This is to minimize transport costs to population centres when the hogs are sent to market. There are over 175 producers in the province. About 300,000 market hogs are slaughtered a year. There are a number of steps in raising animals for meat. Often one producer will raise hogs from farrow to finish, which means from birth until they are ready to go to market.
Some producers just raise the hogs after they are weaned from their mother.
Sows are bred by a boar. The gestation period is about 112 days. The average sow has 10 piglets in a litter. When the piglets are small, they nurse from their mother. The mother is kept in a farrowing crate.