Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1988

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Economics

Major Professor

Cecil E. Carter Jr

Committee Members

Roy Lessly, Frank Massincupp

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine relationships between characteristics of Tennessee feeder pig producers, their farming operation, their use of recommended swine production practices and the number and types of contacts producers had with Extension agents. A total of 1,083 Tennessee feeder pig producers were surveyed to obtain data for this study. The "nth" number method of sampling was used to select producers in each county to be interviewed. Personal interviews were conducted by county Extension agents. Information was obtained about general characteristics of the producers, their farming operation, their use of recommended practices, and the number of contacts producers had with Extension agents.

The data were analyzed using the University of Tennessee Computing Center facilities. The chi square test was used to determine relationships between the dependent and independent variables. The .05 level of probability was accepted as significant.

Major findings of the study include the following:

1. Full-time farmers farrowed more sows, raised more pigs to weaning, and were more Ikely to prepare their own feed at their farm than the part-time farmers.

2. Full-time producers were more likely than part-time farmers to practice disease control measures including vaccinations, use feed additives and medication in the hog's water. Full-time producers also attended more Extension swine meetings and received more farm visits from their Extension agent than did the part-time farmers.

3. Producers 35 years and under were more likely than older producers to have larger operations, farrow more litters and wean more pigs. They also tended to vaccinate their sows more frequently for leptospirosis, rhinitis, and parvovirus. Younger producers were more likely than older producers to use antibiotics in water, give iron shots, clip needle teeth, and disinfect farrowing quarters. Younger producers made more office visits, telephone calls to the Extension office, and received more farm visits from Extension agents than did the older producers.

4. Producers with a college education tended to have larger operations, were more likely to be using recommended health and feeding practices than were those producers with a high school education or less. Producers with a college education attended more Extension meetings, received more farm visits and made more visits and telephone calls to the Extension office.

5. Swine producers that had more than 20 sows in their herd were more likely to mix feed on the farm, increase feed to pregnant sows, increase feed to lactating sows, and use creep feed only for their pigs than were producers with smaller herd size.

6. The average number of pigs weaned per litter was significantly related to the use of recommended production practices. Producers that weaned eight or more pigs per litter tended to use more of the recommended production practices than those that weaned seven or less. Producers who vaccinated their sows for parvovirus, leptospirosis, and rhinitis, and those who used medication in the sows gestation and lactating feeding rations or in the water, wormed their sows, disinfected the farrowing quarters and clipped needle teeth tended to wean more pigs per litter than those producers not using these practices. Producers who mixed their own feed, increased feed to pregnant and lactating sows tended to wean more pigs per litter.

Implications and recommendations also were included in the study.

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