Make 2022 the most productive and efficient year yet with the new free benchmarking tool for pig farmers in Wales

Every January, we set ourselves goals and resolutions for the year ahead aimed at a better future.  This year, pig keepers in Wales can help achieve this by accessing their own bilingual sector specific benchmarking tool to help achieve continuous improvement in 2022.

As we enter a new year, now is a great opportunity for businesses to review their current business and herd performance to ensure you are operating as efficiently and profitably as possible. To aid businesses in doing this, Menter Moch Cymru and Farming Connect have come together to expand the current Measure to Manage online benchmarking programme, so for the first-time pig keepers in Wales can access the new benchmarking tool.

Measure to Manage is a computer programme that has been specifically designed so that it can be used by pig producers in Wales to record and benchmark their business and involves recording their inputs, outputs and herd performance for a specified year.

The programme is designed for all types of pig keepers including those that breed and finish their own pigs, those that buy piglets in to finish, those that breed and sell the piglets at weaning or a combination of all these systems.

The user-friendly Measure to Manage system includes step-by-step data collection fields which make it easier to record information in bite-sized chunks.

Pig keepers can input both physical and financial data from the farm records and the free online programme carries out an analysis based on a range of sector specific key performance indicators (KPI’s).  Doing this makes it possible to compare how a herd and business has performed year-on-year and, if a member of a producer group, the farmer is able to compare their performance anonymously against other group members.

For the breeding herd the KPI’s include, for example, farrowing rates, non-productive days and the number of piglets born, weaned and sold.  The finisher section analysis includes, daily liveweight gain, average days to finish, feed conversion ratio. Both provide details of feed usage, herd gross margin, variable and overhead cost analysis.

Melanie Cargill, Menter Moch Cymru Project Manager said: “The new benchmarking programme is a useful tool for all pig producers in Wales and it is a unique way for recording and monitoring their businesses to identify areas of improvement. As we head into what could be another turbulent year, now is a better time than any to take stock and to look forward to identify ways of ensuring businesses are operating as productively and profitably as possible.

“The first step in doing so is to start recording key performance data, which we’ve developed a handy recording book to allow farmers to do so. With this data, once inputted into the new online tool, they’ll be able to compare your performance against different years or, if a member of a Menter Moch Cymru or Farming Connect producer group, they’ll be able to compare against other similar sized businesses and herds.

Pig keepers that are interested and would like to discuss the benchmarking programme or order their own free recording booklet can contact Menter Moch Cymru or Farming Connect – www.mentermochcymru.co.uk / www.businesswales.gov.wales/farmingconnect.

Menter Moch Cymru is funded by the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.