Performance-enhancing technologies in swine production

Technology adoption has allowed for dramatic improvements in sow productivity, wean-to-finish growth performance, and carcass composition over the last 35 yr. In 1980, the average sow farm in the US marketed 9.2 pigs per sow per year (Table 1). The average market weight was 242 lb with pigs having more than 1 inch of fat at the 10th rib, a loin eye under 5 in2, and a carcass that produced less than 80 lb of lean meats (National Pork Board, 2016). Growth performance records from 1980 are scarce; however, in 1990, pigs grew at 1.27 lb/day and required 3.2 lb of feed per pound of gain from weaning to market (PigChamp, 1990). By comparison, today’s average sow weans 22 pigs per year and its pigs have a wean-to-finish average daily gain of 1.61 lb/day and use 2.6 lb of feed per pound of gain (National Pork Board, 2016). The average market weight is now 283 lb with 0.72 inches of back fat and a loin eye over 8 in2 (National Pork Board, 2016). Thus, the actual feed required per pig has decreased by 4% while market weight has increased by 17% (41 lb) in the last 25 yr. Of the 41-lb increase in live weight, 38 lb (93% of the increase) has been added to the amount of lean muscle provided by each carcass, with today’s pigs producing more than 118 lb of lean meat per animal. This has allowed for a 38% increase in pork production with only a 10% increase in the annual number of animals harvested over the same time period (USDA-NASS, 2015). These values obviously represent significant improvement in swine productivity. Combining increases in sow productivity and market weight, the average US pig farms are producing more than 4,000 lb of live weight per sow per year compared with approximately 1,770 lb in 1980 (Figure 1). Without these improvements in productivity, it would take another 9 million sows (approximately 15 million in total) compared with today’s 6 million sows to achieve the current level of pork produced (Patience, 2015; Figure 2). With global food demands expected to increase by 100% in 2050, technology must continue to be applied to commercial swine production (Tilman et al., 2011). As demonstrated by the swine industry’s record of rapid adoption and embracing new technology, production of safe, wholesome, and nutritious pork will continue to improve and increase while, at the same time, using fewer resources and reducing its impact on the environment. Therefore, our objective is to review the history of technology development and its application in shaping today’s swine industry (Table 2).