Calculate pig batch revenue, production cost, margin, and profit per head or weight unit, or reverse-solve the sale price needed for a target profit.
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Pig Profit Formula
This is a simplified batch budget. S is pigs started, m is the nonmarketed percentage, M is expected marketed pigs and w is average sale weight per marketed pig. Expected M may be fractional. Feed and other variable costs are average incurred costs per pig started, including loss-related spending; changing mortality does not automatically reduce these entered costs. Use operation-specific costs as in Iowa State Extension enterprise budgets.
- P is estimated batch profit in the selected currency, after only the costs entered. F and V are feed and other variable costs per pig started; B is fixed batch cost.
- TR is revenue from expected marketed weight W at sale price p. The calculator converts kg/lb units before multiplying; live, hanging and packaged weights are different selling bases and are not automatically converted.
- TC includes the entered batch costs. Include acquisition, feed, health, labor, facilities, financing, hauling and processing where applicable, without double counting. Currency selection changes labels, not exchange rates.
Revenue by Selling Channel
Use a quoted price on the same selling-weight basis as the entered weight. The table below contains hypothetical arithmetic illustrations, not current market prices or expected yields. A US cwt is 100 lb, so divide a per-cwt price by 100 before entering a per-lb price. Processing and handling charges belong in the cost budget where applicable.
| Channel | Illustrative Price | Sale-Weight Basis | Illustrative Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illustration A: live sale | $63-$69/cwt | 280 lb live | $176-$193 |
| Illustration B: live sale | $0.90-$1.50/lb | 280 lb live | $252-$420 |
| Illustration C: hanging sale | $3.50-$5.50/lb | 202 lb assumed | $707-$1,111 |
| Illustration D: packaged sale | $6-$12/lb | 152 lb assumed | $912-$1,824 |
Typical Cost Breakdown Per Pig
The following cost categories organize hypothetical budgets per pig started. Both amount columns are illustrations, not typical small-farm or commercial prices. Enter your own incurred costs, including acquisition where applicable. Processing is excluded from the displayed totals. Mortality timing can affect actual feed and other spending; this calculator leaves those adjustments in your entered costs rather than predicting them (Iowa State Extension mortality-budget explanation).
| Cost Item | Illustration A | Illustration B |
|---|---|---|
| Feeder acquisition | $75-$200 | $45-$80 |
| Feed | $150-$350 | $110-$200 |
| Veterinary and medications | $50-$100 | $15-$40 |
| Bedding | $30-$80 | $10-$25 |
| Processing (direct sale only) | $200-$450 | Not included |
| Other (hauling, labor, overhead) | $50-$150 | $20-$50 |
| Total (excl. processing) | $355-$880 | $200-$395 |
How to Calculate Pig Profit
Hypothetical example: one pig is started and sold, with 0% nonmarketed allowance and only the listed costs included. A 280 lb market hog at $0.90/lb live generates $252 in revenue. With total raising costs of $210 (feeder pig $80, feed $95, vet and bedding $35), net profit is $42, a 16.7% margin, with a breakeven of $0.75/lb. At $1.20/lb the same cost structure yields $336 revenue and $126 profit (37.5% margin). These are arithmetic illustrations, not current quotes or a complete farm budget.
Key Performance Benchmarks
Use operation-specific records rather than universal breed, price-premium or production benchmarks. The checks below clarify this budget model; they do not supply commercial performance targets. Profit margin is undefined at zero revenue, return on cost is undefined at zero cost, and a changed mortality assumption does not model the timing of death loss or its cost savings.
| Metric | Definition / Input | Budget Check |
|---|---|---|
| Feed cost per pig started | Total incurred feed cost / pigs started | Include loss-related feed spending |
| Other variable cost per pig started | Other incurred batch costs / pigs started | Include each cost once |
| Expected marketed pigs | Started pigs × (1 − nonmarketed % / 100) | A planning expectation may be fractional |
| Feed share of total cost | Total feed cost / total cost × 100 | Undefined when total cost is zero |
| Net profit margin | Batch profit / revenue × 100 | Undefined when revenue is zero |
| Selling-weight basis | Entered live, hanging or packaged weight | Price must use the same basis |
