Published on Jan. 27, 2021
The Brilliance of Resilience
Resilient animals have the ability to adapt to sudden changes, while also overcoming challenges, such as environmental or health. Every craftsman will tell you: ‘When equipped with the right tools, a task is handled easier’. Resilient animals are naturally equipped with the best genes by selecting the best performing and most balanced animals each generation again and again. Hypor, the swine brand of Hendrix Genetics, produces pigs that are born equipped with the right ‘tools’, including resilience, which is a key advantage.
Join Hypor and Hendrix Genetics on our sustainable approach to swine breeding. We all want strong and healthy animals that show their maximum potential and we ensure this through a balanced breeding philosophy. What can you expect from resilient animals? The benefits go beyond the obvious of better animal welfare. Producers will have pigs that are easier to care for, consumers continue to buy high quality pork products, and the environmental footprint is smaller.
Realize the benefits of more resilient pigs
Disruptions in swine production systems come in many forms and are inevitable, but how the pigs deal with those disruptions, is the important part. Resilient animals are better able to deal with changing or challenging conditions and are vital to ensure we can feed the growing world population. We are setting the standard for sustainable swine breeding with a strong focus on resilience. Along with our other selection goals, we are positively influencing economic, social, and environmental factors. Resilient animals, according to us, are a ‘win-win-win’.
Economic
- Resilient pigs continue to perform, even when faced with less than ideal conditions (e.g. feed quality, disease pressures, housing limitations).
- These pigs save the producer money by requiring less human care and treatments, are more likely to survive, and meet ideal market weights in fewer days.
- These resilient pigs will still be more productive with each generation, continually decreasing the inputs needed for production.
Social
- More resilient sows are able to take care of themselves and their piglets, with minimal human intervention. These piglets in turn are more self reliant throughout the growth period.
- These animals are easier to handle and care for, creating a more positive work environment for farm laborers.
- The consumer can be more confident in the pork products they are purchasing from pigs that are healthy and thrive from birth to market, with lower use of antibiotics and treatments.
Environmental
- Resilient pigs are more likely to survive to market, meaning that any resources used will go towards the final consumer product.
- Resilient pigs need fewer resources to grow and produce.
- Overall, each generation is more productive than the last, which lowers the environmental footprint.
As you may have already noticed, the many benefits of more resilient pigs are intertwined between economic, social, and environmental perspectives. All of these perspectives are considered by Hypor, the swine brand of Hendrix Genetics, as we are setting the standard in sustainable swine breeding.
