# Hog Option

Part of the Animal Science Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/animal-science/guide/index.md)

*6. Specialty Options*

> **6.** Complete ONE of the following options: **Hog Option**

This option covers pork cuts and USDA grading, feeding programs, hands-on experience, and swine terminology. Complete all four sub-requirements (a–d) below.

## Requirement 6a — Pork Cuts and USDA Grading

> **6.hog.a.** Make a sketch showing the principal wholesale and retail cuts of pork. Tell about the recommended USDA grades of pork. Tell the basis for each grade.

### Primal (Wholesale) Cuts of Pork

Your sketch should show a side view of a hog with the primal cuts marked:

- **Shoulder (Boston Butt)** — Pulled pork, shoulder roasts, blade steaks. A heavily worked muscle that benefits from slow cooking.
- **Picnic shoulder** — Roasts, smoked picnic ham, ground pork.
- **Loin** — The largest and leanest primal. Includes pork chops (rib, center-cut, sirloin), tenderloin, and back ribs. The loin runs along the top of the back.
- **Belly** — Bacon and spare ribs. Pork belly has become a popular restaurant item on its own.
- **Ham (leg)** — Fresh ham roasts, cured ham, ham steaks. The ham is the entire rear leg.
- **Side/Spareribs** — St. Louis–style ribs are cut from this area.
- **Jowl** — The cheek, often cured like bacon. Used in Southern cooking.
- **Feet (trotters)** — Used in specialty dishes and for making gelatin.

### USDA Pork Grading

Unlike beef, pork grading is less commonly used at retail. The USDA grades for pork are:

- **U.S. No. 1** — Highest quality. The most muscular carcass with the least backfat. The loin eye is large, and the carcass has a high percentage of lean cuts.
- **U.S. No. 2** — Slightly less muscling and slightly more backfat than No. 1.
- **U.S. No. 3** — Average muscling and moderate backfat.
- **U.S. No. 4** — Below-average muscling and excessive backfat.
- **Utility** — Lowest grade. Very thin, poorly muscled carcasses or those with defects.

**Basis for grading:** Pork grades are based primarily on two measurements:

1. **Backfat thickness** — Measured at the last rib. Less backfat means a leaner, higher-graded carcass.
2. **Muscling** — Evaluated by the size of the loin eye (the cross-section of the longissimus muscle at the last rib). Larger loin eyes indicate more lean meat.

> **Did You Know?**
>
> Pork is called "the other white meat," but it is actually classified as red meat by the USDA. The "other white meat" slogan was a marketing campaign from the 1980s designed to position pork as a lean, healthy protein comparable to chicken.

## Requirement 6b — Feeding Programs

> **6.hog.b.** Outline in writing the proper feeding programs used from the breeding of a gilt or sow through the weaning of the litter. Discuss the feeding programs for the growth and finishing periods.

Hog feeding is divided into distinct phases, each with different nutritional goals. Here is the lifecycle from breeding through market:

### Phase 1: Gestation (Breeding to Farrowing — about 114 days)

A bred gilt (first-time mother) or sow needs a diet that supports fetal development without making her too fat:

- **Feed:** A corn-soybean meal diet with added vitamins and minerals
- **Amount:** 4–6 pounds per day (restricted feeding to prevent excess weight gain)
- **Key nutrients:** Adequate protein (12–14%), calcium, and phosphorus for developing piglets
- **Goal:** Maintain body condition score of 3 (on a 1–5 scale)

### Phase 2: Lactation (Farrowing to Weaning — about 21 days)

Once the sow gives birth (farrows), her nutritional needs skyrocket. She is now producing milk for 8–14 piglets:

- **Feed:** A high-energy, high-protein diet (16–18% protein)
- **Amount:** Increase gradually to full feed — a lactating sow may eat 12–16 pounds per day
- **Key nutrients:** Extra energy (often from added fat), lysine (an essential amino acid for milk production), calcium, and phosphorus
- **Water:** A lactating sow can drink 6–8 gallons of water per day
- **Goal:** Maximize milk production and minimize weight loss in the sow

