Benchmark Magazine Article Archive

These are turbulent times for pork producers. Because of that, in addition to benchmarking data, this year our theme for Benchmark magazine is “Building Blocks for the Long Haul, Bringing Longevity to the Farm.”

High replacement rates for gilts and young sows have skewed current parity distributions on many farms towards younger females that haven’t reached their peak productivity.

Within the pork industry, heat stress poses a significant threat to overall pig production, impairing health, productivity, and well-being at all life stages.

As an industry, we have realized the steady increase in sow mortality throughout the past decade and employed various efforts to respond to this critical production issue.

Despite advancements in understanding the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and increased efforts to prevent, control, or eliminate it, the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) still causes significant issues for the pig farming industry worldwide.

Today’s pork producers know that biosecurity is essential in every aspect of pig production.

Regardless of the organization’s size, whether a small farm or a multi-site corporation, employers have long been concerned about recruiting challenges in the competitive labor market.

We’ve been using data to analyze past, current, and future hog producer productivity and profitability for some time.

Total number of farms = 167

Total number of farms = 18

Gilts are the foundation of the herd, which allows it to have the best farrowing rates and to have a total of 14–15 pigs in their first litter.

Achieving 30+ pigs per sow per year was once a lofty goal, but today it is a fairly common achievement thanks to genetic improvements in litter size.

Without a doubt, the swine industry plays a crucial role in global food production, providing a significant source of protein for millions of people worldwide. However, this vital sector is facing an increasingly pressing challenge: a severe shortage of workers.

After more than a year of financial losses, the North American swine sector is finally turning a corner.

Broad-based growth in pork exports continues to provide a measure of hope for pork producers in 2024, amid historically challenging market conditions in hog production.

One thing’s for sure: The world needs more Canadian pork. Despite the obviousness of that statement, there are many challenges to getting the product where people want it - where there’s consumer demand.