PORKER & BACONER COMPETITIONS

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 74, Issue 2, 15 February 1947, Page 187

PORKER & BACONER COMPETITIONS

North Island Results Analysed

By

D. M. SMITH,

Assistant Research Officer, Animal Research Station, Ruakura.

DESPITE drought conditions over a large part of the North Island, the 1946 Tomoana porker and baconer competition was very well supported by pig producers, and again a large amount of detailed information is available for examination. Though quantity is still of prime importance, a warning has been given about quality, and from the viewpoints of both the industry and the individual it is timely.

FOR the industry in general and the individual producer in particular these competitions can provide reliable information about any improvement in quality being achieved and where the greatest need for improvement lies. For those who wish to produce better pigs, the display of winners shows which strains will help to achieve that aim.

This analysis does not deal with the standard of individual groups, but with the average quality of all the groups. The average quality, and not a few good pigs, decides the industry’s market, though the poor animals in any line tend to lower the value of the group below the . general average.

Judging Standards

The new pork-judging standards were in use for the first time in 1946, and the Tomoana competition was the first real testing ground, so a discussion of judging standards and their aims is appropriate.

When an article is placed on sale in the open market in competition with similar articles, one of several things can happen to it: •If it is a superior article, it may oversell all competitors; if it is not a superior article, it may find a restricted market at a lower price, or it may not sell at all. In either of the last two eventualities the producer can do one of two things: He can take up some other business, or he can - satisfy the market by producing the goods the buying public wants. It is quite immaterial whether the producer himself likes the type of article required by the consumer.

Both the pork- and bacon-judg-

ing systems are based on a knowledge of the type of article demanded by the English consumers and being provided by New Zealand’s competitors. It is of little" interest to the consumers that the Waikato or Taranaki or any other group of farmers does not favour

that particular type of animal, for if the country does not provide its customers with what they desire, it can only sell at a lower price or retire from the market. Criticisms

of the judging methods unfortunately fail to take these considerations into account.

Chest Depth and Constitution At least one of the characteristics in - eluded in the system, balance of side in baconers, has been the subject of some comment. The suggestion has been made that with a reduction in depth through the chest pigs will lose constitution. The reason behind the demand for a reduced depth is that a triangular side when rolled is ugly, it involves a lot of waste and consequent loss to the retailer, and the bacon is difficult to sell because the customer does not favour the forward end of such a roll. If New. Zealand bacon is to be sold to the best advantage, if retailers. are to

be happy in the selling of the product and come back for more, the pig must be parallel between back and bellyshallow and long. The critics’ counter is that there is no point in satisfying a market at a loss, and that if pigs lose constitution, production will be uneconomic. The answer to such criticism: is difficult because the term “constitution” has many definitions. If a general definition is “the ability to survive under shocking conditions of housing and feeding,” then pig keeping with pigs parallel top and bottom may be uneconomic. But if the term is accepted as meaning the ability to farrow large litters and feed them well, and bring large litters quickly to . bacon or pork weights under good conditions, then the sceptics have little to fear. The Scandinavian countries, which have been and will probably continue to be New Zealand’s competitors on the English market, have been practising selective breeding since .1909 and, among other things, carcass quality has been a basis of selection. The aim has been to use as breeding stock animals that, by the performance of their litter mates on the hooks and their own appearance at bacon weight, have proved as far as it is possible to prove that they are bacon pigs. In other words, when a sow or boar is selected to breed bacon pigs, bacon pigs are chosen, and from Danish records prolificacy has tended to improve, not to decline.

If the average farmer will realise that he is not breeding pigs to win a marathon or perform manual labour, the impression that the chest expansion of a sow indicates her ability to reproduce and feed a litter may be eliminated. . New Zealand’s competitors are getting their relatively ' shallowchested pigs by breeding from animals of that type. Fig. 1 shows • how New Zealand baconers fail to measure up to the standards set. down as optimum "for depth of side. It gives’only an indication, as it is based-on average-length and average depth within weight ranges, whereas points are awarded under the system not for weight but for length. Though Fig. 1 indicates that-bacon-ers are relatively poor in balance of side, the position with porkers is somewhat better. Table I illustrates that point, and shows that as the weight increases the discrepancy between actual and optimum increases. . As shown in Fig. 1. that carries .- on through the bacon-weight classes as well. TABLE I.— PORKERS .Weight range (lb.) .. 61-65 86-90 116-.120 Average length (inches) 24.9 26.8 29,0 Average depth (inches) 10.3 11. T 12.4 Optimum depth .(inches) .-10.1. . 10,8 11.6

