Britain Has Been Promised An Extra 10,000 Tons of Bacon

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 61, Issue 1, 15 July 1940, Page 1

Britain Has Been Promised An Extra 10,000 Tons of Bacon

Now Is The Time To Get Extra Stock, Feed And Equipment

NEW ZEALAND has promised Great Britain an extra 10,000 tons of bacon for the coming year. Our total production of pork and bacon for the last two years was about 40,000 tons, so that we are now asked to increase our production by one quarter.

This year approximately 360,000 pigs under 120 lb. weight will be killed. By increasing the weight of these pigs by 301 b. each we would produce about half of the increase required for export. If no increase in these lightweight pigs is made, then an additional 160,000 baconers of 1401 b. carcass weight, or 220,000 average pigs, are required. This means the, progeny of 16,000 to 22,000 more sows, and this increase in sow numbers means that the figures should be restored to the level of January, 1939. It is impossible to say what the sow population is at present, but the opinion is generally held that a

By

M. J. SCOTT,

Superintendent of the Pig Industry, Wellington.

sufficient number of sows have been retained to provide the extra pigs. Individual farmers will have a better idea of whether or not the position is satisfactory. '

THE OBJECTIVE

It will be more than satisfactory if every farmer accepts the ideal of producing a baconer for every cow milked for butter and one for every two cows milked for cheese, at the same time taking immediate steps to provide the equipment, stock and feed necessary to do so. This would give us 80,000 tons of pigs, and would make the 10,000 tons increase just a milestone on the road of progress.

Pigs cannot be produced without feed additional to dairy by-products. These products are just about half the feed required to produce a baconer, and the

kind and quality of the other half depends very much on the months in which the sows farrow. A careful study of the following details may help some farmers to obtain a clearer idea of the amounts of feed that are required in different circumstances. When pigs could be marketed at any weight the months of farrowing were not so very important. At least, that seems to be the case from a careful review of the monthly killings as pork and bacon for several years past. It is evident from this review that December and January farrowings produce mostly pork and the corresponding farrowings in June and July produce mostly bacon. Pigs born in other months are more evenly divided between pork and bacon. Fewer sows farrow in February, May and October than in any other months. ,

BEST TIME TO FARROW Now that the objective is bacon production, careful thought given to the question of which are the best times of the year to have sows farrow might ensure the best use of feed on many farms. This urge to consider the question of farrowing dates is directed particularly at those who do not yet realise the advantage they used to take of pork production in fitting their feed supply to pig numbers. Farrowing which suited pork production can easily make the production of bacon difficult. Generally, no hard and fast rules can be laid down, as many variable and uncertain factors have to be considered. The time the cows come in, the amount of grazing used for pigs, the amount of root crops grown for pigs, when the cows dry off, and, the number and weight of baconers sold per sow all influence the month of farrowing. Facilities for keeping pigs in winter are important. In the discussion which follows the argument is based on: — (1) One sow producing 12 baconers being kept for every 12 cows milked. (2) Fairly generous amounts of meal being used. (3) Some grazing being used. (4) Some roots being used. (5) Baconers being sold at carcass weights ranging from 1301 b. to 1501 b. (6) At least threequarters of the cows being in milk by the end of August.

JANUARY AND JULY FARROWINGS

A sow which farrows in January and again in July requires for herself and the two litters 12,5001 b. of feed, made up of 6,300 gallons of milk, 3,5001 b. of meal, 10 tons of roots, and 2 tons of grazing. The peak months of feed requirements are January, February, September, and October; the slack months are March, April, May. Reasonably good stores of 851 b. to 1001 b. carcass weight along with the sow are the only pigs wintered. : .

FEBRUARY AND SEPTEMBER F ARROWIN GS

Feed requirement for a sow and progeny as above are 12,0001 b. of feed, made up of 6,300 gallons of milk, 2,1001 b. of grain, 13 tons of roots and four tons of grass. Peak 'months are October, November, February, March; the slack ones are April, May, June, July. Stores of 651 b. to 801 b. and breeding stock only are wintered. MARCH AND SEPTEMBER FARROWINGS Feed requirements for a sow and progeny are 11,9001 b. of feed, made up of 6,300 gallons of milk, 2,5001 b. of grain, 7 tons of roots and 7 tons of grazing. Peak months are October, November, December, March and April; the slack ones May, June, July and August. Stores of 451 b. to 601 b. are wintered. APRIL AND OCTOBER F ARROWIN GS \ Feed requirements for a sow and progeny are 11,6001 b. of feed, made up of 6,300 gallons of milk, 3,0101 b. of grain, 4' tons of roots, and 6 tons of grazing. Peak months are November, December, April, May; slack ones June, July and August. Weaned pigs are wintered. MAY AND NOVEMBER FARROWINGS Feed requirements for a sow and her progeny are 12,7001 b. of feed, made up of 6,300 gallons of milk, 2,7261 b. of meal, 7 tons of roots, and 6 tons of grazing., Peak months are December, January, May and June; the slack ones, July, August, and February. Baconers are being finished off in June, and weaned pigs are carried for the remaining winter months. JUNE AND DECEMBER FARRO WINGS Feed requirements for a sow and her progeny are 12,7001 b. of feed, made up of 6,300 gallons of milk, 4,5001 b. of meal, 7 tons of roots, and 2 tons of grazing. Peak months are December, January, August and September; the slack ones February, March, April and October. Light baconers are carried through the winter. If this information is set out in a summarised table it will be seen that, with a fixed milk supply, a maximum amount of purchased meal is required when pigs are born in January-July or December- and a minimum for pigs born February-August, MarchSeptember. A maximum of roots and a minimum of grazing is required for pigs born January-July, February-August, and June-December. Minimum quantities of foots and a maximum of grazing are required for pigs born April-October, May-November, and March-September. It looks very complicated, but it is worth while geting it sorted up if best use is to be made of the feed available. .