BREEDING FOR BACON

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20498, 14 May 1938, Page 22 (Supplement)

BREEDING FOR BACON

GRADING UP THE PIGS METHODS AND MANAGEMENT (Contributed by “ H.”) Now that we have new grading regulations for bacon pigs—incidentally realising for top-grade baconers a most attractive price—it is only natural that every farmer should be most interested as to how many of his own pigs will make the top grade; and if too many are graded seconds or thirds, how he can remedy matters. There are a number of those interested in the welfare of the industry —amongst them many of the advocates of the “open air” systems of fattening pigs—who tell us that to average a large proportion of top grade baconers is largely a question of proper feeding methods and management. Whilst on the other hand there are many who are firmly of the belief that it is solely a question of breeding, or at least a question of the strain of the breeds being used. For my own part I am of the opinion that the breeding of the pigs goes to the root of the whole matter. Admittedly feeding methods are of some importance, but no amount of method or management will make a top grade baconer out of a pig which is not bred right and on the other hand improper feeding will make a poor type of carcase out of a pig which otherwise would have grown into a “quality” pig. • Claims of Different Breeds. I have no wish to be dogmatic on the much-discussed question of the suitability of the different breeds. I think that breed prejudice is a bad thing in any industry. At the same time one cannot resist the comment that—was there ever a breeder of Tamworths, or Berkshires, or Large Whites or Large Blacks who does not stoutly maintain that the breed he favours is the best there is, if not as a purebred, at least for crossbreeding ? And then produce show winning records to prove it. This, I think, is responsible for a good deal of the confusion existing in the minds of the farmers to-day regarding the best method of breeding either porkers or baconers—and also for the fact that our baconers at the present time are all colours, sizes and shapes—a distressing lack of uniformity which must be eliminated before we can hope seriously to compete with a country like Denmark, or any other of our competitors for that matter. It is unfortunately a fact that every known breed and every possible system of crossbreeding will, in isolated instances, produce carcases of ideal conformation, and the breeder will point to it with pride and say: “There you are; the ideal system of breeding! ” But the average dairy farmer wants something more than this. He wants a system of breeding which will give him top grade baconers all the time, not now and again; and furthermore, from pigs of a type which are quickgrowing, of sound constitution, and an economic proposition to rear. It is not sufficient that his baconers should be of ideal type if a good many are graded “unexportable” for disease, and in the control of this latter aspect sound constitutioned breeding stock are every bit as important as sound management. Nor is it sufficient to vest content with second or third grade pigs because they are remarkably free from disease and all grade “exportable.” The two factors must be combined to ensure the maximum return from the skim milk available each season, and this, as I have previously said, is very largely a question of breeding.

Breeding System. Before commenting on the merits or otherwise of any breed or system of breeding I wish to make it clear that I am not a pedigree breeder and have no interest in advocating any one breed other than it is my genuine opinion based on the rearing from birth to baconweight of many hundreds of baconers every year. I do not for one minute doubt that every pedigree breeder who advocates the claims of his own particular breed is perfectly genuine in his belief. This only emphasises the fact that there are outstanding strains within every breed.

What we want is a system of breeding which will give ideal carcases consistently. And I may say at once that for baconers this will, in my

opinion, never be done from any one pure breed. It is not proposed to discuss this in any detail here—l think the industry in New Zealand is sufficiently unanimous on this point, whilst overseas all our competitors, Denmark, Canada, Sweden and England herself, with the best of every known breed to draw from, have universally adopted a policy of crossbreeding.

Fortunately, the breeding of porkers (up to 100 lb. dressed weight), does not present any difficulty, and the popular Tamworth-Berkshire firstcross produces a splendid porker type of carcase. In fact, any first cross to the Berkshire down to the Berkshire as a pure breed, will give splendid porkers, and it is the popularity of this “cross” which has made it unnecessary, so far, to introduce any system of grading for porkers. This first cross to the Berkshire breed is deservedly popular because I do not think there is any purebred or crossbred equal in constitution to the hardy first crosses of the Tamworth and the Berkshire breed. But it is, I think, the popularity of the Tamworth-Berkshire first cross and subsequent crosses to the Berkshire breed which have proved our undoing in bacon type production. At porker weights—anything up to 100 lb. dressed weight—these crosses are ideal, but as these pigs mature their conformation alters so that at bacon weight—l2o lb. to 160 lb. dressed

weight—there is a pronounced tendency to excessive baekfat with its corollary of “insufficient; length.” It has been my experience that for consistent production of top-grade baconers this first cross TamworthBerkshire must be crossed again to one of the pure bacon type breeds to eliminate the tendency to excessive fat and insufficient length. As already mentioned, the first cross TamworthBerkshire is a remarkably sound constitutional pig and for this reason makes splendid breeding sows which, during the rigorous winter months, when there is little or no skim milk available, will always do well turned out- either to an area of fern or on pasture and root crops. This type of sow will consistently give splendid bacon type pigs mated to either the Tamworth, the Large White or the Large Black breed; although of the three I strongly favour the Large White boar and have sent away some thousands of baconers of this type of breeding with excellent results.

Case for Large Whites. I am well aware that the Large White breed is somewhat in disfavour at the moment on the score of constitution and it is certainly a fact that there have been some very poor strains of this breed sold to farmers in the past, resulting in an unfortunate prejudice against the whole breed. But as with all breeds there are good strains and bad strains and it is a significant fact that Denmark, England and Sweden are using Large White boars almost exclusively. The Tamworth boar used with this type of sow also gives very good pigs but not only is there always the danger of in-breeding (a fatal thing with pigs), but there is the tendency to emphasise the weak points of the Tamworth breed for bacon type production, namely, the tendency to "gooserump,” long legs and comparatively slow maturity. One could discuss the merits and demerits of the various breeds at some length, but, as already mentioned, I have no wish to be dogmatic on the subject of “breed,” and maybe I have been fortunate in the strains of the Large White boars used, although with over 100 breeding sows and several different strains of Large White boars the results have been remarkably consistent.

One thing is definitely certain—that the deplorable lack of uniformity in our bacon type carcases is due solely to the many and varied systems of breeding used in their production. Maybe the Department of Agriculture is wise in making no recommendation

on the subject of the breeding of bacon pigs and in leaving the decision as to this to the farmers themselves and to the many pig clubs throughout the country. But if I may venture a prediction I think that when the industry finally settles down to a universal system of breeding bacon type pigs, we will follow the lead from foremost competitors and the Large White breed will play a very prominent part.