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Prolific parent gilt’s performance, longevity
continueto set pace for pork industry
New data compiled by an independent benchmarking service continue to show that the highly prolific SuperMom parent gilt from Newsham Genetics continues to outperform other lines while setting new standards for longevity.
In a benchmarking comparison by Swine Management Services (SMS), Fremont, Nebraska, a database with more than 375,000 females on 197 U.S. operations in 14 states, more than 16,000 SuperMoms set the pace for pigs weaned per mated female per year.
In the most recent 52-week report, SuperMoms consistently beat the SMS average on total born (12.09 vs. 11.74), born alive (11.05 vs. 10.59), weaned per litter (9.58 vs. 9.22) and weaned per mated female per year (23.98 vs. 21.17).
The numbers in the final 13 weeks of the analysis were particularly impressive. SuperMoms with an average parity of 1.59 (vs. 2.34 SMS database average) beat the SMS averages for total born (12.22 vs. 11.81), born alive (11.15 vs. 10.77), weaned per litter (9.56 vs. 9.28) and pigs weaned per mated female per year (24.13 vs. 21.21).
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“We’ve managed to deliver nearly three more pigs per sow per year while maintaining the high growth rate and carcass value that have always been associated with the Newsham genotype,” explains Fields Gunsett, PhD, geneticist and senior scientist for Newsham Genetics. “There’s no other sow like this in the pork industry.”
Looking beyond whole-herd averages and focusing on the top 10 percent over 52 weeks, the younger SuperMoms — with an average parity of only 1.90 vs. 2.71 for the top SMS sows — posted a 0.61 pig per sow per year advantage (25.14 vs. 24.53).
Over the last 13 weeks, the SuperMoms in the top 10 percent beat more mature, higher parity sows in the SMS average by 0.40 pig per sow per year (26.14 vs. 25.74).
It’s important to note that the SMS average included the high performance of the SuperMom. As a result, the performance difference between the SuperMom and the other lines is even greater than reported here.
More staying power
High prolificacy and offspring with excellent growth and carcass value are not the only benefits of the SuperMom, a product of Newsham’s PRRS-naive system. In a separate data set comparing the line to similar size farms in the SMS database, the SuperMom showed remarkable durability and longevity.
In 0-1 parity sows, for example, only 4.13 percent of the SuperMoms were removed from the herd, compared to 15.86 percent for the other sows in the SMS database. “A difference of nearly 12 percentage points is a huge advantage when you’re establishing a sow herd,” Gunsett notes.
From parities 2 through 6, the removal rate for SuperMoms was 27.78 percent, versus 28.14 percent for other sows in the SMS database. Across all parities, SuperMom also showed an advantage of more than 3 percentage points in total death/euthanized (6.04 vs. 9.21).
“With the SuperMom, you get more pigs from more sows — plus you have a significant advantage in survivability and you are able to make culling decisions based on performance,” Gunsett says. “That means better cash flow and a greater return on your genetic investment.”
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