Pork is an indispensable variety in the “vegetable basket” of the public, and its stable supply and quality largely depend on the “pig chips”—breeding pigs. So, how is high-quality “pig chips” created? Recently, reporters visited Guigang Shiji Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Guigang Shiji) to find out.
▲Technicians at Guigang Shiji Biotechnology Co., Ltd. are using CT scanning to analyze the live components of breeding pigs
The core breeding pig farm of Guigang Shiji is located in a mountainous area of Zhongzhou Village, Zhangmu Town, Qintang District. A unique and interesting scene is unfolding here: a pig lies on a CT scanning device, which can generate four to five hundred images after scanning. Technicians process the images with software to calculate the contents of muscle, fat, and bone in the pig.
While CT scans are common for humans, they are rare for pigs. What is the significance behind this?
“By accurately measuring and calculating, we greatly improve the genetic progress of breeding pigs,” said Ge Feng, the head of the core breeding farm at Guigang Shiji. The application of CT scanning technology in the large-scale measurement and breeding of pigs is a domestic first. Through CT scanning, we can accurately determine the live lean meat rate, live fat rate, live bone rate, body length, and rib count of breeding pigs.
In 2018, Guigang Genetic Core Farm, invested by Shiji Biotechnology (Nanjing) Co., Ltd. in Qintang District, officially began production. That same year, Guigang Shiji was established and imported 2,380 breeding pigs from abroad. After years of development, Guigang Shiji has become a large-scale professional enterprise integrating breeding pig production and breeding, currently owning one core breeding pig farm, one boar station, with a core breeding herd of 3,000 sows and 800 boars, achieving an average breeding rate of over 90% and producing up to 80,000 piglets annually, with 800,000 doses of semen produced each year.
In 2024, Guigang Shiji’s external sales of live pigs exceeded 90,000, including over 40,000 breeding pigs. With outstanding performance in breeding pig production and breeding, Guigang Shiji has been recognized as a key leading enterprise in agricultural industrialization in the autonomous region.
Technological Support Aids Optimal Selection and Matching
Ear tagging, weighing, checking the number of teats… Every morning, technicians must register the piglets born the previous day, recording details including the sow’s pen position, sow number, delivery date, litter size, and detailed information about each piglet (especially genetic defects), to assess the reproductive capacity and efficiency of the pigs. After registration, all data is entered into the breeding management system via smart electronic devices, ensuring the accuracy and traceability of breeding data.
In addition to CT scans, breeding pigs also undergo ultrasound examinations. When they reach 17 weeks of age, breeding pigs undergo mid-measurement work to determine weight and record potential genetic defects. At 24 weeks, a unified measurement is conducted, recording pig ID, measurement date, measurement weight, back fat thickness, and eye muscle depth. Furthermore, Guigang Shiji is equipped with 200 electronic feeding measurement stations to accurately record the growth curves of different breeds during their growth stages, understanding the growth speed and potential of the pigs.
Whether performing CT scans or ultrasounds, these are all part of the performance measurement work for breeding pigs. Ge Feng explained that the essence of breeding is optimal selection and matching, and the data from performance measurement is the foundation and key for smooth genetic evaluation in breeding. The accuracy of performance measurement data directly affects the final breeding results of the pigs.
“All breeding pigs at Guigang Shiji undergo strict technical measurements, utilizing big data genetic evaluations to select the best, aiming to accelerate their genetic improvement mission,” Ge Feng said. For a long time, Guigang Shiji has utilized cutting-edge technologies such as CT scanning for live component measurement to ensure the accuracy and reliability of measurement data.
The company also uploads measurement data directly to the national genetic evaluation system and the Guangxi genetic evaluation system for genetic data calculations. As of 2024, the company has measured over 101,000 breeding pigs, providing a wealth of on-site measurement data for local and national joint breeding evaluations.
Thanks to advanced breeding technologies, accurate breeding data, and a large measurement population, Guigang Shiji has formed a cyclical dual-breeding system through continuous selection, breaking through the limitations of breeding pigs and cultivating more and more high-performance breeding pigs. The breeding pigs they produce surpass the industry average in key performance indicators such as PSY (number of weaned piglets per sow per year), growth rate, feed-to-meat ratio, and survival rate, contributing to regional stability in production and supply.
Market Demand Constructs Value Orientation
“For pig farming, genetic level determines the upper limit of production level,” Ge Feng told reporters. When selecting breeding pigs, farms and farmers first focus on production performance indicators such as litter size and feed-to-meat ratio, while some food companies also pay attention to lean meat rate and meat quality.
