Production and Management

Whether you’re raising pigs for a commercial enterprise or your own consumption, there are multiple factors to consider. You want to be able to raise pigs that are healthy which means understanding housing and selection requirements, having the right tools and equipment, as well as introducing management systems for aspects such as manure control and the assessment of risks.

Hog Raising: Starting a Small Pig Farm

While the trend in the pork rearing industry is more towards larger farms, there are still plenty of opportunities for people who want to raise small groups of pigs for their own consumption or as a part-time enterprise. If you’re a beginner who wants to raise hogs, there are many areas you’ll need expertise on.

Before getting involved in swine production, think about how you’re going to market your enterprise. There are different options, depending on the type of farm you choose to run. Then there’s the type of pork production you want to start. The choice between farrow-to-finish, farrow-to-feeder, and feeder-to-finish very much depends on social and environmental implications, level of management and marketing skill required, and amount of capital, labor, and land you have available. There’s also a lot of information to absorb about buying the right livestock for your farm.

How much do you know about keeping your pigs healthy? Penn State Extension has a swine health short course that covers all the fundamental details. The time of year, for example, makes a big difference to your animal husbandry. In cold temperatures, cold stress is something you need to protect against. At the opposite end of the temperature scale, it’s just as important to be able to keep your pigs cool. You’ll find more information on swine health and care in this section of the website.

If you’re raising pigs on your homestead, there’s always the temptation to feed them scraps from your table. It seems harmless enough, however, food waste for pigs is a practice that carries considerable risk. How can you tell whether you’re feeding your pigs the right diet and meeting their nutrition requirements? Body condition scoring is one method that can help maintain productivity in your herd.

Swine Farm Management

If you want your pig production enterprise to be a successful one, there are key factors to bear in mind, such as safe operation and facilities, nutrition and manure management plans and risk management. The Secure Pork Supply plan is a valuable tool that can help pork producers assess a variety of risks including foreign animal diseases such as African Swine Fever.

Another crucial aspect to consider is the financing of your pig farm. To help find the right kind of financing, you’ll need to have a written business plan that shows any potential investors how you plan to use their funds and make repayments. Money for making repayments is going to come from selling your produce. Penn State Extension has resources that can help you determine the right price for your meat cuts.