Good times return for Aust pig producers

Murray Bridge producer Greg Davis, south-east of Adelaide, SA, had to tighten his belt to get through the industry's tough time, when low prices and high grain costs crippled the industry.

He is among the survivors now set to reap the rewards after holding out through the lean years.

His industry has made a startling turnaround in the past few months, with prices shooting through the roof.

"It's good to catch up on things we'd had to put on hold," Greg said.

"We could see everything starting to turn around back in July.

"We're now building a new shed that we had to put on hold a couple of years ago."

Greg believes supply will remain tight and demand high in the pig market for some time.

"I think a lot of mixed farmers who sold out of pigs won't go back in," he said.

Greg farms with his wife Peta and parents Jim and Rhonda. Their business, Aroora Enterprises, currently runs 480 sows and turns out a couple of hundred pigs a week.

The piggery is run over two separate properties, with Jim operating the breeder site and Greg the grow-out site.

As well as running a commercial piggery, Aroora Enterprises also produces breeding stock.