Swine Industry Module

The learning objectives are as follows: Recognize how the swine industry is divided. Differentiate between management strategies at each stage of swine production. Explain different types of housing used for swine production. Explain different feeding practices for each life stage within the swine industry. Describe major diet components used for swine for each life stage. This grain module is brought to you by the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, and was produced by the former Crop Adviser Institute.

Click here to access the Swine Industry Module

Learning objective: Understand how the swine industry is organized. Differentiate between management strategies and housing types used in swine production.

Introduction: The swine industry is highly integrated and has found many non-meat uses for swine by-products. In order to protect animals and keep food and by-products safe, swine operations have high biosecurity measures in place.

Animal flow: There are two major animal flow processes utilized in the swine industry: continuous and all-in-all-out. Continuous operations constantly have pigs moving into, within, and off the operation. All-in-all-out operations will completely empty housing facilities for cleaning and disinfecting before the next group of pigs arrive.

Personnel: Personnel required on a grow/finish operation include a farm site manager and a stockperson. The personnel required for a farrowing operation includes a sow farm manager, a breeding and gestation lead, a farrowing lead, and a nursery lead with stockpersons working under each lead position. A farrow to finish site will have each of the employees required for grow/finish and farrowing operations.

Housing types: Pigs can be housed in confinements or outdoors. Confinement housing is in climate controlled buildings that have proper temperature, ventilation, and lighting. Outdoor housing for swine consists of outdoor pens and hoop buildings that provide shelter from harsh weather conditions. The labor input for outdoor facilities is much higher, and the growth and conception rates are lower than those in confinement operations.

Supporting information:

An Introduction to Animal Husbandry and Nutrition

Pages / Length:
Publication Date: 09/2016

Permanent link for this product: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/14592