20. swine

Question 1

What order,family, genus,and species are swine a part of?

Answer 1

Order: Artiodactyla (even or cloven-hoofed)
Family: Suidae
Genus: Sus
Species: domesticus

Question 2

birthing processing

Answer 2

farrowing

Question 3

newborn

Answer 3

piglet

Question 4

immature female

Answer 4

gilt

Question 5

mature female

Answer 5

sow

Question 6

castrated male

Answer 6

barrow

Question 7

mature (intact) male

Answer 7

boar

Question 8

True or False

Swine is NOT the world’s dominant meat-producing species

Answer 8

False

Pork accounts for 38% of the world’s meat production

Question 9

How much pork does the US export?

Answer 9

~20%

they can sell:

1) Live Hogs & Pigs
2) Pork
3) Variety Meats
4) Pork Lard, Fats, and Oils
5) Skins

Question 10

Who does the US export to?

Answer 10

Japan, Mexico, China

Question 11

Who does the US import from?

Answer 11

Canada and Denmark

Question 12

What was the purpose of the Swine Industry?

Answer 12

to use surplus grain production and high-quality by-product feeds to produce meat.

monogastric digestive tract makes them the most efficient converters of grain to red meat

Question 13

Swine Management Goals

Answer 13

Optimize productivity and product quality
Minimize production costs
Minimize environmental impact (waste & odor)
Optimize animal welfare

Question 14

History of Swine

Answer 14

Originated 20 to 30 million years ago
Domesticated 8,000- 10,000 years ago
Chinese and European origin

Question 15

who and when did this person bring pigs to the Western hemisphere?

Answer 15

Christopher Columbus

1493

Question 16

Swine in Colonial times

Answer 16

Hardy and prolific
Central to the colonial diet
Roamed free
Excellent foragers
“Root hog or die!”
Rounded up and slaughtered when they were about 200 pounds (1-2 years old)

Question 17

which city became known as the center of activity for hogs?

Answer 17

Chicago by 1860

Question 18

What were some difference in swine farming then and now?

Answer 18

Then:
produced for fat
housed outside
diet on forage to ear corn 
weaning age: 6-8 weeks

Now:
produced for lean meat
confined housing
diet: corn-soy
weaning age: 3 weeks

Question 19

pig farms then and now

Answer 19

then: many small farms
now: less large farms

Question 20

What is the timeline of a pig’s life?

Answer 20

breeding –> gestation (3mo, 3 wks, 3 days=114 days) –> farrowing (weaning=10-15 lbs) – nursery (>12-40lbs) –>
grower (40-120 lbs) –> finisher (120 to 250 lbs)

Question 21

5 Primary Types of Swine Operations

Answer 21

1. Purebred or Seedstock operations.
2. Farrow to wean.
3. Finishing.
4. Farrow-to-finish operation.
5. Integrated corporate production.

Question 22

Purebred or Seedstock Operations

Answer 22

Similar to farrow-to-finish except the end product is primarily breeding boars and gilts or show pigs, which may be purebred or controlled crossbreeds

<1% of total hogs raised in the US

Question 23

Farrow-to-Wean Operations

Answer 23

Breeding herd (sows and boars) produces:
(1) Early-weaned pigs at 10–15 lbs
or
(2) Feeder pigs at 35–50 lbs

Question 24

Finishing Operation

Answer 24

Feeder pigs (range from 30 to 90 lbs) are purchased and then grown to market weight

Question 25

Farrow-to-Finish Operation

Answer 25

A breeding herd is maintained to produce piglets that are raised all the way to market weight on the same farm.

Question 26

Integrated Corporate Operations

Answer 26

Farrow-to-finish operations that often have their own
seed-stock production.

VERTICAL INTEGRATION - One company (or owner) has two or more stages of production normally operated by separate companies or owners.

Question 27

several changes caused by the growth of integrated corporate swine production

Answer 27

1. Ownership of pigs has shifted to facilities in which more pigs are owned by fewer people.
2. Along with the reduction in # of operations has come an increase in the size of operations.
3. Increased use of technology to increase productivity.

Question 28

Which state has the highest # of the nation’s pigs?

Answer 28

Iowa (31%)
Iowa, and its border states plus Indiana and Kansas, contain 70% of the nation’s hogs

North Carolina is the 2nd largest swine producing state

Question 29

Herd Health Plan

Answer 29

Coordinated health program for achieving & maintaining optimal health & production goals.

1) Health Protocol
2) Reproduction
3) Nutrition
4) Housing
5) Production
6) Marketing
7) Maintenance and Analysis of Records
8) BIOSECURITY

Question 30

Biosecurity

Answer 30

Procedures designed to:
Minimize the risk of disease transmission from
sources outside the production unit.

Reduce the transmission of dz among groups of
pigs on the same farm.

Question 31

Genetics and Breeding Programs

Answer 31

1) High # offspring for selection
1 sow = 30 piglets in 1 year

2) Short generation interval
Rapid maturing rate (hit puberty @5-8 months and are bred for the first time by 7-9 months)
Short gestation

Question 32

Standards for the Ideal Market Hog

Answer 32

Hogs marketed @270 lbs in 156 days for barrows and

164 days for gilts.