston Purina Company, St. Louis, MO 63164

Abstract

Throughout the past quarter century the successful hog producers have been those who based production decisions on the potential for net returns from their enterprise. Their quest for improved labor efficiency led to mechanization that, in turn, necessitated redesign and enlargement of facilities to make optimum use of equipment. To support the resulting increase in capitalization required additional improvements in labor efficiency and thus, a seemingly endless cycle was born. From this cycle has come a tangible economic benefit for consumers of this continent who have seen a steady decline in the ratio of pork costs with their hourly income. Today, the North American public requires fewer working hours to buy pork than occurs in any other area of the world. For pork producers, however, the economic benefits accruing from the cycle have been transitory with net returns from their enterprise remaining relatively constant. The emphasis given to improved labor efficiency has tended to obscure the fact that feed, not labor, is the largest single component of production costs. The efficiency of feed conversion is not a function of labor efficiency or scale of operations, but it is directly related to the reproductive efficiency of the sow herd (whose maintenance represents a substantial portion of the total feed budget) and management-related problems such as disease control and feed wastage, and to the amount of energy-expensive fat carried by the pigs marketed. In this latter context, the economic message that can be conveyed by an appropriate carcass classification system goes far beyond its potential for improving carcass merit and thereby enhances the consumer image of pork. It also enhances processing efficiency by providing more units of edible product/unit of labor in carcass preparation and reduces transport costs/unit of edible product. Most important, however, is the improvement in the efficiency of feed conversion that results from a reduction in excess fat. None of these benefits, least of all the potential for reducing feed costs/unit of product, can be ignored by the industry.

Key Words: Swine Industry • Pork • Swine Management

Footnotes

1 Research Scientist, Agriculture Canada Res. Sta., Lacombe, Alberta TOC ISO.

2 Director, Swine Research, Ralston Purina Co., St. Louis, MO 63164.






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Copyright © 1983 by the American Society of Animal Science.