Overnight Sorting in Kentucky

			Dr. Gary Parker

When University of Kentucky Extension Swine Specialist Gary Parker heard about automatic sorting technology, he saw a possible solution to a costly problem: SORT LOSS. Parker knew that many producers in his area routinely missed the best packer prices because the hogs they shipped didn't match desired weight ranges. He was also aware that many producers had a hard time determining when to begin shipping pigs ­ hoping to wait long enough for a critical mass of heavy pigs but before the big guys crashed packers' upper weight limits or started squeezing space from smaller pigs. Furthermore, manual sorting was a huge hassle for producers and their employees.

			Producer Jerry O'Bryan

One producer wrestling with sorting problems was Jerry O'Bryan of Owensboro, KY. He says his packer wants pigs between 235 and 275 pounds. Hand sorting to that degree of accuracy requires O'Bryan or one of his 15 employees to finesse specific animals. "That's an unpleasant job, even dangerous," says O'Bryan. "We've had people hurt because an animal turned too quickly and knocked them down."

In mid-2001, O'Bryan enlisted Parker's help to incorporate automatic sorting in two, 960-head barns at O'Bryan's Iron Maiden Farms. The barns are divided into two super large pens, each containing 480 pigs. O'Bryan installed one automatic sorting scale in each barn. The gating is arranged so that pigs from one end of the barn are sorted into a holding pen at one time. Then O'Bryan and his crew position the gates to sort pigs from the other pen the next day.

Parker helped O'Bryan work out the management logistics of the new barns and is keeping track of the performance. So far only two feeding groups have gone through the barns and due to technical problems in the feed mill, only limited data is available. But Parker and O'Bryan agree the system is working well. "All the benefits that we read about ­ no social order, better use of the pens, less sorting labor ­ have come true," says Parker. Growth rates and feed efficiency appear to be about equal to other barns in O'Bryan's system. O'Bryan is now considering installing sorting technology in additional barns.

Accurate Sorting in Less Time
Sorting is definitely more accurate and less hassle than in traditional barns, according to O'Bryan. "There's less stress on animals and less stress on people," he says. "Any time you make a job easier, you can do a better job." Sort loss runs about $.50 per head in the automatic sorting facilities compared to $1.50 in other barns, according to O'Bryan, who prefers to market animals in the 265-270 lbs range.

Because O'Bryan uses one scale for both sides of the barn, he admits there is some time involved in setting up the barn for training and sorting the two pens. About six weeks before marketing begins, O'Bryan begins training by allowing pigs to walk through the scale on their way to the food courts. Each side of the barn has access to the scale on alternate weeks. With only one scale, "it takes some time to set up the gates so the pigs can get the experience of walking through the scale," says O'Bryan.

To prepare for marketing, O'Bryan moves the gating to create a holding pen for the number of pigs he wants to ship. He punches in a minimum weight on the scale's indicator keypad and then lets the scale do the rest overnight. "You can set your parameters on Sunday and by Monday morning, you'll have 100-120 pigs in the holding pen and ready to load onto the truck," explains Parker

Pigs Move Easier
Parker says truckers who haul O'Bryan's pigs say they love the automatic sorting barns because pigs load onto trucks easier at the farm, and at the packing plant they unload in about half the time as pigs from traditional barns. Parker believes the animals in automatic sorting facilities move better and are less prone to foot and leg problems. "We see less foot lesions, less concrete sores and pigs tend to get up and move more," says Parker. "There's more room for pigs to lay and less piling and walking on top of each other."

Automatic sorting scales also provide a tool for determining when to begin marketing pigs. As mentioned earlier, producers tend to wait to sort so they can market as many heavy pigs as possible. But waiting brings the risk of getting docked for overweight pigs. Crowding is also a concern, according to Parker. "By having automatic sorting, you can go ahead and sort earlier and start getting those heavy pigs out sooner. That gives the other pigs in the barn more space," he says.