### Phase 3: Nursery (Weaning to ~50 lbs — about 5–6 weeks)

Newly weaned piglets transition from milk to solid feed. This is a stressful period:

- **Feed:** Highly palatable, easily digestible starter diets with dried whey, soybean meal, and added flavoring
- **Protein:** 20–22% (high to support rapid growth)
- **Feeding:** Free-choice (available at all times)
- **Goal:** Minimize weaning stress and get piglets eating solid feed as quickly as possible

### Phase 4: Growing (50 lbs to ~130 lbs)

Piglets are now called "growers" and are building frame and muscle:

- **Feed:** Corn-soybean meal diet with 16–18% protein
- **Feeding:** Free-choice
- **Goal:** Maximize lean growth

### Phase 5: Finishing (130 lbs to market weight, ~280 lbs)

The final phase focuses on reaching market weight efficiently:

- **Feed:** Corn-soybean meal diet with 13–15% protein (lower than growing phase)
- **Feeding:** Free-choice
- **Goal:** Efficient weight gain while maintaining lean meat quality
- **Duration:** About 8–10 weeks

> **Tip**
>
> The key principle across all phases: match the feed to the animal's current need. A lactating sow needs maximum fuel for milk production. A finishing pig needs energy-dense feed for efficient growth. Getting the nutrition wrong at any phase affects the bottom line.

## Requirement 6c — Raise or Visit

> **6.hog.c.** Do ONE of the following:

**Option 1:** Raise a feeder pig from weaning to market weight. Keep records of feed intake, weight gains, medication, vaccination, and mortality.

**Option 2:** Visit a farm where hogs are produced, or visit a packing plant handling hogs. Describe what you saw and explain what you learned. If you cannot visit, view a video or research online (with parent/guardian permission).

**Farm Visit Questions** — Topics to explore during your visit

- [ ] What breed or crossbreed of hogs is raised?
- [ ] How are the hogs housed (indoor confinement, hoop barns, pasture)?
- [ ] What do they eat, and how is feed delivered?
- [ ] What biosecurity measures are in place?
- [ ] How are piglets managed from birth through weaning?
- [ ] What is the current market price for finished hogs?

> **Be Prepared! Visiting a Hog Farm**
>
> Hog farms have some of the strictest biosecurity in agriculture because pigs are highly susceptible to diseases like PRRS and African Swine Fever.
> - **Step 1**: Contact the farmer well in advance. Many operations require 48-hour visitor quarantines (no contact with other pigs for 48 hours before your visit).
> - **Step 2**: Wear clean clothes and boots. The farm will likely provide coveralls and boot covers.
> - **Step 3**: Follow all biosecurity instructions exactly — shower in/shower out protocols are common on large farms.
> - **Step 4**: Do not bring food into the barns. Some diseases can be transmitted through meat products.

## Requirement 6d — Hog Terminology

> **6.hog.d.** Define the following terms: gilt, sow, barrow, and boar.

- **Gilt** — A young female pig that has not yet had a litter of piglets. Once she farrows (gives birth) for the first time, she becomes a sow.
- **Sow** — A mature female pig that has had at least one litter.
- **Barrow** — A male pig that has been castrated. Barrows are raised for meat production because they grow more efficiently and produce better-tasting pork than intact males.
- **Boar** — An intact male pig used for breeding. Boars are also the term used for wild pigs.

> **Tip**
>
> The difference between a gilt and a sow is simple: has she had babies yet? No = gilt. Yes = sow. This same distinction applies to cattle (heifer vs. cow).

![Interior of a clean, well-ventilated hog barn showing pigs in pens with automated feeders and waterers, with good lighting and slatted flooring](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/animal-science/guide/hog-barn-interior?v=2ae5639b)

[National Pork Board — Pork Checkoff](https://www.pork.org/): Resources on pork production, animal care, and the pork industry from the organization funded by U.S. pork producers.

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