Introduction to Pork Production

Definitions

• Female after giving birth: Sow

• Young female: Gilt

• Having piglets: Farrowing

• Male: Boar

• Castrated Male: Barrow

• Pork: Product made from pig

• Canada is one of the world’s leading pork producing nations

• We produce about 30 million pigs each year of which about 23 million stay in the country to be processed

http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/porkproducts.html September 10, 2009

WORLD MEAT CONSUMPTION BY SPECIES

Pork 43%

Poultry 27%

Beef 23%

Other 7%

January, 2009

Total # pigs (1000's)

% of Canada

Alberta 1,630 13.1

B.C. 116 0.9

Saskatawan 810 6.5

Manitoba 2,680 21.6

Ontario 3,104 25.0

Quebec 3,900 31.5

Atlantic Prov 161 1.3

CANADA 12,400 100

• 2800 producers who market hogs in the province of Ontario

• Ontario’s pork industry contributed 33,000 jobs from “farm to fork” in 2008

Farm – transport – processor – retailer

Feed

• crop producer

•Pesticide/ fertilizer sales

•TransportVet

Equipment and barns Marketing

SalesPackaging

• Pork producer numbers, like all farm numbers, have continually declined,

down by 86% from the highest number of 20,354 pork producers in 1979.

Swine Breeds

Major Canadian breeds include the Yorkshire (44%), Landrace (33%), Duroc (14%), Hampshire (7%), the Lacombe and smaller populations of other breeds

• Each breed is characterized by its own unique attributes relating to litter size, growth rate, feed conversion, carcass structure and composition.

• Characteristic leanness, growth rate, feed conversions

• Males are virile and aggressive breeders• Females are known for their milking ability

and the farrowing of large litters of strong, vigourous piglets

• Used most often in crossbreeding programs for commercial operations

Yorkshire

Yorkshire

Landrace• well muscled white breed noted for its high

quality carcass• Female, used in purebred and crossbreeding

programs, is well known for its excellent mothering ability, temperament, longevity and prolific reproduction.

• The boars are dependable breeders and have an excellent temperament

• breed is highly desired for its average daily gain, feed conversion and leanness

Landrace

Duroc• Solid red, meat type animal, is noted for its

carcass characteristics and feed efficiency• Strong feet and legs, large litters, a

charactistic retained even when used in a crossbreeding program

• Commonly used as a terminal sire in crossbreeding programs, as well as the third breed in rotational breeding situations

Duroc

Hampshire• well muscled pig provides good carcass

muscling and when used in a crossbreeding program

• black in color with a white belt around the body that includes the shoulder and front legs.

Hampshire

Y

L

Performance Testing• Finished pigs are evaluated using ultrasound

measured backfat thickness, live weight, age and average daily gain

• Info is then related back to boar EPD• Sow’s EBV (estimated breeding value) is

determined by litter size, the total weaning weight of the litter while taking into account the number weaned

Info courtesy of http://www.canswine.ca/

• Estimated Breeding Value

• Estimated Progeny Difference

Trait is expressed as a + or - compared to the average for the breed

EBV vs EPD