Reducing costs in organic pig production
Organic livestock production presents challenges, primarily in higher production costs, and pigs are no exception.
Dr. Yuzhi Li, professor of animal science, West Central Research & Outreach Center in Morris, MN, reviewed research findings on the costs of organic pig production. Research was conducted through funding by the Organic Research & Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Organic Transition Program (ORG). Collaborators included Rodale Institute and Kutztown State University. Research focused on parasites, feed and bedding and mortality.
Li said current organic pig inventory remains flat, partly due to the challenge of meeting the high standards of organic pig production – outdoor access and no confinement, no antibiotics or synthetic dewormers, organic feed and bedding, no tail docking and weaning at six weeks.
“Over the years we have tried to find the challenges farmers face,” said Li. “We visited organic pig farms in five states. We also conducted surveys and focus group meetings. Through these activities we identified challenges in three main areas: animal health, markets and suppliers and production costs and efficiency.”
The primary animal health issue is internal parasite management. Parasite infection reduces pigs’ immunity to other illness and affects nutrient absorption. The survey included breeding and gestating sows, boars, feeder/growing pigs ages two to four months and finishing pigs ages five months to market weight.
The major parasite species in pigs include Oesophagostomum (nodular worms), Ascaris (large roundworms) and Trichuris (whipworms). In surveyed farms, when sows had nodular worms, their offspring had the same worms. Large roundworms and whipworms were widespread in growing pigs. At least half, and as many as 100%, of pigs across all farms were infected with at least one of the three prevalent parasite species.
Breeding sows showed the lowest parasite infection rate. Sows on two farms had no parasites, and overall, only 2% of sows were infected (mostly with nodular worms). Older sows showed immunity to internal parasites. Finisher pigs were the most heavily infected, primarily with large roundworms.
“Sows are parasite-free because we deworm them by the third trimester of gestation,” said Li. “Pigs born to clean sows means they are parasite-free. We aren’t sure why nursery pigs were infected (with large roundworms) because they are too young to shed parasite eggs. It takes six to eight weeks for eggs to hatch, mature and to shed eggs in the feces.”
Large roundworms were the dominant species in grower/finisher pigs. Researchers wanted to determine which age group had the highest parasite levels: sows, nursery, grower or finisher pigs. They were also interested in whether the sex of the pig mattered, and whether parasite infection influenced pig growth, carcass traits or liver quality.
Li said the grower stage proved to be the best opportunity for parasite control because the infection rate and infection load are lower than in finisher pigs. Other findings showed that barrows and gilts are similarly infected with large roundworms, and large roundworms didn’t affect pig growth.
“Grower/finisher pigs is the tough one,” said Li, adding that this stage is also challenging for commercial pig farms. “We need to deworm growing/finishing pigs, and for organic production, we have to use organic-approved products. Minimize the number of dewormings – you don’t want to deworm all the time. Fifteen weeks of age is the best production stage to deworm because based on our data, the infection rate and load is lower than in finishing pigs.”
Li added that if nursery pigs are dewormed, there will still be parasite infections during subsequent feeding stages.
Parasite control strategies include maintaining parasite-free sows. Nursery pigs are highly vulnerable to parasite infection so it’s important to break the parasite cycle by cleaning barns between groups.
Li referred to piglet mortality as the silent challenge in organic production. “In general, [organic] pig mortality ranged from 20% to 28%, which is much higher than conventional production, which has 7% to 12% mortality – almost double.” About 50% of piglet losses occur during the first three days.
The “no confinement” requirement of organic pig production means gestating and farrowing sows must be housed in an open pen, which increases the risk of crushing deaths in piglets. Piglet mortality is also seasonal, with higher mortality in summer and lower mortality in winter. Survival is more variable in outdoor farrowing or if a barn is not insulated or heated.
Parity, or how many litters a sow has had, influences piglet survival. As sows age, piglet mortality increases. Li said farmers who want to keep sows longer than parity three should carefully select sows to retain to avoid increasingly high piglet mortality.
Higher organic feed cost is associated with the high price of organic corn, which is about 70% of most pig diets, and costs about two to three times more than conventional corn. Alternative feeds include growing winter rye on the farm and using the rye grain to replace corn and rye straw for bedding. This diversifies crop rotations and helps break insect and disease cycles. Winter rye also provides an environmental benefit by keeping soil covered, which reduces erosion and spring runoff.
When 50% of corn was replaced with rye and rye straw was used as bedding, there was a savings of $14/ pig on feed and bedding costs. For a profitable rye crop, the minimum yield is at least 80 bushels/acre, and the minimum rye price should be $6 or greater per bushel.
“Organic pig production is flat or declining due to high production costs and inefficiency,” said Li. “Becoming self-sufficient with feed and bedding is an opportunity to control costs and improve net returns. Work on parasite control and reducing piglet mortality.”
by Sally Colby
