Pig farming as a business

Quality pork has always been the most sought after among other types of meat. It is distinguished by excellent taste and nutritional value. To ensure the family has constant access to meat products, many have a pig or two at home. And some consider pig farming as a business. In the presence of a carefully designed business plan, such an enterprise quickly pays for itself and brings significant profits.

Pig farm

Primary activity

Pig farming as a business is quite a complicated business, especially if you start it from scratch. It requires a significant investment of money, labor and time. And before seriously moving on to organizing such a business, you need to carefully study all available sources of information on breeding pigs and projects of already existing successful farms.

After a certain amount of knowledge has accumulated, you can go directly to organizational issues. The first among them is the correct location of the pig farm. The creation of such enterprises near the city is prohibited by law. Therefore, it is important to have or purchase a plot somewhere in the countryside. At the same time, an area of ​​​​30-50 acres will be quite enough. The main thing when choosing it is that it meets the following requirements:

1. The minimum allowed distances to the settlement.
2. Regulated location relative to settlements and other objects.
3. Minimum distance to nearest common water sources.

The best way to resolve this issue is to contact the district administration. Its representatives can help with the determination of the required site, which will meet all the requirements.

The important point is the sales market. This may be the sale of raw fat and meat to consumers, the nearest factory for the production of meat products, their own smokehouse and the sale of homemade meat products. A profitable solution would be to find several points of sale for pig by-products, which include blood, skin, animal bones. Many also sell small piglets to other farms in addition to meat products. Not only the location of the farm organization, but also the livestock, the composition of the herd depends on the specific type of sale.

Livestock

And finally, a clear business plan is needed, without which pig farming is doomed to failure in advance. It should contain clear answers to all basic questions, including the amount of feed stocks, financial costs, risks, expected profit.

Instructions on how to open and what is needed for this?

When the very first organizational issues are resolved, you can move on to working out more specific points. And you should start with the execution of all the necessary documents for such an enterprise.

Execution of documents

The organization of a large pig farm is a serious step, and such activities must be supported by a number of documents. They will act as a confirmation that the owner of the farm has official confirmation for raising pigs and selling products. To obtain all the necessary documents, you need to contact the administration of the district in which you plan to do business. At the same time, already at this stage, you need to have a fully prepared and thought-out business plan on hand, which will confirm the seriousness of the breeder’s intentions.

The main list of required documents for opening should include:

1. Permission for individual entrepreneurship.
2. Permission for the construction of a pigsty and other outbuildings, as well as an order for an official project.
3. Permission to purchase or lease a suitable land plot.

When purchasing pigs and selling meat products, permission from veterinary and other departments is also required.

Reference. When contacting representatives of the district administration, it would be useful to ask about the availability of financial investments from the state for new enterprises.

Breed selection

Today there are more than 150 different breeds of domestic pigs. And in such a variety, it is extremely easy for a novice breeder to get lost. Therefore, it is best to consult with familiar experienced farmers before buying.

North Siberian pig

The best solution for a novice breeder is to choose one breed for breeding. In extreme cases, you can pick up two, similar in content requirements. At the same time, in domestic open spaces, most often the choice falls on such varieties:

1. Northern Siberian. Pigs of this breed are meat-greasy. The output of meat from the total weight is 55%. The average weight of an animal is 240 kg. During farrowing, the sow brings 10-12 piglets.
2. Large white. Most often purchased for cultivation in farms and pig farms. The average weight reaches 210 kg or more. A single offspring is from 11 to 14 piglets. The breed belongs to the meat-fat. The pig is quite unpretentious to the composition of feeding, but it is hard to survive frosts.
3. Vietnamese black bellied. This breed is becoming increasingly popular with Russian breeders. It belongs to the bacon variety. Pigs are highly resistant to diseases, undemanding to nutrition and maintenance, cleanliness. For one offspring, on average, a sow leads up to 10 piglets. The weight of an adult rarely exceeds 140 kg.

You can buy both adult pigs and piglets for fattening. Often a combination is used.

Feeding and maintenance

The correct diet, its volumes and sources must be planned before buying a herd. This will allow you to constantly increase the profitability of your business and avoid a number of problems and risks. On average, for a livestock of 350 individuals, 35 tons of grain and 300-350 kg of special additives are consumed per year. It is also necessary to purchase a sufficient amount of vitamin complexes, premixes, formulations for feeding pregnant sows. In addition, the purchase of feed is best done from familiar sellers. But, you always need to have a few backup options in reserve.

And it is better from the very beginning of the business to select an experienced livestock specialist and staff who will control the main nuances of keeping the herd. They will be able to establish proper care for pregnant pigs, timely maintenance of young animals, as well as mating pigs.

