This little piggy went to market, along with this little piggy, and this one, and seven more piggies as US Department of Agriculture reported an average litter size of 10.03 piglets for March to May 2011 -- a jump from 9.8 and the first time it exceeded 10. More piglets mean farmers need fewer sows to produce the same number of pounds, and as each sow eats eight to 10 pounds of feed every day, the savings can pile up.
Is there a limit to the number of little piggies produced by one sow? Experts guessed about 14 to 16, perhaps sooner than thought. Farmers took 14 years to raise the average litter size from eight to nine, and then only six years to go from nine to 10. With more piggies in play, pork prices at the supermarket should remain stable.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.