Klasse Ki in St. Oedenrode held its networking days in the beginning of July – with mini sessions focused on outlining the breeding programme. Danish sows with Duroc influence are well known for their high litter size. Another advantage is the improvement in growth per day and desired meat quality in the finisher pigs.
Stefan Derks, director of Klasse Ki, cannot conceal his pride as he shares the latest data on the 2020 results from Danbred analyses with his customers:
“The farms have achieved a growth improvement of 40 grams per day. Genetically, the figure that we had expected was 20 grams per day. The decisions regarding the breeding programme – to enhance the importance of production characteristics such as growth and feed conversion – are paying off.”
Klasse Ki welcomed a large number of its 350 customers to a nearby field at the new AI station in Son during the first week of July. The station, which houses 220 boars, can deliver semen to produce four to five million piglets. The semen collected in Son is sent directly to the customers or exported to countries around the world.
Following a drop in 2016, the company now has wind in its sails, and this is due to the decision to opt for increased Duroc influence in the breeding programme. The annual piglet production has increased considerably – with the top five farms now weaning more than 40 piglets per sow every year. On average, DanBred farms in the Netherlands wean somewhere around 33 to 34 piglets per sow every year, but there is still room for improvement.
“When you consider that those farms with the poorer results are hovering around 30 piglets per sow per year, it’s clear that the cost price can be greatly improved by simply achieving better results. With an annual cost of €1500 per sow, the difference in cost price between 30 and 35 piglets is around €8 per piglet,” explains Derks, “Quantity with quality is our core message.”
The same also applies to finisher pigs, where improvements in technical results have shown a clear upward trend in recent years. The DanBred growth figures that Derks refers to provide more than enough to live up to. The growth figures in this analysis show a gain of 1,032 grams per animal per day – an average growth that many still look at with amazement.
“At the same time, better growth is the key to further reducing the cost price per animal,” Derks explains, “We’re pleased that decisions were made in the breeding programme to bring the benefits of this progress more to the fatteners. In this industry, that’s where the money’s made.”
More room for self-finishing
And in his view, it is just as important that improved growth also leads to a higher turnover rate of pigs in the Netherlands:
“10 % improvement gives more space for self-finishing of piglets and a reduced dependency on the export of piglets. The export of piglets is guaranteed to come under pressure due to better self-sufficiency in current export countries, and more restrictive rules regarding transportation.”
In addition to technical progress, the production of Duroc pigs is also important in being able to deliver improved meat quality with a more desirable, darker colour to the meat. Derks concludes,
“And thanks to the late maturity of the boars, the discussion about boar taint is of lesser importance.”
This article was translated from an article originally written in Dutch by Henk Wassink, published on July 13, 2021, on Pig Business. Find the original article here: https://www.pigbusiness.nl/artikel/412298-succesvolle-relatiedagen-klasse-ki-toont-kracht-duroc-fokkerij/
