What Two Decades of PigCHAMP Data Tells Us About Progress, Tradeoffs, and Opportunities.

By Jayne Jackson

For more than 20 years, PigCHAMP benchmarking has provided producers, veterinarians, nutritionists, and industry partners with a trusted, consistent look at sow‑farm performance across North America.

Over that time, production systems, genetics, health pressures, and management philosophies have evolved dramatically—and yet there is one principle that has remained unchanged: accurate, standardized data is essential for making informed decisions.

As we celebrate our anniversary, this retrospective examines what two decades of benchmarking reveal when performance is evaluated across hundreds of farms and weighted over time. By focusing on mean values and long‑term trend lines, rather than isolated highs or lows, these results tell a clear story of sustained progress—balanced by important biological and management trade-offs.

REPRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY: STEADY GAINS BUILT ON FUNDAMENTALS

One of the most consistent improvements over the past 20 years has been reproductive efficiency.

Farrowing rate increased from 77.4% in 2006 to consistently above 83% in recent years, reaching peaks above 84% in multiple periods (Figure 1). At the same time, repeat services declined by more than 50%, falling from nearly 13% of services in the mid‑2000s to approximately 5–6% today.

These two measures move together and reflect steady improvement in:

• Heat detection and breeding management;
• Semen handling and quality;
• Gilt development programs;
• Data‑driven troubleshooting.

More importantly, these gains have been maintained over time, even as herd size, litter size, and health challenges increased— highlighting that foundational management still matters.

LITTER SIZE: AN INDUSTRY SUCCESS STORY

Perhaps the most striking change over the past two decades is the sustained increase in litter size.

Over the past 20 years:

• Total pigs born per litter increased from 12.0 to over 16.2.
• Liveborn pigs per litter rose from 10.7 to more than 14.4.

This represents a growth of roughly 35%, reflecting long‑term genetic progress supported by observing improvements in nutrition, gilt development, and sow longevity management.

However, the data also highlight the biological cost of having an increased prolificacy:

• Stillborn pigs per litter increased from approximately 0.9 to just over 1.1.
• Mummified pigs per litter more than doubled, rising steadily across the period (Figure 2).

These increases represent a tradeoff rather than a failure when production pushes biological limits, highlighting areas now receiving renewed focus through farrowing management, sow condition, and gestation health strategies.

PIGLETS WEANED: PRODUCTIVITY GAINS CONTINUE

Despite larger litters and increased complexity at farrowing, weaned pig output has steadily increased, reflecting effective post‑farrow management across the industry.

Over the 20‑year window:

• Piglets weaned per litter increased from 9.3 to 12.7.
• Piglets weaned per sow per year increased from 21.5 to over 28.
• Piglets weaned per female per year improved from ~20.3 to nearly 27.

These gains demonstrate that while bigger litters introduce risk, improved post‑farrow management, nutrition, and technology have allowed producers to convert genetic potential into usable performance.

Notably, the fastest gains in piglets weaned per sow occurred after 2012, coinciding with accelerated genetic gains. These trends show that producers have been able to convert genetic potential into usable performance, even as piglet survival challenges increased.

PRE-WEANING MORTALITY: A PERSISTENT INDUSTRY CHALLENGE

While many key performance indicators show clear improvement, pre‑weaning mortality remains an area of ongoing concern.

Across the benchmarking period:

• Pre‑weaning mortality increased from approximately 12% in the mid‑2000s to the mid‑to‑high teens in recent years.
• Year‑to‑year variability widened, indicating sensitivity to health events, litter size, and labor consistency (Figure 3).

Importantly, linear trend analysis shows that mortality has not increased at the same pace as litter size, suggesting that management improvements have partially offset biological pressure—but not eliminated it.

As litter size continues to rise, piglet survival represents one of the largest remaining opportunities for future gains.

CULLING AND SOW MORTALITY: PRODUCTIVITY VS. DURABILITY

Culling and sow mortality trends provide an essential context for understanding long‑term efficiency gains across the industry.

Over the past 20 years, annual culling rates have gradually declined, falling from above 50% to the low‑to‑mid 40% range. At face value, this decline might suggest improved sow retention and greater output per animal; however, the broader data tell a more complex story.

During the same period, sow mortality increased steadily, rising from below 9% in the mid‑2000s to the low‑to‑mid teens as a percentage of inventory (Figure 4). When evaluated together, these opposing trends underscore a critical reality: reductions in culling have not been driven solely by improved durability, but increasingly by higher involuntary losses.

As productivity per sow has increased, the biological and economic cost of sow loss has also intensified. Each involuntary removal eliminates both future production potential and cull revenue, amplifying the impact of elevated mortality.

Looking forward, sustained progress will depend not only on output gains, but also on improving sow durability to rebalance voluntary and involuntary removals. Future gains will be driven by focused attention to:

• Structural soundness and feet and leg integrity;
• Longevity‑focused gilt selection and development;
• Health resilience throughout the production cycle.

The past two decades of benchmarking make one point clear: true efficiency is achieved when productivity gains are supported by improved survivability, allowing producers to make proactive culling decisions rather than reactive ones.

WHAT 20 YEARS OF DATA MAKES CLEAR

Two decades of PigCHAMP Benchmarking have helped reinforce several key truths:

• Productivity gains are real, measurable, and sustained.
• Genetic progress must be matched by constant management precision.
• Tradeoffs are inevitable—but can be very manageable with informed decisions.
• Long‑term trends carry far more value than single‑year results.

As the industry looks ahead, the role of benchmarking remains unchanged: helping producers turn accurate data into meaningful insight. After 20 years, the compiled data clearly show that progress happens whenever performance is measured, understood, and acted upon over time.

PigCHAMP remains committed to helping producers turn accurate data into meaningful insight—just as it has for the past 20 years.

Jayne Jackson
PigCHAMP, Inc

Jayne Jackson is the Product and Sales Manager for PigCHAMP, Inc. in Ames, Iowa, bringing more than 34 years of experience in swine management systems and product development. In her role, she works closely with producers to design new PigCHAMP features that deliver practical value and meet evolving industry needs.