Monitoring all steps of all production processes can seem very complicated, even for the most experienced managers. The Agriness P+1 method shows that in pig farming there is a critical flow of processes that determine whether the farmer will be able to deliver enough animals at the end of each period. The monitoring and homogeneity of these processes, or key points of production, have a direct – and positive – impact harnessing the maximum productive potential and ideal delivery.
Breeding herd
Take a look at the active breeding sows. For example, in order to deliver 250 animals of 100 kg this week, approximately 277 days ago 26 sows had to be serviced. This means that at that time, in order to maintain homogeneity in production, there had to be 26 sows in the farm ready to be inseminated. Any variation in this figure would have an impact on animal delivery targets.
Service
Service is one of the most critical key points. It is clear from the example above that it would be necessary to service 26 sows in a given week to reach the target of 250 animals delivered 277 days later. It is also important to note that servicing less than 26 sows means a farm is operation with idle capacity. Servicing more than 26 sows would generate a higher number of animals than planned, which in turn would put pressure on later processes such as farrowing.
Live births
Regularity is also sought in the number of live births per farrowing. Several kinds of handlings are suitable to improve sow performance and they can be implemented to help sows in this process, among them are techniques applied to nutrition, ambience and care at farrowing time. This is aimed at getting sows to produce as much as their genetic will allow, in a continuous way without any sudden variations.
Weaned piglets
The last key point regarding production is the regularity of weaning and the critical issue is to control the waste generated by mortality. Well-organized weaning generates more uniform piglet lots in the nursery, and consequently in the finishing stage.
Make no mistake: if the farm was designed to work with a certain breeding herd in order to meet a weekly service target and a weaning potential per sow per year, the “law of homogeneity” must be followed to the letter to get there. Homogeneity provides balance to production.
