A mathematical model for designing and sizing sow farms

A semi-Markov model and its application for designing and sizing swine facilities are presented. Swine production is becoming more and more specialised. Hence the sizing of a farm producing piglets is the main strategic decision of farmers who invest in sow production, since a farm comprises different facilities with different possible sizes. The classical approach is simple but the resulting design assumes some security margins without considering variations in sow performance or in the management policy. The model presented here has revealed differences with respect to the classical approach. As a result, the Markov chain approach is useful to determine more accurately the capacity, improve farm design and reduce housing cost.