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Hogs are produced in
three types of specialized enterprises:
- Farrow-to-finish
operations raise hogs from
birth to slaughter weight, about 240-270 pounds.
- Feeder pig producers
raise pigs from birth to about 10-60 pounds, then generally sell them
for finishing.
- Feeder pig finishers
buy feeder pigs and grow them to slaughter weight.
Although there is
some overlap in enterprise type—farrow-to-finish operators may, for
example, sell or buy feeder pigs if their feed production is smaller or
larger than their own production needs—most producers use only one
production system.
The biological
hog cycle The biological hog
cycle is longer than that of broilers but shorter than for cattle. (The
economic hog cycle refers to the peaks and troughs in hog
inventories over time, while the biological hog cycle refers to
the biological time lags involved in hog production). A sow can produce
an average of slightly more than two litters per year, each consisting
of an average of nearly nine pigs. Production of hogs has consisted of
five different phases: farrow-to-wean, feeder pig or nursery, finishing,
breeding stock, and farrow-to-finish. Swine biology may be thought of as
a flowing, cyclical process.
It takes
about 32 weeks, from birth to breeding age, before a gilt (a female hog
that has not farrowed) is ready to reproduce. The reproduction process
begins with the mating of a gilt capable of conception and a boar (male
hog) or by artificially inseminating the gilt with semen from a desired
boar. Once the gilt has been bred successfully, she will farrow (or give
birth to) an average of nine piglets (young pigs) in approximately 16
weeks. The sow (an adult female hog that has farrowed at least once)
then nurses her piglets for an average of 2-3 weeks before they are
weaned (separated from the sow). This is the farrow-to-wean phase of
lean hog production. Sows can be bred again shortly after pigs from the
previous litter are weaned.
At an average weight of 10-20 pounds,
the weaned pigs are moved on to the next phase of production known as
wean-to-feeder pig. During this phase, young pigs are fed rations
varying in protein content until they reach an average weight of 20-60
pounds. Following a 16-week gestation period, 22-26 weeks are required
to grow a pig to slaughter weight in a farrow-to-finish operation. From
the feeder pig stage, the animals enter an intense feeding stage and
remain there until they reach a desired weight, ranging from 240-270
pounds. Operations of this type are known as the feeder-pig-to-finish
phase.
Lean Hog
Production Phases and Completion Times
|
Production phase |
Breeding
and gestation of producing female |
Birth to
breeding age |
Gestation |
Birth |
Weaning |
Nursery/growing/ backgrounding |
Finishing |
| Length
of time time |
15 weeks |
32 weeks |
16 weeks |
8-9 newborn
pigs every 6 months |
2-3 weeks |
6 weeks |
16-20 weeks |
Production
Most lean hog producers use some type of confinement production, with
specialized, environmentally modified facilities. Confinement production
allows year-round production by protecting lean hogs from seasonal
weather changes, while reserving productive land for crops. Central
farrowing houses provide shelter for sows to give birth and care for
their young until they are weaned. After being weaned, baby pigs enter
the pig nursery where conditions are designed to ease the transition
between weaning and the growing-finishing stage. After reaching a weight
of 20-60 pounds, the pigs are either sold to a feeder-pig finisher or
transferred to the growing-finishing house, where they are grown out for
slaughter.
The traditional,
small, vertically integrated lean hog production systems of the 1950s,
1960s, and 1970s have given way to more specialized, geographically
concentrated operations in the 1980s and 1990s. One of the most striking
features of the U.S. lean hog industry has been the rapid shift to fewer
and larger operations associated with technological change and evolving
economic relationships between producers, packers, and consumers. The
largest lean hog-producing region in the United States is the Midwest.
In comparison, the South—which saw the greatest reduction in the number
of lean hog operations over the past decade—has less than half as many
operations.
Although many hog
operations are located in the Midwest, most large operations (those over
5,000 head) are located in the Southeast, particularly North Carolina.
Operations of this size produce more uniform animals at lower cost per
unit than smaller operations and are responsible for a greater
percentage of the lean hogs sold in the U.S. market. The number of lean
hog operations with at least 5,000 head has more than doubled over the
past decade.
Lean Hog Futures
Information
Trade Unit 40,000
pounds
Point Descriptions
1 point = $.01 per hundred pounds = $4.00
Lean Hog Futures
Contract Listing Feb Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Oct, and Dec
Lean Hog Futures Ticker=LH GLOBEX=HE
Lean Hog Futures
Trading Venue: Floor Hours 9:10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Limits $0.03/lb,
$1200
Lean Hog Futures
Minimum Fluctuation Regular 0.00025/lb=$10.00
Lean Hog Futures
Trading Venue: CME® Globex® Hours 9:10 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Lean Hog Futures
Minimum Fluctuation Regular 0.00025/lb=$10.00
Pork Bellies
Futures Information
Trade Unit 40,000
pounds of frozen pork bellies, cut and trimmed.
Point Descriptions
1 point = $.0001 per pound = $4.00
Pork Bellies
Futures Contract Listing Five months of February, March, May, July and
August.
Pork Bellies Futures Ticker=PB GLOBEX=GPB
Pork Bellies
Futures Trading Venue: Floor Hours 9:10 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Limits $.020 or
$.030 or $.045 per pound,
Pork Bellies
Futures Minimum Fluctuation Regular 0.00025=$10.00
Pork Bellies
Futures Trading Venue: CME® Globex® Hours 9:10 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Limits $.020 or
$.030 or $.045 per pound
Pork Bellies
Futures Minimum Fluctuation Regular 0.00025=$10.00 |