In recent years, focusing on the concept of “value breeding” and relying on cutting-edge technologies such as big data breeding and whole-genome selection, Guigang Shiji has successively launched high-quality breeding pigs in the “Zhen Duo, Zhen Kuai, Zhen Xiang, Zhen Sheng series.” In 2023, in the performance measurement evaluation conducted by the Guangxi Breeding Pig Performance Measurement Center, the breeding pigs sent for measurement by Shiji, including Duroc, Pietrain, Large White, and Landrace, all won first place. With superior genetics, Guigang Shiji’s piglets and semen are sold to professional fattening farms in Shandong, Henan, and other regions, maintaining long-term cooperation with large groups such as Muyuan, Da Bei Nong, Dongfang Hope, and Guangming Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. Among them, the independently bred Zhenxiang Meihe breeding pigs from Guigang Shiji are favored by many well-known domestic pig farming enterprises due to their excellent meat quality, high intramuscular fat content (TOP 30% reaching 6.0), and fast growth rate.
Building a “mobile boar station.” The core boar station of Guigang Shiji conducts a series of research on frozen semen production and usage technology, achieving breakthroughs in the success rate of frozen semen preservation and thawing techniques. The semen of boars ranked in the top 10 for performance measurement is frozen, with a preservation time exceeding 20 years, and the technology is very stable.
“The frozen semen of Shiji pigs is stored in liquid nitrogen tanks at -196°C, which can be thawed and used for breeding at any time. The preservation time is longer, allowing for long-distance transportation,” Ge Feng said. The boar station uses imported fully automatic semen collection and semen production and preservation processes, improving work efficiency. With the use of new technologies such as frozen semen, the utilization rate of the best individuals has also increased, accelerating genetic improvement and transmission.
For regions with high disease pressure and remote pig farms, frozen semen acts like a safe “mobile boar station,” allowing for the introduction of enough semen for half a year or a year, which can better prevent diseases and reduce costs. Since 2020, Guigang Shiji has gradually established a commercial supply system for pig semen production, preservation, sales, logistics, and after-sales service, with frozen semen technology being widely promoted and applied in the market.
Digital Intelligence Empowers the Construction of Safety Barriers
In the quiet and remote Shiji pig farm, breeding pigs enjoy a “happy life” where food is served to them. On the surface, the simple pig pens are actually “smart homes.” Automated production equipment has replaced traditional manual labor: a fully automatic feeding system automatically configures feed and dispenses it at scheduled times and quantities; an automatic environmental control system manages water curtains, fans, and other equipment to ensure appropriate temperature and humidity in the pens, with fresh air; and a monitoring system provides a clear view of the pigpen conditions…
“The intelligence of pig farm production and the informatization of management not only save time and labor but also provide the best growth environment for breeding pigs, helping to avoid diseases and improve overall production capacity,” Ge Feng said. Guigang Shiji’s core farm is equipped with advanced fully automatic feeding systems, automatic drinking systems, BASF water filtration systems, and other facilities, using water-saving, feed-saving, and energy-saving farming processes, achieving a labor productivity level that leads the breeding industry and realizing efficient farming.
In addition to utilizing digital intelligence systems, the initial project site selection was also carefully considered. Ge Feng said the company comprehensively considered factors such as the business environment, geographical location, and epidemic prevention conditions when deciding to settle in Zhangmu Town, where the site is surrounded by mountains, providing unique natural conditions and biological safety barriers that effectively reduce the risk of epidemics.
According to reports, since the African swine fever outbreak, the demand for “double-negative” breeding pigs (referring to pigs that are negative for both porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome and pseudorabies) has significantly increased, closely related to the benefits of pig farms and other disease purifications have also become a focus for farmers.
In recent years, Guigang Shiji has continuously improved its biosecurity management level, strictly implementing comprehensive measures for disease purification, establishing a standardized African swine fever laboratory, actively exploring animal disease prevention and control models, and improving the prevention and control system, cultivating gene-edited pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome. Since the introduction of breeding pigs, Guigang Shiji has maintained a double-negative status for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, African swine fever antigens and antibodies, and a high level of health in the herd.
Through unremitting efforts, Guigang Shiji has been awarded the title of the first batch of provincial-level animal disease purification farms in the autonomous region in 2024, and in 2025, it was recognized as a “national-level pseudorabies purification farm” and a “national-level porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (non-immunized) purification farm.” By continuously selling breeding pigs and pig semen to transmit high-quality genes, Guigang Shiji effectively drives revenue for large-scale pig farming enterprises, increasing labor demand and creating about 500 new jobs.
Guided by the Qintang District Committee Propaganda Department, produced by the Qintang District Media Center Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited
Source: Guigang Daily
Editor: Zhou Hongchen
Proofreader: Liang Fangyu
Reviewer: Liu Jianmin
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