THE MetaFarms Production Index for the first quarter of 2016 showed higher mortality in nursery and finishing swine groups but lower mortality for wean-to-finish closeouts.

The index is based on closeout performance for nursery, finishing and wean-to-finish groups and shows how those compare with the same period last year.

Data sources are pork producers using the MetaFarms software system and represent more than 500 pork production companies located in both the U.S. and Canada. Nursery data include more than 1,000 closeouts, finishing data include more than 1,800 closeouts and wean-to-finish data include more than 350 single stocked closeouts. The data were scrubbed and made anonymous to protect confidentiality.

Nursery groups closed in the first quarter started on feed in November and December 2015 as well as January 2016. Finishing groups started on feed in October, November and December 2015 as well as January 2016. Wean-to-finish groups started on feed in July, August and September 2015.

Nursery mortality was up for the second quarter in a row after declining for three quarters. Mortality was up 0.88% (31.9%) from the third quarter of 2015 (3.64% versus 2.76%), with 0.84% of that during the 2015 fourth quarter. Looking back, mortality was up 0.47% between the first quarters of 2015 and 2016 (Table), whereas it decreased 0.57% between the first quarters of 2014 and 2015.

In the 2016 first quarter, average days on feed increased by almost a full day from a year ago, although average weight out saw a very minimal increase (0.2 lb.).

Finishing average out-weights did see an almost 2 lb. drop from the 2015 first quarter, marking the fifth straight quarter in which weight declined from the same year-ago quarter.

Average days on feed in the 2016 first quarter dropped by 2.2 days from the 2015 first quarter and by 4.0 days from the 2015 third quarter. Days to first market sale also were down 3.3 days from the 2015 fourth quarter.

With fewer days on feed, the assumption can be made that feed per head will be down — and it was true for this comparison: Nearly 15 lb. less feed per head was fed in the 2016 first quarter. That being said, pounds of feed per head were at the highest level since the 2015 first quarter (653.4 lb.), while the lowest level occurred in the 2015 third quarter (616.4 lb.).

Wean-to-finish mortality has not been this low in more than two years. Comparing first-quarter 2016 mortality to the four quarters of 2015, the first quarter (5.03%) had a decline of 0.28%, the second quarter (5.07%) declined by 0.32%, the third quarter (6.44%) declined 1.69% and, finally, for the sweep, the fourth quarter (5.43%) declined by 0.68%.

Average out-weight in the 2016 first quarter was down almost 2 lb. compared to the 2015 first quarter, but average days on feed were down by 2.6 days. What's pretty interesting is that average daily gain (ADG) was up 0.03 (1.87%) from the 2015 fourth quarter to the 2016 first quarter, and out-weights were unchanged between the quarters (280.9 lb.), even though there were fewer days on feed (165.1 versus 162.5 days).

Volume:88 Issue:06