Consistency Matters As Much As Production

Jan 05, 2016

Your milk statements from the plant carry more meaning than how big the check will be at the end of the month. You already know that fat and protein test averages tell volumes about effective fiber, ration digestibility, protein, and carbohydrate balance, as well as many other factors, such as fat levels in the diet.

The variability of these component values can be as telling, if not more so, than the monthly or weekly averages. Variations in milk fat, protein percentage, and milk urea nitrogen can also point out effects of crowding, heat stress, large meal sizes and slug feeding, and inconsistencies in feeding times or accuracy of total mixed ration formulation.

In the December 2015 Wisconsin Agriculturist article Consistency matters as much as production, UW-Extension Wood County Agriculture Agent Matt Lippert discusses how to use your own herd as a benchmark and to account for sources of variability.

Source:uwex.edu

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.