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Commercial Reference 2005 Issue
Purebreds — alive and well
by Rick Pfortmiller
I believe it was the great author Mark Twain who once said, “The news of my demise has been greatly exaggerated!”
Allow me to put a swine spin on this old saying: “The news that the purebred industry is no longer a viable source of genetics for the commercial industry has been greatly exaggerated!”
Certainly as the swine industry has evolved, we have seen dramatic changes. One of the most obvious is the number of producers we have now, compared to the mid-1990s. Naturally, as the number of producers has declined, so has the number of seedstock suppliers required to provide genetics. This attrition included not only good purebred breeders but also noted company genetic suppliers.
And, if you recall, larger, more-specialized farms became the norm throughout the pork-producing landscape. These farms, due to their size, tended to migrate towards the larger, corporate seedstock suppliers in search of lean, cookie-cutter genetics that were perceived to be the only genetic solution for them. If you are thinking like Twain’s doomsayers, you would think the industry had lost all its good purebred-based breeding programs.
This is as far from the truth as Twain’s death! The purebred industry has many productive days and yes, years ahead of it. Here is why:
1. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, the pork industry trend was a one-size-fits all mentality of market hogs.
If you examined the premium grids of the major packers, they had far more similarities than differences. Lean, heavy-muscled hogs were in and everything else was out.
Now, with the growth of value-added products, heat-and-eat meals and emphasis on quality and eating experience, packers are seeking different types of hogs to fill these specifications, requiring a diverse gene pool. The purebred industry has this diversity built right in by nature.
This market shift requires breeders to actively monitor and select lines within our breeds to offer superior pork quality. NSR has been and will continue to be a leader in evaluating pork quality. You can benefit by our years of expertise.
2. In this same time period, the commercial industry relied heavily on terminal production systems to meet uniformity demands. In large part, these systems worked, but often at the expense of health compromises and lack of genetic quality control.
Now, more farms are considering limiting their female replacements by either raising their own grandparent and parent-line gilts, or by purchasing grandparent dams and introducing new maternal genes through artificial insemination. Size of the supplier becomes much less of a concern, while quality becomes even more paramount.
3. Demand for pork worldwide is rising exponentially. Areas like
NSR’s purebred breeders that focus on performance testing, documented high health and quality seedstock are enjoying some of their best years exporting genetics to these countries. If you have not tried purebreds in your operation lately, now’s the time to consider the farms featured in this issue to improve your herd.
4. Animal care and welfare continue to be pushed to the forefront of the consuming public.
While I believe that most farms are doing the right thing, issues like antibiotic-free production, sow longevity and gestation housing may require an animal that is more user-friendly. These animals will rely more heavily on stockmanship skills for determining their adaptability.
The good news: NSR purebred breeders have applied these principles of selection for years, even generations. Corporate genetic companies are challenged by this change due to a labor force that experiences huge turnovers and is largely autonomous.
So, I am excited to welcome you to this 2005 Commercial Reference Issue. There is something for everyone, whether you are a large, integrated pork operation with thousands of sows, a small niche producer that supplies pork to a local market or anyone in between.
