In the first half of 2024, the pork industry has witnessed improvements in performance, driven by a combination of better management practices, technological advancements and a focus on sustainability in sow farm production. Within this article, there will be many areas of positivity and hope for even greater improvement, including a decline in sow mortality and continuous improvement in several key performance areas.

Sow farm analysis was performed utilizing the MetaFarms Ag Platform with specific focus on the United States customers only. In the first half of 2024, the average number of U.S. sow farms was 316, with an average female inventory of 816,000. The average sow farm size was 2,583, with the smallest farm size of 500 females and the largest at 11,000 females.

Unless otherwise noted, performance data consists of performance between Jan. 1 to June 30 for each year.

Sow mortality

After several years of rising sow mortality rates, the industry has made strides in reversing this trend in 2024. Through improved housing designs, enhanced nutrition and better management practices, sow mortality has significantly declined. These measures have not only improved the welfare of the animals but also boosted overall productivity in pork production.

The next graph shows the last 10 full years of sow mortality rates from U.S. sow farms from 2014-2023 where, from 2014 to 2023 sow mortality has risen 7.2% or an 80% change. Several factors have compounded this increase over the years from the introduction of, and re-breaks of, the highly volatile 1-4-4C porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome strain, changes in gestation housing and shortages in the employee population.

The next graph shows U.S. sow mortality rates for the last five years for the first half of each year. After four years of steady increases, the 2024 average has returned to a similar point in 2020. As important as averages are, they do not tell the whole story and that is where percentages come into play. Percentages are crucial when analyzing large databases because they provide a clear and concise way to compare different segments of data, allowing for a better understanding of trends and proportions. They help in normalizing data, making it easier to identify patterns, differences and relationships that might be obscured by raw numbers alone.

The best sow mortality farms (Top 10%) have shown with a 1.9% decline from 2023 that when health and animal husbandry are humming along, good things can come from them. Although those farms with higher rates are still too high, rates are not as high as they were in 2022. Factors keeping the 2024 rates lower can be attributed to less severe health breaks, improvements in animal husbandry, and action plans between producers and their veterinarians.

It is incredibly encouraging to see sow mortality rates decline after years of concern. This improvement reflects the industry's commitment to animal welfare and the effectiveness of enhanced management practices, such as better nutrition, housing and veterinary care.

Farrowing barn performance

Farrowing barn performance is crucial to the overall success of a sow farm, as it directly impacts the health and productivity of both the sows and their piglets. This environment is where sows give birth and nurse their young, making it vital to optimize conditions for comfort, hygiene and safety. Effective management of temperature, ventilation and sanitation in the farrowing barn reduces stress and disease risks, leading to higher survival rates and healthier piglets. Additionally, well-maintained farrowing barns contribute to better sow recovery post-farrowing, ensuring they remain productive for future breeding cycles. Ultimately, the efficiency and performance of the farrowing barn are key determinants of a farm’s profitability and sustainability for producers.

Pigs wean per mated female per year is held as the gold standard for how effective a sow farm is at producing pigs. There are many different versions of how to calculate PWMFY and while the differences amongst them can vary from a few tenths to a pig or two, the bottom line is this key performance indicator has been and will be used to measure and benchmark a sow farm’s performance against its peers.

The next chart shows the highest, average and bottom sow farms based on PWMFY. When I started in sow production in 1999, the sow farm I worked on won awards for top production at 24.5 pigs weaned per sow per year. Now, the best farms are 30+. Quite a remarkable feat for the pork industry.

Pork producers never stop trying to improve their genetic potential of their animals. The chart below clearly shows that over a 5-year period, the maximum potential of a sow farrowed (total born) has increased by nearly a whole pig. With this increased opportunity at every farrow event, more pigs are born alive and weaned.  On the flip side of positivity, these numbers do show there is still plenty of room for piglet survivability. In 2024, 1.6 piglets (10.4%) are being lost to birth loss (stillborn and mummies) and 2.32 piglets (16.5%) are lost to pre-wean mortality.

Sow farm size performance comparison

Comparing performance across sow farms of different sizes reveals insights into operational efficiencies and challenges unique to each scale. Larger sow farms often benefit from economies of scale, allowing for more advanced technologies, specialized staff and streamlined processes which can lead to higher overall productivity and lower costs per piglet. However, smaller farms may excel in areas like individualized animal care and flexibility in management practices, potentially leading to better sow welfare and reduced mortality rates. Performance metrics such as farrowing rates, piglet survival and feed efficiency can vary significantly between large and small operations, depending on factors like resource allocation, management expertise, and the ability to adapt to changing conditions.

Takeaways in sow farm performance based on size:

Top vs bottom 10% comparison

Comparing the best-performing sow farms with the worst is a valuable exercise for identifying key practices and strategies that drive success in the industry. This comparison highlights the differences in management techniques, animal care and resource utilization that led to higher productivity, lower mortality rates and better overall efficiency on top-performing farms. By analyzing what the best farms are doing right, other producers can adopt proven methods to improve their own operations. Conversely, understanding the pitfalls of the worst-performing farms helps in identifying common mistakes and areas needing improvement. This benchmarking process encourages continuous improvement and fosters innovation, ultimately raising the standard of performance across the entire industry.

The next graph shows the best (Top 10%) 31 sow farms against the bottom 10% farms (31) as well as the average of all sow farms (316).

The first half of 2024 proved that U.S. sow farm production have shown many areas of improvement, but also showed there is still plenty of opportunity still left on the table. The U.S. pork industry is an industry that works together for the greater good. Sow mortality has been a very sore subject for too long and needs attention. The first half of this year shows that with research, collaboration and due diligence that as an industry, we can work together to address this very important area.

MetaFarms Analytic Insights were used to provide the context and trends for this article. If you would like to talk or see an analysis of sow performance trends for your farm, or if you have suggestions on production areas to write articles about, please e-mail or call us. We enjoy being a part of the National Hog Farmer Weekly Preview team. Previous Production Preview columns can be found on the National Hog Farmer website.

If you have questions or comments about these columns, or if you have a specific performance measurement that you would like us to write about, please contact Eckberg at [email protected].