Temporal evolution of Sow herd age structure and its impact on the performance of Spanish commercial farms

Classifying farms by herd age structure provides valuable insights into how parity distribution influences farm productivity over time and how herd parity structure evolves. HS1 farms achieved the best productivity over the study but require specific management practices to maintain their stability. HS2 remained with the most stable herd structure over time, with intermediate productivity, while HS3 farms showed the worst stability and performance. Thus, HS1 is recommended as the optimal herd age structure for maximizing productivity in the short and medium term. Further research should focus on identifying specific management factors to optimize productivity and ensure long-term herd structure stability of HS1.