Common use of Production Cycle Clause in Contracts

Production Cycle. The production cycle for hogs has three phases: farrowing, nursing, and finishing. Some farms specialize in a single phase of the growth cycle, while other farms may handle two or all three phases. The first phase begins with breeding and gestation over a 114 day period followed by farrowing (giving birth). After farrowing, the newly born pigs or piglets normally are nursed for a period of three to four weeks until they reach a weight of 10 to 15 pounds. Sows can be bred again within a week after a litter is weaned. Sows normally produce five to six litters of 8 to 10 piglets per litter before they are sold for ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇. After weaning, pigs are relocated to a nursery where swine typically are fed a corn- soybean meal based diet that may include small grains such as wheat and barley and other ingredients. Nursery operations receive weaned pigs and grow them to a weight of 40 to 60 pounds. The third phase of swine production is the growing-finishing phase where the gilts (young females) and young castrated boars (males) not retained for breeding are fed until they reach a market weight, typically between 240 and 280 pounds. Growing-finishing usually takes between 15 and 18 weeks, and hogs normally are slaughtered at about 26 weeks of age. Swine operations can be of several types. According to the 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture, the most common operation is the growing-finishing operation, followed by the ▇▇▇▇▇▇-to-finish operation that encompasses all three phases of swine production. Another common production mode is the combination of the farrowing and nursing phases, which provide feeder pigs for stand-alone grow-finish operations. Although not as common, some newer farms may operate only the farrowing phase or only the nursery phase.