Livestock specialist examining pigs

Search for premises

This moment is key. Here the best solution is the reconstruction of old pigsties that have remained from the times of the USSR. They will cost much less than the construction of a new building. In such buildings, walls and roofs are strengthened, drafts and leaks are eliminated. It is also important to carry out a thorough disinfection of the premises in order to prevent the development of diseases, the pathogens of which can still be preserved in the undergrounds and other parts of the building.

Immediately after the acquisition of the complex, it is necessary to plan which buildings will go under the granaries, offices for staff, utility rooms and a laboratory. Separately, in the pigsty, you need to allocate an area for the maternity room.

Equipment purchase

When building a large pig farm, full automation will provide more economical feed consumption, its timely supply, and better animal care. In this case, it is necessary to purchase additional equipment for the premises, among which stands out:

1. Heating systems. The best option is a solid fuel boiler with a piping system. Portable heaters are also often used.
2. Ensuring proper ventilation. Suitable systems with longitudinal or transverse supply and exhaust ventilation.
3. Feeding equipment. Feeding automation is a highly desirable measure in large farms. It is realized at the expense of a feed bunker with a conveyor or a spiral feeder.
4. Systems for automatic cleaning of manure. In the absence of funds, you can allocate money for this for maintenance personnel.

Pig feeding

Recruitment

A separate part of the cost of organizing a farm should be allocated to personnel. It is best if it includes:

• zootechnician;
• vet;
• handymen;
• accountant;
• manager, versed in the nuances of breeding pigs.

You can expand or narrow the staff on an individual basis, referring to the specifics of the tasks of the farm and production volumes.

Financial plan (profit, profitability)

It is mandatory in the business plan to calculate the profitability of pig breeding. Of course, it is possible to calculate the main costs and incomes only approximately, but, nevertheless, they should be identified. The minimum amount of expenses will be at least 3 million rubles for the acquisition and maintenance of a livestock of 300-350 individuals. This includes:

1. Buying piglets. The average cost, depending on the breed, is 2-4 thousand rubles.
2. Forage preparation. If you have your own plot with potatoes or other vegetables, you can significantly save on food for pigs. But, nevertheless, the minimum purchase for a year will be 30-35 tons of grain, 300 kg of additives, mineral complexes. On average, this part will cost about 1 million rubles.
3. Payment of utilities and rent of a pigsty.
4. Workers’ wages. So the average salary for a handyman will be equal to 8 thousand rubles. A veterinarian must pay at least 25 thousand per month. As staff expands, costs increase.

Now, with regard to income. If about 130 sows are allocated from the herd for breeding work, 150 heads are fattened for slaughter for meat, and about 20-30 boars are used for mating per year, you can get from 3-3,2 million rubles a year. It is supposed to sell meat and fat, piglets for breeding, as well as by-products. Of this amount, the lion’s share is spent on replenishing feed stocks, paying for communications, rent, transport services, and staff salaries. On average, about a million rubles of net profit remains. At this rate, in 2,5-3 years, the business will fully pay for itself and begin to make a profit.

Profit Growth

It is worth noting that in drawing up an individual business plan for a pig farm, the numbers can be completely different. It is necessary to take into account prices and tariffs in the region, opportunities to save on feed, and receive state financial support. Therefore, when determining the profitability of the entire enterprise, it is necessary to carefully calculate each item, having previously learned the current prices.

Possible risks

When planning your own pig breeding business, you cannot ignore various unexpected factors (risks) that can negatively affect the pig breeding process. These main points include:

1. epidemics. Various ailments are the most devastating problem for pig production. The herd may be significantly reduced in the absence of drastic measures, and the farm may close the relevant structures.
2. Lack of demand for products. In certain periods, demand in the markets may fall sharply, which negatively affects the revenue side of the enterprise.
3. Fire. It can also cause significant damage to the farm, and in the absence of good fire safety measures, the negative impact increases many times.
4. Elimination of the used feed source.

All of these points must be taken into account when developing an enterprise plan. At the same time, each such risk must be prevented by the procurement of feed, medicines, and the organization of an effective fire safety system.

Attention! The more risks a breeder takes into account, the less likely there will be an unexpected loss of productivity on the farm.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that own farm, focused on breeding pigs, is quite a profitable enterprise. Subject to the basic rules for keeping animals and observing the risks, the pig farm will give a net profit in 2-3 years. It is not necessary to start breeding pigs immediately with a large population. You can get your hands on small experimental farms, where there is also an opportunity to raise capital for a larger enterprise.