Men are working in a pork production facility, handling various parts of pork meat. Scenes transition to indoor swine-raising facilities.
Pork is one of the most widely consumed meats in the world. The swine industry is a major part of the US agriculture sector.
Two hogs rest side by side inside a facility, followed by numerous hogs in confinement.
In the United States, most swine are raised indoors because outdoor facilities make it difficult to protect them from disease and the elements. Indoor swine facilities are called confinement operations. Every step of production in a confinement operation is performed inside the facility. The hogs are bred, born, and raised indoors.
Piglets are being fed within a facility, transitioning to images of feeder pigs in another confinement.
Commercial swine operations are segmented across the lifespan of hogs. In a feeder pig operation, piglets are raised from birth and sold at five to eight weeks of age to a finishing operation. In a finishing operation, feeder pigs are fed to market weight and sold to a packer for pork production.
Several clips show piglets nursing from the female swine.
Confinement operations provide an ideal environment for female swine to farrow and nurse litters of piglets. Farrowing is the term for giving birth in swine. A sow is confined to a farrowing crate to decrease the chance that she will lie on the piglets and kill them. The farrowing crate also allows the producer to provide ideal temperatures for the sow and piglets.
Piglets are grouped closely together within a facility, followed by a close-up of a pig's tail. The scene transitions to piglets nursing from their mother.
Piglets are typically weaned at three weeks of age. Around this time, their tails are docked, which means they are clipped short. Pigs are naturally curious, and docking prevents tail biting. Ear notching or tagging, which is used to identify each pig, is performed at the same time as docking.
The slide titled "Ear Notching" displays two images. On the right, an animated representation of a pig's face; on the left, a real pig with notched ears. The scenes transition to nutrition and vaccination plans displayed on pig cages.
Notching in the right ear identifies the litter number. Notching in the left ear identifies the pig’s number within the litter.
A health chart is shown on storage for vaccination and other swine health resources.
Producers implement a comprehensive herd health program and vaccination schedule to maintain the good health of their animals. These measures take on added importance for indoor operations where animals are raised in close quarters.
A woman guides a pig using a thin stick.
You should always keep animal behavior in mind when working with swine. Swine are intelligent and social, but can also bite or charge a human, so you should always be careful when working with them.
In the slide titled "Primal Cuts," an outline of a pig figure showcases different cuts like Ham, Loin, Boston Shoulder, Picnic Shoulder, and Bacon. The slide includes a small image of a pig's face near the upper right corner.
This image shows the primal cuts of pork: ham, loin, Boston shoulder, and picnic shoulder, as well as other common cuts. Some of these cuts are sold “as is” and others are ground into sausage or often smoked before sale.
Workers chop pork parts inside a meat production facility.
The swine industry continues to grow. So, too, do the career opportunities in the swine industry. It is often said that we use every part of the pig except the squeal. That makes pigs some of our most valuable livestock.