Pointers in Breeding for Production

Swine producers are involved with many varied decisions in their swine enterprise. Almost daily decisions are necessary regarding management details, which change with the season. Decisions regarding the kind and content of rations must be made regularly. In terms of time required, decisions on feeding and management seem to be almost full time. They change as new products and new information become available and are shown to be profitable additions. Decisions affecting which animals are a part of the breeding herd must be made two to four times a year. Although not as time consuming, these decisions can have an important bearing on management decisions. For example, improvements in the breeding herd can result in animals which are: 1. more efficient in feed use—thereby reducing feed requirements for a given number of hogs. 2. faster gaining—^meaning less time to market and therefore less labor cost. 3. more desirable in terms of marketable product—less fat, higher proportion of meatiness in animals and therefore a more profitable market hog