Increasing pigs/sow/year (p/s/y) is a worthwhile goal as it translates to more pigs out the door, lowers cost of production and drives profits.

For Jon Hoek, director of production strategy for DeMotte, IN-based Belstra Milling's swine division known as the Belstra Group, increasing p/s/y also means increasing the potential for gilt sales.

The Belstra Group is comprised of 11,500 sows, producing gilts at five multiplication farms in Indiana and Illinois. About 65% of total available gilts produced are available for sale to PIC as Camborough gilts to clients in North Carolina and throughout the Midwest. The “non-select” gilts and barrows are shipped to the IPC packing plant in Delphi, IN.

30 P/S/Y Goal, Challenges

As the first decade of the 21st Century nears an end, the Belstra Group closes in on its goal of producing 30 p/s/y. The poster child for achieving this goal has been Max-L Farms near DeMotte, a 1,950-sow, breed-to-wean farm built in 2002 that produces the PIC Camborough-22 gilt line.

“Max-L Farms has been at 29.1 p/s/y for the last three years and averaged 30 p/s/y for about 45 of the 52 weeks between June '06-May '07,” Hoek reports (See Figure 1).

But he emphasizes Belstra's 30-p/s/y goal doesn't come easily.

“That goal comes with challenges that means it may not be right for everybody to pursue,” cautions Kurt Nagel, former manager of the 1,150-sow unit known as Iroquois Valley Breeders, a Belstra gilt multiplier. He now serves as finances/production and environment director for the Belstra Group.

“Some of the challenges stem from the fact that when you start to build a farm, you don't normally build the nursery-finishing flow for 30 p/s/y,” Hoek explains. “Therefore, once you've got the p/s/y higher than you ever dreamed — it can cause an issue downstream in finishing with crowding and growth challenges if you do not react quickly enough,” he adds.

Belstra has avoided increasing finishing space for the additional pigs produced as they continue their drive to reach the 30 p/s/y goal.

“We have negotiated long-term relationships for weaned gilt and feeder pigs to avoid major off-site finishing building projects,” Hoek remarks. “You have to remember with multiplication you can't just throw a finisher down anywhere. There are strict requirements for biosecurity and health when planning a new building site.”

“You have to have the confidence that you can maintain that level of production because you surely don't want production to slip after paying for additional facilities,” Nagel warns.

Producers need to think about the health and the quality of pigs they are weaning, too. “You can get to 30 p/s/y by weaning marginal pigs,” Hoek points out.

“But why pay for survival of non-Grade A pigs that won't make you any money just to play the p/s/y numbers game?” Nagel asks.

Some have questioned whether having a 30 p/s/y target is practical or sustainable. Litters with 15-18 total born will often have some non-viable runts that are intentionally euthanized to prevent suffering. This increases preweaning mortality by 3-4%, but allows the rest of the viable pigs to express their genetic growth potential.

Nagel says PIC genetics are doing their job, with some of the farms averaging near 14.5 total born and 13 born alive, meaning efforts to consistently hit 30 p/s/y are within reach.

However, to date the Belstra farms are more focused on maintaining 29 high-quality, healthy pigs per sow per year than including marginal pigs just to hit the 30 p/s/y target, Hoek explains.

With continual genetic improvement over the years, Belstra leaders believe it is reasonable they can reach 30 viable weaned pigs per sow consistently in the coming years.