Swine Industry Resource Guide

Getting Started in Pig Farming

Business Planning

A profitable pig enterprise starts with a solid plan that aligns production goals, capital requirements and marketing channels. Decide whether to operate a farrow-to-finish, feeder-pig or finishing-only system, then size facilities, labour and biosecurity accordingly.

Key Success Factors

• Layered biosecurity and sanitation protocols
• Detailed performance metrics (ADG, FCR, mortality %)
• Market-aligned genetics and phase-feeding
• Continuous learning through extension webinars
• Strategic investment in labour-saving automation

Equipment & Technology Solutions

Automation boosts throughput, reduces labour and enhances animal welfare—key profitability drivers.

Feeding Systems

• Dry-feed augers and wet/dry feeders with feed sensors
• Precision liquid-feeding for slurry diets
• Bulk bins with load-cell monitoring

Environmental Control

• Negative-pressure tunnel ventilation
• In-floor heating for farrowing rooms
• Mist cooling pads for finishing barns

Data & Monitoring

• Cloud-connected barn controllers
• Automated weigh scales with RFID
• AI-enabled cameras for lameness detection

Health Management Essentials

Healthy pigs convert feed more efficiently and reach market sooner. Build a herd plan around vaccination, pathogen monitoring and strict bio-exclusion.

Top Disease Risks

• PRRS (Porcine Reproductive & Respiratory Syndrome)
• PEDv (Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea)
• Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae
• Swine Influenza
• African Swine Fever (watch-list)

Layered Biosecurity

• Controlled-access points & visitor downtime
• Shower-in/shower-out protocols
• Barn-specific clothing and tools
• All-in/all-out pig flow by age group

Continuous Disease Surveillance

Forward-looking herds couple quarterly serology with NGS pathogen profiling and EVS on exhaust fans. These data feed into the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan dashboard, providing an auditable trail for interstate pig movements.

Breed Selection Guide

Commercial Breeds

• Yorkshire (Large White): maternal ability and litter size
• Landrace: prolific, long-bodied dams
• Duroc: growth rate and carcass yield
• Hampshire: lean muscle and feed efficiency

Heritage & Niche Breeds

• Berkshire: premium marbled meat
• Gloucestershire Old Spots: hardy foragers
• Tamworth: outdoor adaptability and bacon yield
• Mulefoot: rare, disease-resistant solid hoof

Crossbreeding Programs

Most commercial herds use terminal cross-breeding to capture hybrid vigour (heterosis). A common model is Yorkshire/Landrace dams × Duroc or Hampshire sires.

Genetics & Breeding Practices

Breeding Systems

• Artificial Insemination (AI) for rapid genetic gain
• Rotational cross-breeding for maternal lines
• Terminal cross-breeding for finishers

Selection Metrics

• Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for litter size & growth
• Genomic testing for feed efficiency & meat quality
• Structural soundness scores

Nutrition & Feeding Programs

Life-Stage Diets

• Starter: functional proteins for gut health
• Grower: amino-acid balanced for lean gain
• Finisher: energy-dense diets for efficient weight
• Gestation: controlled energy for body-condition
• Lactation: high-energy diets to maximise milk

Precision Phase-Feeding

By overlaying real-time feeder weight curves with Net Energy requirement models, many barns shave ≈ 3 % feed cost and cut nitrogen excretion by 12 %. Diet matrices increasingly reference standardised ileal digestible (SID) lysine-to-energy ratios rather than crude protein, echoing European nutrigenomic protocols.

Housing & Facility Considerations

Regulatory spotlight – Prop 12 & ASF: Since California’s Proposition 12 became enforceable in 2024, pork sold into California must come from sows housed with ≥ 24 ft² of usable space and no gestation crates after six weeks of pregnancy. Producers converting to group pens typically retrofit with free-access stalls or electronic sow feeders to maintain individual intake records. Meanwhile, USDA APHIS has intensified import controls and launched the Swine Health Improvement Plan to keep African Swine Fever out of U.S. herds; new rules tighten documentation for pork products and semen imported from ASF-affected regions. Familiarity with both frameworks is now table-stakes when planning capital projects.

System Types

• Climate-controlled confinement (industry standard)
• Hoop barns with deep-bedding (lower cap-ex)
• Pasture-based huts (niche production)

Critical Components

• Farrowing crates or pens with zone heating
• Nursery rooms held at 32–34 °C start temps
• Finishing barns designed for 1.9–2.3 ft² per pig
• Low-stress load-out chutes

Industry Organizations & Resources

National Bodies

• National Pork Board
• National Pork Producers Council (NPPC)
• American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV)
• Swine Health Information Center (SHIC)

Continuing Education

• University extension programs & webinars
• Pork Academy & World Pork Expo seminars
• Professional nutrition, genetics and finance consultants