Feeding Practices and Input Cost Performance in U.S. Hog Operations: The Case of Split-Sex and Phase Feeding

This study determines the factors leading to adoption of split-sex and phase feeding by U.S. hog producers and consequently the impact of adoption on operation’s input cost performance. A sample selection model is employed to account for unobservable variables possibly being correlated with the decision to use split-sex and/or phase feeding and input cost performance. Results demonstrate that operations using phase or combination of phase and split sex feeding are most cost effective and productive than hog operations using conventional feeding.