Pig Management

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 67, Issue 6, 15 December 1943, Page 433

Pig Management

The National Pig Industry Council

-By-

H. M. PEIRSON,

Acting Superintendent of the Pig Industry, Wellington

Incredible as it may seem, there are still farmers unaware of the activities of the National Pig Industry Council, established in New Zealand seven years ago. It is timely, therefore, that an outline of the work of this organization through its District Pig Councils and their supervisors should be stressed.

' I ’HE National Pig Industry Council has been closely associated has been closely associated with all the major improvements in the pig industry. This movement has been, and still is, essentially valuable, for the reason that it creates an organisation that can speak with one voice on the needs of . the industry, though

within the movement there are many who came in merely for personal advantage. Others stay out, because they fail to see any immediate advantage to themselves. Both miss the importance of united effort. In the industry there are fifty thousand producers, and if the progress made by some were common to all, the industry would be perfect within a year. The facilities that the National Pig Industry Council provides through its District Pig Councils, utilised on even the smallest farms, bring about improvements. Even if they are only commonplace improvements, they are possible for all. Competitions Not the least of the Council’s activities are the bacon carcase competi-

tions, such as those recently held at Westfield, Patea, Hastings, and Gisborne, at which no fewer than 3,000 carcarcases were exhibited. These competitions can be said to have been the biggest of their kind ever held in the Southern Hemisphere. The organisation of these competitions was undertaken by the National Pig Industry Council, in conjunction with a commercial export firm, which generously provided the facilities and the prize money. The exhibits were of outstanding merit and of great educational value. One of the objects of these competitions is the demonstration of the possibilities of profitable carrying of pigs through the winter months. With the disappearance of the milk supply in May, those who still have pigs on hand are faced with the difficulty of

getting through the winter months. There are many different ways of meeting the winter feed shortage. One is to avoid pigs in winter by selling weaners and stores before the end of May at sacrificial prices. Those who' get rid of their winter responsibility make difficulties for themselves in October, November, and December, when young pigs are unable to cope with* the abundant milk supply. After . seeing the results of the “Tomoana”' baconer competitions it is hard to believe thos who claim that it does not pay to winter home-grown pigs on home-grown crops, plus a foundation of bought meal. Another advantage of these competitions is that they give opportunities to Supervisors of District Pig Councils to make new contacts and to' bring before farmers in many different districts the results that have come to* light in these competitionsresults that might not be picked up by a farmer reading a report of them, but which are apparent to . him when he talks them over on his farm with a man who, like himself, has a practical working knowledge of pigs. Duties of Supervisors The' Supervisor’s approach to the subject of pigs is to discover quickly whether or not pigs are run efficiently on the farm that he visits. A reason-

able standard of efficiency is a net return of £2 per cow, which may be made up by a gross value of £3 per cow, less the cost of feed and pigs of £1 per cow. If he finds that a farmer is getting this kind of return, he will congratulate him on the result, en-

courage the farmer to explain how it is done, and learn all he can of that particular farmer’s methods. However, if he finds the returns are low, he will try to find out the reason, and without delay assist him with his problems.

Whether the returns are good or bad, the Supervisor has to ask a number of leading questions, and, provided these are suitably mixed in the general discussion and comment, few farmers mind answering questions that are obviously sincere, especially when the questioner shows a definite interest. The Supervisor finds out how many cows are milked and how many calves are reared. He then inquires whether the owner thinks bacon, pork, or weaner productibn the most profitable. In general, the Supervisor knows that when pork and bacon are 6d. per lb. and weaners 18/-, all are equally profitable from the point of view of feed used.

Then follow questions on what kind of produce, cheese or butter, the farmer goes in for, how many sows he runs, and how many pigs he sold in the last year. The Supervisor makes a rapid calculation, taking baconers at £3 15/-, porkers at £2, and weaners at ruling prices, and, knowing the number of cows, can suggest a gross return per cow received from pigs. It sometimes happens that the Supervisor strikes the wrong man, or the wrong approach, but he is not disheartened by setbacks, for he knows that quite often the greatest response comes from men who are hardest to convince. Efficiency Feeding A few facts about pigs usually encourage the listener. For instance, the average number of pigs sold per sow in New Zealand is approximately 10. . Where baconers are produced, one sow is kept for 10 to 16 cows. Where porkers are produced one sow to 6 or 7 cows is kept, and where weaners are. produced one sow to 3 to 5 cows. If the ratio of sows to cows is less than this, then much feed (roots or grass) other than skim-milk or whey is used. Here again the Supervisor wants a few pegs. If feed is efficiently used, every pound of pigmeat sold can be produced for 6 lb. of feed, or gallons of milk. If £lOO worth of pigs are sold, then not more thon 24,000 lb. of feed should have been used, or to put it in another way the pounds of . feed should equal in pence the value of meat sold. From the 7 number of cows milked, a rapid calculation gives approximately the total gallons of milk provided (1 gallon skim-milk or 1-J gallons whey equals 1 lb. feed) and how much meal has been used (the standard recommended is 1 cwt. per cow milked). Where the total of gallons plus pounds of meal is greater than the total number of pence- of pig-meat sold, feed is not used efficiently. It is pointed ‘ out that on. the best farms the feed, as milk and meals, does not exceed 60 to 80 per cent, of the total feed used. This raises the

