Post-weaning mortality is improving and recent data compiled by MetaFarms shows the 2024 pig crop performed well.
“Pig livability and performance post-weaning are two significant drivers of profitability,” explains Chris Hostetler, National Pork Board director of animal science. “Documenting changes in specific measures of productivity over time helps the industry identify trends while benchmarking the top 10%, middle 50% and bottom 10% allows individual pork producers to focus their limited time and labor resources. This report provides valuable information about the historical and current state of the industry and valuable insights that can help pork producers make important management decisions on their farms.”
MetaFarms released the “Production Analysis Summary for U.S. Pork Industry: 2020-2024” in partnership with NPB to help producers learn from each other through this benchmarking effort representing a dataset of more than 18.0 million nursery pigs, more than 18.2 million finish pigs and 10.3 million single-stocked wean-to-finish pigs from farms across the U.S.
“Don’t miss the opportunity to use this data on your farm,” says Rachel Johnson, technical account and product support lead at MetaFarms, Inc.
Evaluating each key performance indicator (KPI) and seeking to understand where opportunities for improvement exist is beneficial, she explains. In previous roles, this is the type of data Johnson says she sought to help guide the decision-making process.
“There should always be opportunities to improve,” she adds. “Sitting down with the data to figure out where you can get better is key. Who can I lean on to gain the knowledge that I’m missing? If I have a partner or a competitor who is really good at week one care, and I can see that in their numbers, what can I learn from them to implement in my system? I don’t think this industry is secretive. We all want to do better together.”
Hostetler says he’s optimistic about the improvements he’s seeing in the 2024 data as compared to the past five years.
One of his key takeaways was recognizing the discrepancy in terms of the nursery, finishing and wean to finish categories where the worst 10% of farms lead the overall changes, especially in pig mortality.
“If we look at the difference between the best 10% of farms in 2024 for nursery mortality, it’s right around 1% and if we look at the worst 10%, they’re at 7.3%,” Hostetler says. “That’s a big difference between our best farms and our worst farms in terms of mortality during the nursery phase.”
A Look at Nursery Numbers
For nursery closeout performance, MetaFarms explains that over the five-year period, the average number of closeouts per year was 12,116 with an average total pigs started at 23.8 million. The average started group size was 1,968 pigs.
Highlights for the five-year analysis of nurseries:
- Mortality % decreased in 2024 from 2023 by 0.12% and by 0.52% from the high in 2022
- Out weights increased in 2024 from 2023 by 2.01 lb. and by 2.31 pounds since 2022
- Days on feed has increased in 2024 from 2023 by 0.6 days
Over the five-year period, mortality increased from 3.61% in 2020 to 4.2% in 2022 before decreasing to 3.68% in 2024. The average weight out increased from 51.31 in 2020 to 53.17 in 2024. Meanwhile, days on feed decreased from 45.3 in 2020 to 44.1 in 2024, with average daily gain increasing from 0.83 in 2020 to 0.89 in 2024.
Deciphering Finish Data
When looking at finishing closeout performance, MetaFarms says over the five-year period, the average number of closeouts was 13,746, with an average sum of pigs started at 22.7 million. The average pigs started group size was 1,654 pigs.
Highlights for the five-year analysis of finishing:
- Mortality % decreased slightly in 2024 from 2023 by 0.03% and by 0.08% compared to 2022
- Out weights increased in 2024 from 2023 by 1.93 lb.
- Days on feed decreased in 2024 from 2023 by 2.4 days and by 4 days compared to 2022
Over the five-year period, mortality increased from 4.79% in 2020 to 5.31% in 2024. The average weight out increased, similar to the nursery data, from 282.20 in 2020 to 285.19 in 2024. Days on feed decreased from 122.9 in 2020 to 114.3 in 2024 with average daily gain increasing from 1.87 in 2020 to 2.01 in 2024.
Comparing Wean-to-Finish Averages
For single-stocked wean-to-finish (W2F) closeout performance, MetaFarms notes that over the five-year period, the average number of closeouts per year was 5,644 with an average sum of pigs started at 12.5 million. The average group size of pigs started was 2,218 pigs.
Highlights for the five-year analysis of single-stocked wean-to-finish:
- Mortality % decreased in 2024 from 2023 by 0.41%
- Out weights increased in 2024 from 2023 by 3.03 lb.
- Days on feed decreased slightly in 2024 from 2023 by 0.1 days
Over the five-year period, mortality increased from 6.16% in 2020 to 6.81% in 2024. The average weight out was 279.75 in 2020 compared to 282.93 in 2024. Days on feed saw a similar decrease from 161.6 in 2020 to 156.1 in 2025 with average daily gain increasing from 1.65 in 2020 to 1.72 in 2024.
“Nearly every KPI is positive throughout the five years represented,” Hostetler says. “When considered through the lens of significant swine health, labor and economic challenges, these numbers demonstrate that U.S. pork producers are committed to continuous improvement in all phases of production. Furthermore, it is a testament to continued innovation in swine health, biosecurity, swine nutrition and genetic improvement.”
