module 4-pork production Flashcards
how much does the pork industry account for of all Canadian livestock shipments
around 30 percent
how many hogs were slaughtered in 2019
27 million
how many percent of pigs are destined for export and where do the majority of them go
60 percent were exported with the majority of them going to the USA
what are the top 3 pork-producing provinces
Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec
why have pork profits been low in the past few years
1) high feed costs
2) closing of slaughter facilities meaning high cost of transportation to production
how much of the costs have been compromised because of feed cost and closed slaughterhouses
70%
how does Canada pork industry rank to the rest of the world in pork production and export
we are the seventh-largest producer and fifth-largest exporter
what makes Canadian swine world-renowned
for their superior genetics, their high quality of health, and the quality of meat products
how much has the Canadian sow productivity increased from 2014 to 2017? how does this compare to the rest of the world?
11% other major livestock producing countries only improved by 1 to 2%
how is most pork in Canada raised
in intensive controlled barns
Most hog operations are farrow-to-finish; farrow-to-finish operations maintain pigs from birth (farrowing) until they reach market weight (finish)
in 2019 how big was the average pig farm
the average pig farm in Canada was home to 1,829 pigs
what are the three phases of pork production
There are three phases to pork production: farrowing, nursery, and grower/finisher
describe the 3 types of operations for pork production
Specialized or separate operations divided into farrowing & nursery operations for producing feeder piglets and grower/finisher operations taking weaned piglets to slaughter weight.
Single site farrow to finish operations where a single operating unit includes farrowing, nursery and grower/finisher activities. Most single site farrow to finish operations house between fifty and five hundred sows.
Multi-site farrow to finish operations house the different phases of the operation (farrowing, nursery, grower/finisher) on two to three separate sites. Multi-site farrow to finish operations draw their produce from six hundred to 2400 sow units (i.e. 2400 sows x 25 piglets/sow/year = 60,000 slaughter pigs per year).
explain the farrowing process. approximately what size do they finish at
1) sows give birth to piggletts
2) piglets nurse until weaned (usually around 3 to 6 weeks)
3) sows will come into estrus eight to ten days after piglets are born
4) they finish at around 6KG
explain the nursery part of pork operation and appx what weight do they enter and leave
1) weaned piglets from different litters enter the same pen. usually anywhere from ten to three hundred
2) they remain in the nursery for about five to eight weeks
3) they enter this phase at around 6kg and leave at around 26kg
