Effects of selected variables on prices received for feeder pigs in the Weakley County feeder pig sales

Records of 655 pens of pigs sold in 18 sales held every other month (January, March, May, July, September and November) from 1965 through 1967 were studied to determine the effects of grade, weight, pen size, month, and year on the average price of feeder pigs sold in the Weakley County, Feeder Pig Sales at Dresden, Tennessee. The data were analyzed by least squares methods.

Differences in price among grades of feeder pigs were statistically significant. Pigs grading No. 1 averaged $0.66 more per hundredweight than those grading No. 2 and $2.46 more than pigs which graded No. 3. Pigs grading No. 2 averaged $1.81 more than pigs grading No. 3.

There was a significant difference (P < .01) in the price paid for pigs in larger lots as compared to pigs in smaller lots. Pigs in pens of 1-15 and 16-30 sold for significantly (P < .01) less than pigs in pens of 31 or more. Least squares analysis showed that prices of pigs in pens of 1-15 and 16-30 were similar, and the difference was not significant.

Pigs weighing 31-40 pounds averaged higher in price per hundredweight than any of the other weight classes. In general, the heavier the weight class, the lower the price received per hundredweight. Pigs in pens averaging 31-40 pounds sold for $39.73 per hundredweight as compared with $27.34 for pigs weighing 66 pounds or more with a difference of $12.39 (P < .01). Differences among all other weight classes also were highly significant.

Differences in prices among months were highly significant, with highest average prices being paid in September and lowest in November. The difference in price of pigs between these months was $8.60. Year differences, as expected, accounted for a large portion of the price variation and were highly significant (P < .01),

The results of this study indicate the importance of having a sufficient volume of pigs so that pigs can be penned and sold in large lots of the desired weight and grade.