question of (a) crops and grass used for pig-feed, (b) ways of feeding meal, (c) the best means of getting value out of meals as it applies to very young pigs, (d) when sows farrow, how well the pigs are done from weaning to four months old, (e) having on hand pigs big enough to utilise the milk in the flush of the season. Housing When the discussion turns to the subject of housing and accommodation, especially where new equipment has been provided, interested enquiry is made regarding costs and capital invested. Where equipment wants replacing, the Supervisor will suggest the adoption of what he has already seen on the best places. He provides the farmer with the Department of Agriculture’s free bulletin on “Housing and Construction of Modern Piggeries,” making suggestions with regard to a lay-out suitable to the particular farm in question. If difficulties have been experienced in obtaining the necessary material, here again the Supervisor can help, because the Building Controller has agreed to release building materials for piggeries, when application is made through the local District Pig Council, and recommended by that Council, to the local Building Controller. The Supervisor does not seek to force his views on to the farmer regarding the type of piggery he should build, but rather to help him utilise the material he has to the best advantage, even to the extent of assisting him manually with its erection.

Lay-out of Piggeries

He will point out the. advantages and disadvantages of certain kinds of lay-out. Dispersed or open-air units, for instance, have the advantage of requiring less cleaning, and they provide fresh grass, if properly handled, at all times of the year. How they are usually ruined by over-stocking is pointed out. They have the. disadvantage of inconvenience, and often hard work in feeding, especially in wet weather, and are therefore not altogether suitable for wet climates. On the other hand, units under one roof, with water laid on and proper drainage facilities, have the advantage of ease and quickness of feeding, and ability to control the pigs and their conditions. More time is required to keep . them clean, but time so spent gives satisfaction. z

Centralised units can, however, become just as objectionable under bad management conditions as any openair lay-out similarly treated. Supervisors sometimes find fair to bad conditions and equipment associated with good to excellent returns; hence they know the importance of not judging any outfit on appearance only.

SUPERVISOR’S STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE. 1. Gross sales of pigs equal to 3d. per lb. butterfat. •2. Expenses (feed) —10/- to 15/- per cow. 3. Twelve pigs sold' per sow. 4. Value of gross sales in pence equal to or greater than the total gallons of milk or pounds of feed used. 5. Sows farrow two litters a year; the first reaches bacon weight through the peak of milk supply; the second sells as pork or light bacon in midMay.

6. At least one-quarter of an acre of roots per sow for winter and stand-by feed. It is dependent upon the farmer’s willingness to discuss pigs with the Supervisor, and it may be necessary to have many discussions, as to how and in what direction the services of the District Pig Council can be used. The National Pig Industry Council, through District Councils, endeavours to give the farmer the benefit of its Supervisors’ experience and practical knowledge gleaned from and by their associations with other farmers. The Supervisor’s aim is not that of spending the farmer’s money on unnecessary equipment, as sometimes claimed, but to improve the conditions for pigs generally, and in so doing increase production along sound lines. He is not interested in where pigs . are sold, or who buys them, nor is he permitted to accept commission or r payment for any service rendered. For these reasons alone, if for no other, operators, agents, curers, meatexporters and auctioneers give full e support to the work of the National - Pig Industry Council, and their farmer clients are recommended to make full use of this service by contacting their ’ District Pig Council or the local office j of the Department of Agriculture.

Farmers are entitled to the assistance and advice of the District Pig Council Supervisors. Pig producers have provided the funds to enable these Councils to be set up, and all farmers are urged to take every advantage of these facilities.. Applications for assistance should be made to the . Department of Agriculture or to District Supervisors as follows:Whangarei (Box 131); Pukekohe (Box 32); Whakatane (Box 12); Gisborne (Box 316); New Plymouth (Box 131); Palmerston North (Box 80); Dunedin (Box 693); Christchurch (Box 639); Hamilton, care Department of Agriculture. ;