Pig farming
Pig farming is a specialized agricultural practice focused on raising pigs for meat production. This industry has evolved significantly over time, with modern farms often housing thousands of pigs in climate-controlled facilities to enhance livestock management and productivity. Various types of pig farms exist, each organized by the lifecycle of the pigs; some farms focus solely on breeding, while others raise pigs from weaning to market weight. Notably, farrow-to-finish farms encompass the entire process from breeding to slaughter, though these are less common than specialized operations.
Historically, pigs were domesticated around nine thousand years ago and became integral to farming due to their hardiness and adaptability. They are particularly valued for their ability to thrive in diverse climates and for the preservation potential of pork, such as through salting. While pig farming practices have shifted towards larger, more specialized operations in recent decades, there remains a significant emphasis on animal welfare and environmental management. Many pig farmers pursue formal education in agriculture or animal science to effectively oversee their operations. Overall, pig farming plays a critical role in food production and the agricultural economy.
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Pig farming
Pig farming is an agricultural activity that involves raising large numbers of pigs. Once the pigs reach an appropriate age and weight, the animals are sold for processing and slaughter. In the past, farmers raised pigs because they were hardy animals that provided a great deal of meat after butchering. Immigrants introduced pigs to North America, where wild pigs grew into established populations of boars.
Modern pig farms often specialize in a particular aspect of the animal’s life. Some farms specialize in breeding piglets, while others buy piglets and raise them into juvenile animals. Finishing farms bring the pigs up to market weight and prepare them for slaughter. Farrow-to-finish farms, facilities that breed piglets and raise them to market weight, are less common in the United States.
Modern pig farming often involves keeping thousands of animals on site. The pigs are usually kept indoors in climate-controlled conditions. Many farmers pursue degrees that help them manage large numbers of livestock. These include degrees in agriculture and animal science.
Background
Humans first domesticated pigs roughly nine thousand years ago. They began keeping wild boars as livestock in the Anatolia, a region located in modern day Turkey and East Asia. Over time, domestic pigs began to exhibit different traits than their wild counterparts. Wild boars are typically larger than their domestic counterparts, with longer legs, larger tusks, and a straighter tail. However, domestic pigs commonly bred with wild boars, blurring the distinction between the two species. Europeans continued to develop breeds of pig for domestic use through the sixteenth century.
Pigs and boars are hardy, adaptable animals. For this reason, they were sometimes transported to new places by colonists. Christopher Columbus carried eight pigs with him when he landed in Cuba in 1493. His successor, Hernando de Soto, brought thirteen domesticated pigs to the New World.
Raising pigs was popular among farmers in North America. Pigs could survive in most climates, and provided significant amounts of food when butchered. Additionally, pork meat was easy to preserve. Surplus pig meat could be turned into barreled pork by preserving it with salt brine; it could then be stored or sold. As the settlers moved west in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, they took pigs with them. Some of these pigs escaped into the wild, which slowly developed into North American wild boar populations.
In the twentieth century, new trends began to diversify practices in North American agriculture. Many farmers began to raise pigs in large numbers. Some raised pigs alongside other crops, which could be used to feed the pigs, making the farm a self-sustaining business. Diversified farms grew in both popularity and success throughout the following decades. By the end of the twentieth century, much of the pork in the United States was harvested from diversified farms. However, in the twenty-first century, this trend began to reverse. More pork was harvested from specialized pork farms.
Overview
Pig farmers are responsible for raising and caring for pigs. The pigs will eventually be slaughtered and processed for sale as meat at slaughterhouses and other meatpacking facilities. Most large farms have thousands of animals on site, allowing them to maximize the use of their facilities.
Numerous types of pig farms can be found in the modern market. In most cases, the types of pig farms are organized by the lifecycle of the pigs they raise. Not all farms deal with the entire life cycle of the animal. Farrow-to-nursery farms specialize in raising breeding sows. They also raise piglets until they become forty- to fifty-pound feeder pigs. At this point, the feeder pigs are sold to another farm.
Farrow-to-wean farms oversee breeding, and typically raise piglets until the animals weigh ten to fifteen pounds. They sell the piglets to wean-to-finish farms. These farms do not invest in breeding piglets. Instead, they purchase the piglets, then raise the animals to market weight. Finishing farms function similarly to wean-to-finish farms. However, they prefer to buy and raise juvenile pigs instead of piglets.
Farrow-to-finish farms are the largest and most complex type of pig farm. These facilities breed pigs, then raise them to market rate. Such farms must provide specialized care for pigs throughout the various stages of their lives. Once the pigs hit market rate, they are usually sold for slaughter to other businesses invoved in the pork industry.
Since the early twentieth century, selective breeding has brought about numerous changes in domestic pig breeds. Pigs raised for farming are larger than ever before. Most market-weight pigs are roughly 285 pounds. Some pigs grow to even larger sizes. These pigs are not fat, despite the stereotypes associated with the animal. They are carefully bred and fed a scientifically engineered diet, producing a large animal that is mostly muscle. Pigs that produce the correct ratio of fat to muscle fetch higher prices on the market.
Pig farming is similar to many other types of livestock farming. Because the work centers on the needs of the animal, most pig farmers put in long hours. They may work nights, weekends, and holidays to keep their livestock in good condition. In the past, commercial pig farming took place outdoors. Farmers would be continuously exposed to the elements, making for difficult working conditions. However, most modern commercial pig farms utilize extensive indoor facilities. These climate-controlled buildings allow pig farmers to carefully control the conditions in which their livestock are raised.
Most professional pig farmers have at least a high school diploma. Many have pursued specialized degrees that help them manage large quantities of livestock. These include degrees in animal science and agriculture, which involve courses in animal husbandry, meat science, nutrition, and anatomy.
Bibliography
“Farmers Deserve a Seat at the Table” Pork Checkoff, 17 May 2021, www.porkcheckoff.org/news/farmers-deserve-a-seat-at-the-table/. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
Ivey Pepin, "What's It Like to Be a Pig Farmer?" The Humane League, 3 Oct. 2022, thehumaneleague.org/article/pig-farmer. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
“Pig-Farming History Traced.” Nature, www.nature.com/articles/525008c. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
“The Origin of the Domestic Pig: Independent Domestication and Subsequent Introgression.” Genetics, 1 Apr. 2000, www.genetics.org/content/154/4/1785. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
“The Rise and Fall of the Great American Hog.” Modern Farmer, 2013, modernfarmer.com/2013/08/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-great-american-hog. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.