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Sorting for the Perfect Weight
By Debra Neutkens, National Hog Farmer - Baarsch, CEO of Next Generation Pork, Spring Valley, MN, ships over 75,000 pigs to Hormel Foods, a packer that pays according to weight and last rib backfat. Carcasses within a certain range, or in the “red box” on the Hormel matrix, can earn bonus dollars beyond base price. It is Baarsch's goal to market the heaviest carcass possible within that red box to make the highest net margin per pig sold.
Specifically, he's aiming for two cells on the packer grid, commonly referred to as the “sweet spot” - a carcass weighing 209 to 215 lb. and a backfat measurement between 0.51 and 0.90 in. That's the heaviest carcass with the highest premium - 108% over base.
To hit that target weight on a consistent basis, Baarsch has installed what he calls the most exciting technology for finishing barns since slotted floors: a mechanical sorting system called FAST, an acronym for Farmweld's Automatic Sorting Technology.
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Source: National Hog Farmer - 15th November 2002
