Swine Herd Case Study: Boar Purchasing

Swine Herd Case Study: Boar Purchasing

Your challenge is to review the situation statement and decide how many and which boars to purchase while staying within the constraints of your financial resources. You will have 2 minutes to explain your purchase decisions to the contest official.

Situation Statement:

You are in the business of producing show pigs. 75% of your income is through a spring and fall club pig sale as well as other consignment auctions.

Your current sow base is comprised of Hamp X York crosses. Your highest demand is for black belted pigs, then blue butts, and the least demand is for pure white hogs. You must breed 15% of your sows to produce blue butt replacement gilts. You are hand mating 30 females per week from September 1st – October 31st, and again from February 15th – April 15th.

You have a strong clientele base, however customers are reporting back that last seasons pigs needed more muscle, more growth, and more of a show pig look. You have just culled all your boars and have $15,000 to purchase new ones from the list below.

Boar EPD’s ($15,000 to spend)

Boars to Purchase______

Dollars Spent______