It will always require a major effort by the Hog Producer to meet the specifications of the buyer . In most cases there are pre-agreed upon reductions to the base price if specifications are not met. There are cases whereby cancellation of the purchase agreement is in force, if the shipping specifications are not met. Weight and carcass characteristics are the main specifications. Before you can control sort loss correctly, sort loss must be properly defined.
Sort loss occurs when the hog is marketed at less than or greater than the optimal weight.
If a hog is sold at a light weight, this results in a lost opportunity to gain the marginal profits . Conversely, a hog sold at a heavier weight could incur actual losses in value and cost more to produce. Historically, the Packers' specifications have been loose with small penalties being administered for light or heavy weight hogs, outside the fact that the heavy weight hogs had unacceptable carcass characteristics. Other benefits of improved quality are lower costs, higher staff morale and the creation of, more jobs through the company achieving a competitive position. The cost of variation has normally been recognized as sort- loss.