Pigs

With her tiny 10-sow piggery, Western Cape pig producer Augusta Thomas lacks economy of scale. But despite this, she is making a reasonable living. She spoke to Glenneis Kriel about her business strategies and how they enable her to overcome size contraints.

With 9 600 sows, Chalala Farms near Malmesbury in the Swartland will soon produce more than 275 000 piglets per year. Jeff van Zyl, manager of the piggery, spoke to Glenneis Kriel about the operation’s production methods.

With the welfare of farm animals under close scrutiny in Europe, farmers there are increasingly utilising technologies and systems that balance animals’ well-being with profitability. Lloyd Phillips recently toured a modern sow unit near Magdeburg in Germany to witness this approach first-hand.

Novice pig farmers should start with highly marketable and popular breeds such as the Landrace or Large White, says Shane Brody.

Today’s domesticated pig has most of the qualities that the modern farmer looks for in livestock, including high profitability, explains Shane Brody.

The enclosed sleeping area for pigs should take up about a third of total pen size.

Alternative feed options can help to buffer the impact of rising costs, especially when prices increase due to adverse climatic conditions. Mauro Delle Donne of Zandam Farm explained to Glenneis Kriel how he lowers production costs by using software technology and whey from his cheese factory.

There are several key factors to consider before deciding to farm pigs, whether intensively or free range, says Shane Brody.

This is the first question you have to ask yourself when considering raising pigs, says Shane Brody.

Dr Elsje Pieterse of the Department of Animal Sciences at Stellenbosch University offers some advice on good feeding practices.

Number Two Piggeries currently employs 1 000 people, and farms a total of 20 000 breeding sows.

Hard work and tenacity have turned a tiny enterprise into a flourishing commercial operation.

Acorn-fed pigs is a Spanish and Portuguese tradition. Oak Valley Estate in the Elgin Valley is one of just a few commercial, free-range, acorn-fed pig farms in South Africa.

The Doornspruit Community Trust has put land donated to it by the Catholic Church to good use by opening a piggery. The operation has begun doing well, and today supplies baconers weekly to an abattoir.

Smart producers realise that producing within environmentally and socially sustainable limits is an opportunity, says Dr Glen Illing of Topigs. He was speaking at the recent RSA Pork Producers’ Organisation AGM in Durban.

Not having specific skills to diversify should not be a deterrent, according to Thami Zimu.

A strict selection policy, in which only 50% of female piglets born are selected as F1 gilts, has gained the Leanside pig stud a reputation for superior genetics. It has also earned it the 2013 SA Studbook and Vleissentraal Elite Pig Stud award.

Steven Watermeyer is breeding micro pigs to meet the local demand for pet porkies.

Neil Dry focuses on exceptional genetics in the management of his piggery in North West.

Rob and Ian Butt introduced housing pens to improve the welfare of their pigs.