Pigs: 2022 Year-in-Review

Key Dates & Events

• 2022-03-30: 2 “Idaho Pasture” feeder pigs born at The Groves Family Farm
• 2022-06-18: Purchased and picked up (11 weeks 3 days old)
• 2022-12-19: Dropped off for slaughter and processing by Bellville Meat Market (264 days, or 37 weeks 5 days old)
• 2023-01-13: Received back from processing

Costs

Note: all costs net of Tractor Supply credit card discounts

Direct & Fixed

• $300.00, initial purchase
• $597.18, slaughter and processing
  • $416.25, processing
  • $100.00, skinning / kill Fee
  • $65.03, bacon smoking ($2.25/lb for 28.9 lbs of smoked bacon)
  • $15.09, hocks smoking ($1.50/lb for 10.6 lbs of smoked hocks)

Direct & Variable

• $557.32, 1400 lbs total of Pig Feed, “DMR Hog Grower” from Tractor Supply:
  • $22.42, 50 lb - 2022-06-10
  • $22.30, 50 lb - 2022-06-30
  • $14.42, 50 lb - 2022-07-08
  • $19.21, 50 lb - 2022-07-17
  • $21.49, 50 lb - 2022-07-24
  • $21.49, 50 lb - 2022-07-31
  • $10.74, 50 lb - 2022-08-09
  • $15.04, 50 lb - 2022-08-14
  • $42.98, 2 x 50 lb - 2022-08-20
  • $5.68, 50 lb - 2022-08-26
  • $21.49, 50 lb - 2022-09-04
  • $43.98, 2 x 50 lb - 2022-09-17
  • $33.98, 2 x 50 lb - 2022-10-01
  • $21.99, 50 lb - 2022-10-08
  • $43.98, 2 x 50 lb - 2022-10-22
  • $43.98, 2 x 50 lb - 2022-11-04
  • $43.98, 2 x 50 lb - 2022-11-18
  • $19.60, 50 lb - 2022-11-25
  • $43.98, 2 x 50 lb - 2022-12-04
  • $35.77, 2 x 50 lb - 2022-12-10

Indirect & Fixed

• $810.79, Kenmore chest freezer (18.5 cu. ft.) purchased on 2022-11-22

Indirect & Variable

• $65.46, straw, for 72 cubic feet total:
  • $13.99, 18 cu ft - 2022-06-10
  • $15.49, 18 cu ft - 2022-08-20
  • $17.99, 18 cu ft - 2022-10-22
  • $17.99, 18 cu ft - 2022-12-04

Yield

• 191 pounds processed weight (yield from 333 pounds hanging weight)
  • 5 pork butt roast
  • 3 picnic roast
  • 4 ribs
  • 25.25 pork chops
  • 7 round steaks
  • 2 ham roasts
  • 26 ground pork, 28 lbs
  • 24 smoked bacon, 28.9 lbs
  • 4 smoked hocks, 10.6 lbs

Metrics

Final live weight of our pigs was never directly measured. Some sites suggest assuming 72% as a reasonable factor to convert live weight to hanging weight.

$$HangingWeight=72\mathrm{\%}\times LiveWeight$$

$$LiveWeight=\frac{HangingWeight}{72\mathrm{\%}}=\frac{333lbs}{72\mathrm{\%}}=463lbs$$

Feed Cost per Pound

$$\frac{TotalFeedCost}{TotalFeedWeight}=\frac{\$557.32}{1400lbs}=\$0.40perlb$$

Growth Rate

$$\frac{LiveWeight}{Day\times PigCount}=\frac{463lbs}{264days\times 2}=0.88\frac{lbs}{day}$$

Feed Conversion

$$\frac{LiveWeight}{FeedConsumption}=\frac{463lbs}{1400lbs}=0.40\frac{lbs}{lb}$$

Processing Efficiency

Some sites recommend assuming the processed, take-home weight is roughly 65% of the hanging weight. Our actual realized processing efficiency was 57%.

$$0.65\times 333lbs=216.5potentiallbs$$

$$\frac{ProcessedWeight}{HangingWeight}=\frac{191lbs}{333lbs}=57\mathrm{\%}$$

$$\frac{ProcessedWeight}{LiveWeight}=\frac{191lbs}{463lbs}=41\mathrm{\%}$$

Cost per Pound

• Direct Fixed Costs + Direct Variable Costs Only (ie, excludes freezer and straw)

$$\frac{Acquisition+Feed+ProcessingCosts}{ProcessedWeight}=CostPerProcessedLb$$

$$\frac{\$300.00+\$557.32+\$597.18}{191lbs}=\frac{\$1454.50}{191lbs}=\$7.62/lb$$

• Direct Fixed Costs + Direct Variable Costs Only, and excluding fee for smoking bacon and hocks

$$\frac{\$300.00+\$557.32+(\$597.18-\$80.12)}{191lbs}=\frac{\$1374.38}{191lbs}=\$7.20/lb$$