Bottom line, Indiana Packers seeks to form a partnership, through a scheduling program, with loyal suppliers who are willing to work with us to improve the pork industry and supply the consumer with a safe, wholesome, quality product.
At the center of this partnership is a carcass buying—or merit pricing—program that is based on a system of rewards and discounts for those producers who do an exceptional job of:
- Genetically selecting hogs for leanness and meat quality
- Sorting hogs by weight
- Providing a consistent supply of hogs
- Managing their drug use program
Buying Program
Carcass Merit Pricing System Details
Under normal conditions, the following rules apply:
- All hogs are purchased subject to government (USDA) inspection. All trim loss and USDA condemnations (total and partial) will be considered producer loss.
- Any hog diagnosed, by the USDA with tuberculosis will be considered condemned and of no value.
- Hogs are adjusted for lean premiums or discounts and sort discounts as per published schedules.
- Indiana Packers’ computer systems have various error checking and error avoidance checks built in to determine that appropriate measurements were obtained from the probe and scale systems. For more information about these systems or other details of Indiana Packers Carcass Merit systems please contact your buyer representative.
- In the event that IPC is unable to recover carcass data from all the hogs in a lot, the following procedures will be used:
Carcass Weights
If carcass weight data recovery is 90%, or greater, any missing data will be substituted by using the average weight of the lot. If data recovery is less than 90%, all data will be discarded and the carcass price will be converted to a live settlement price, adjusted by the Carcass Weight ,Lean Factor Schedules and carcass yield based on the simple average of the last five (5) lots delivered by the producer (where data was successfully recovered).
Probe (Fat-O-Meter)
If probe data recovery is 60% or better, any missing data will be substituted by using the simple average of the back fat and loin depth of the lot. If data recovery is less than 60%, all actual recovered data will be used and the missing data will be substituted by using the simple average of the back fat and loin depth from the last five (5) lots delivered by the producer (where data was successfully recovered)
Hog Count
At times a carcass may lose identity due to illegible or misread tattoos. In the event that the lot is long, the carcass closest to the average carcass weight will be deleted.
- Trimmed carcasses will be paid on actual weights and will be discounted according to the published carcass weight discount schedule.
- Fat-O-Meter readings are taken midline between the 3rd and 4th rib.
- Standard Yield is 74.50%.
Payment Information
Payment from IPC will be made by the close of the next business day following the carcass evaluation of the hogs.
Indiana Packers offers Producers ACH payment options.
IPC’s Carcass Merit System is subject to periodic review and change. However, producers will be given notice prior to any changes.
Biosecurity
Indiana Packers is one of the first processing plants to set up a Transporter Biosecurity Program. IPC recognizes the need to safe-guard our Producer/Suppliers the best we can. This program is designed to minimize the potential spread of any swine disease that may be transmitted from the plant to the farm.
Please contact your buyer representative for more details.
General Information
Visit with your buyer representative to find out the buying programs available.
Our strong relationships with Producers allows IPC to continue to develop new and innovative pork products for the domestic and global markets.
Thank you for your business.
Download a PDF version of our Merit Pricing Program Guidelines.
USDA Inspection
All hogs purchased by Indiana Packers Corporation are subject to government (USDA) inspection. All trim loss and USDA condemnations (total and partial) will be considered producer losses.
Producers need to continually gain knowledge regarding the causes of condemnations and take necessary precautions to prevent and control any further losses.
For additional information regarding swine diseases, consult your swine veterinarian.
Getting Started
Indiana Packers would like to thank you for interest in joining our family of pork suppliers. Our producers are a vital component of our business and we value and understand the importance of that relationship.
In an effort to facilitate a smooth delivery of hogs and processing of information, below is a checklist of items you’ll need to complete prior to delivery.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact our procurement department:
(800) 472-7201
procurement@inpac.com
Please download, review and complete each item, and submit them at least one week in advance of your arrival.
