Small-scale swine production

Biosecurity for alternative pig farms
Tips and guidelines for smaller scale pig producers using alternative production systems. View videos on:

• Swine biosecurity basics
• All-in-all-out management system
• Tips for hoop houses and open areas
• Avoid contamination from clothing and footwear

Operations Contingency Plan for Swine Producers

• Download the fillable PDF to outline essential livestock care if you or your managers experience illness, injury, or another emergency when you may need outside people to provide care.
• This contingency plan covers essential care only; it is not a comprehensive care plan. Use the form to complete your farm’s Operations Contingency Plan.

Improving health of organic pigs

• The most common health problems observed on organic pig farms include diarrhea (scours), respiratory issues (coughing and breathing difficulty) and parasites.

• Once infected by parasites, eradication is difficult. So, prevention is the key to parasite control.

Early detection of sick pigs in organic production systems

• Changes in behavior, appearance and temperament of pigs are early signs of sickness, but are often subtle and easily overlooked.

• Early detection of sick pigs is crucial to health management of organic pigs.

Organic pig inventory at the end of 2016 was 14,700 head, with the peak inventory of 19,800 during the year. About eighteen thousand (17,818) organic pigs were sold across the country for the year. Organic pig sales totaled $6.9 million, accounting for 0.6 percent of total organic animal (livestock and poultry) sales. There were 151 certified organic pig farms across the country in 2016, out of 14,217 certified organic farms nationwide.

Organic pig inventory at the end of 2016 was 14,700 head, with the peak inventory of 19,800 during the year. About eighteen thousand (17,818) organic pigs were sold across the country for the year. Organic pig sales totaled $6.9 million, accounting for 0.6 percent of total organic animal (livestock and poultry) sales. There were 151 certified organic pig farms across the country in 2016, out of 14,217 certified organic farms nationwide.

Compared to the United States, European Union countries have committed more land to certified organic agricultural production. By 2011, 5.4 percent (26 million acres) of farmland in Europe was managed organically according to Fruh, et al, and organic pig production accounted for 0.5 percent of total pig production in Europe in 2011. Denmark had the largest increase in its organic sow herd of any European country during the years 2006 to 2011, a 93 percent jump in sow inventory, from 3,333 to 6,421 sows.  

Sources

USDA. 2017. Certified Organic Survey 2016 Summary. Accessed on Feb. 16, 2018.

Statista. 2017. Total number of hogs and pigs in the U.S. from 2000 to 2017. Accessed on Feb 16, 2018.  

Day, C. 2016. 2016 pork production: what recent USDA reports reveal. National Hog Farmer, March 25, 2016. Accessed on Feb. 16, 2018.  

Fruh, B., D. Bochicchio, S. Edwards, L. Hegelund, C. Leeb, A. Sundrum, S. Werne, S. Wiberg, and A. Prunier. 2013. Description of organic pig production in Europe. Org. Agr. DOI 10.1007/s13165-013-0056-9.

This work is supported by Organic Agricultural Research and Extension Initiative (Grant# 2017-51300-26817) from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Designing feeding programs for natural and organic pork production

• The National Organic Program (NOP) provides guidelines for your ingredients, production protocols and other practices to qualify for organic certification.
• Keep records of your livestock and feeding operations to prove your animals have been raised according to certified practices.
• There are many different diets you can use in natural or organic pork production.