Piglet	baby male or female
Feeder or Nursery pig	piglet after it is weaned from the sow
Gilt	young female that has not given birth
Sow	female that has had a litter of piglets
Boar	male pig used for breeding
Barrow	neutered male

Caring for Hogs

Producing balanced diets - A variety of feed ingredients are used in proper proportions to produce the perfect diet for pigs at each stage of their lives. Corn, barley, milo (grain sorghum), oats and sometimes wheat are used to provide the optimal levels of dietary energy in the form of carbohydrates and fat. Oilseed meals, largely consisting of soybean meal, are the major source of protein, the building block of muscle and other organs. Vitamins and minerals, such as calcium and phosphorous, make up the remainder of a hog’s diet.
Daily monitoring - To ensure health and contentment, hogs are regularly observed.

Cleaning houses - Enclosed houses require steady cleaning to prevent disease.
Providing farrow (birth) assistance - Producers monitor the sows (mothers) throughout the birth to ensure the safety of both the sow and her piglets.
Supplying Veterinary care - If a pig is injured or sick, the producer will isolate it to provide one-on-one care and often call in a veterinarian for advice.
Monitoring environmental conditions - Producers are constantly tracking air, water and ground quality to comply with EPA regulations and ensure the safety of their animals.
Keeping records - Numerous records are kept by swine producers including documentation of daily events (temperature, feed consumption) and birthing accounts.

Pork Quality Assurance Plus^®Program

Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus) is an on-farm quality assurance program focusing on professionalism, social responsibility and high-quality production practices. The National Pork Board introduced the Pork Quality Assurance Program in 1989 and launched PQA Plus in June 2007. This certification program is a workable, credible and affordable solution for pork producers to assure food safety and animal care. In addition, the program offers assurance to consumers they are purchasing the highest quality, safest product possible.

PQA Plus consists of 10 Good Production Practices that focus on improved animal and herd health management.

The program has been adopted successfully by 10,000 pork producers.

For more information, please visit www.pork.org.