Length of Carcass Emphasis on length is still as important and requiring of attention as ever. Fig. 2 and Table II show the position in regard to this characteristic and indicate how much ground must be made up if New Zealand is to produce the ideal baconer. But they also, show ~ that length is not as weak a characteristic in porkers as in baconers? TABLE PORKERS Weight class (lb.) .. 61-65 86-99 116-120 Average length (inches) 24.9 26.83 29 05 Optimum length (inches) 26.37 28.25 30.5 Back Fat Table 111 forces the conclusion that to produce pigs with the correct

amount of back fat still requires the maximum of managerial ability in feeding, apart from considerations of breeding. . In the porker weights the shoulder fat is below optimum for carcasses up to 901 b. and optimum for the range 91-1051 b. The 106-1201 b. class shows an excess of fat at the shoulder. All classes are below the optimum for loin fat. - All bacon classes show an excess of both .shoulder and loin fat, though in no case is the excess very great. In general, for all three characteristics length, balance of side, and back fat — the porkers were of better average

TABLE 111 Average back fat measurements in l-16in. PORKERS Weight range (lb.) .. 60-75 76-90 91-105 106-120 No. of pigs .. • .. .... .. 339 4 r 3 . 276 84 Shoulder fat .. 11.6 13.9 16.5 18-1 Optimum .. .. 13-14 14-15 15-16 16-17 Loin fat .. .. .. 6.5 7.7 9.7 10.7 Optimum .. 8 9 10 11 BACONERS Weight range (lb.) .. .. 121-130 131-140 • 141-150 151-160 161-170 Number of pigs .. .. .. 201 258 284 161 127 Shoulder fat 25 26.3 27.0 28.1 - - 29.6 ' Optimum 20-23 21-24 22-25 23-26 24-27 Loin.fat 13.7 . 14.8--16.0 ... 18.3--194) Optimum .. ... 12 13 14 15 16

quality than the baconers.’ However, the loin fat or finish on the porkers should be improved. Pig Council Competition The Pig Industry Council section, included in the main carcass competition, was a worthy attempt to round off competitive carcass exhibitions. The consumers’ demands must be met, but it is obviously preferable that they be met by using an animal not only of superior carcass conformation but also of high productive ability. The main economic factors to be considered in pig production are the number in a litter; the number weaned; the weaning weight, which is an indication of the milking and mothering ability of the sow and the management of the farmer; the growth rate throughout the animal’s life; and last the carcass quality of the slaughtered pig. For a

group of four pigs possible points for 1 prolificacy, litter weight, and growth rate are 200. Possible points for carcass are 400, so the emphasis is still on the quality of the product. A competition such as this is the logical goal of all methods of pig improvement, and those seeking breeding stock should go to the breeders of pigs that satisfy all the requirements. Unfortunately, very few entries were received for this section, and the results represent a highly-selected group rather than a cross-section of the pig population. It is to be hoped that this competition will attract . many more entries in future. Summary of Competition In general, the results of the competition may be summarised as follows:

Balance of side: This characterisitic became progressively , worse as the pigs became heavier. There is need for considerable improvement in this feature, especially in baconers.

Length: This characteristic is still weak, especially in baconers.

Back fat: Loin and shoulder fat in porkers is too thin in the light weights, but the shoulder fat passes the optimum at 951 b., and from that weight on carcasses are too fat. Baconers are too fat at .both shoulder and loin in all weights.

General quality: That of porkers was higher than that of baconers judged on the preceding three characteristics.

Report from Smithfield

The report of a display of carcasses sent to England ’ from the Tomoana porker and baconer competition last July, and exhibited at Smithfield, makes encouraging reading.

Dr. J. Hammond, who, with Mr. H. E. Davidson, inspected the pigs, was most enthusiastic. ‘The standard is very high,” he said, “higher even than last year, when the prize-winning carcasses were displayed in a London cold-storage house. An excellent attempt has been made to secure uniformity of animals. This system will enable us to establish grades for New Zealand pigs in the same way as we have grades for lambs, and this will be of distinct advantage to the trade.”

Pedigree Hereford 801 l from Canada

'T'HE first pedigree Hereford bull. to be imported into New Zealand since before the war arrived from Canada recently. It was purchased for 5,000 dollars (£NZ 1538) by Mr. F. M. Brice, stud farmer of “Waimutu,” Marton.

Bred by Mr. W. A. Crawford-Frost, Caerleon, Nan ton, Alberta, the bull, which is named Caerleon Standard 26th, was champion at the Calgary Agricultural Show last June. It brought the top price at the Calgary sale, one of the biggest stock sales in Canada, and was subsequently purchased privately by Mr. Brice.

Caerleon Standard 26th is 2J years old and is a high-quality specimen of its breed. It is perfectly marked, and has rich dark red colouring, but is shorter than most New Zealand bulls.

Owing to delays caused by waterfront disputes in San Francisco the bull was on board ship for 70 days, but was quite healthy when it arrived.