Ultrasound Nets Most Producers More Than $20/Sow Annually!
How is this possible?
Most producers who implement the use of Real-Time Ultrasound (RTU)
experience a reduction of 5-10 Non-Productive Sow Days (NPSDs)/Sow/Year.
This is primarily due to the increased accuracy in detecting pregnancy
with RTU when compared to using an A-mode scanner. A-mode ultrasound
scanners will give you a verbal signal "(beep, beep") when fluid is detected,
but that certainly does not guarantee your sow is pregnant! This propensity
for "false positive" readings using an A-mode scanner leave most producers
generating accuracy rates of 90-95%. In comparison, use of the EZ Preg
Checker will typically produce accuracy rates of 98-99% when used 20+ days
post-breeding.
The net gain of $20/sow annually has two components. The first is the operational cost of housing and feeding the sow. Most producers have a firm grasp of what this cost is in their operation. It will certainly vary based on location and size, but the most recent numbers we've been hearing from our customers are from $1.75-$2.50/NPSD. (We use $2/day in our example below). The second component is the "opportunity cost" of a NPSD. That is to say, if she were pregnant you would also have the value of the pigs she would be carrying. This value will vary based on the number of weaned pigs produced/litter and current market prices. In our example below, we use a conservative price of $20/weaned pig and an average of 11.4 weaned pigs/litter. This means an additional value of $2/day would be obtained if the open sow were in fact pregnant ($20x11.4/114 day gestation period).
Conservative Example:
ABC Hog Farm lowers NPSD's by 5/sow annually.
Operational cost per NPSD = $2/day
"Opportunity Cost" per NPSD = $2/day
Therefore the "Net Ultrasound Benefit" (NUB) is $20/sow/day.
What is your NUB?
Enter the actual figures from your farm below to see your personalized NUB.
The chart below shows the total annual NUB for various size farms based on various NPSD reduction levels.
Total Annual Net Ultrasound Benefit
| |
Reduction in NPSDs/Sow Annually |
| # Sows |
2.5 |
5 |
7.5 |
10 |
12.5 |
| 300 |
$3,000 |
$6,000 |
$9,000 |
$12,000 |
$15,000 |
| 600 |
$6,000 |
$12,000 |
$18,000 |
$24,000 |
$30,000 |
| 900 |
$9,000 |
$18,000 |
$27,000 |
$36,000 |
$45,000 |
| 1200 |
$12,000 |
$24,000 |
$36,000 |
$48,000 |
$60,000 |
| 1500 |
$15,000 |
$30,000 |
$45,000 |
$60,000 |
$75,000 |
