Polish Farmers’ Entrepreneurship – Janusz Wojtczak on How to Build a Profitable Pig Farming Business in Poland

Challenges of Modern Pig Farming

In a rapidly changing world, where livestock farming is under pressure from legislation, strict biosecurity standards, and growing consumer demands for animal welfare and sustainability, maintaining cost efficiency has become crucial. In the race for the future of Polish pig production, Janusz Wojtczak – an experienced farmer from Wielkopolska region, a weaner pig producer, and a born entrepreneur – demonstrates that success is achievable. His philosophy combines deep zootechnical expertise with a strong business mindset, all while maintaining unwavering respect for animals and the environment. As one of the largest independent weaner producers in Poland, Wojtczak has long embraced innovation and a science-based approach to nutrition. The best example of this commitment is his collaboration with HiProMine, where he tests and successfully applies the innovative feed component Umami Boost.

The Business Journey of Janusz Wojtczak

From Family Traditions to the First Weaners

Wojtczak’s story of becoming a leader in weaner pig production begins in the heart of Wielkopolska region, on his parents’ traditional farm. “From an early age, I was surrounded by farm animals, as my parents also ran a farm,” he recalls. “It was a typical small family farm with the whole menagerie: pigs, dairy cattle, poultry. During the communist era, the political and legal environment didn’t allow for significant development.”

The Breakthrough Year – 1997

The real breakthrough came in 1997. Having completed his studies in animal science and with solid theoretical training, Wojtczak took a bold step and purchased his first batch of 60 PIC gilts. “At the time, that was a huge herd, especially as it was such a top hybrid genotype,” he recalls. From that moment, his professional journey with pigs began. It was the first milestone in his development. “After that, I wanted to do more and better. But with a business mindset. And I did,” he adds with a smile.

Adapting the Farm in Zawory (2004)

Another milestone came in 2004, when Wojtczak purchased and adapted a farm in Zawory. The facility had originally been intended for laying hens. “I adapted and rebuilt those buildings, and on that basis we created the farm that today forms the core of my production,” he explains. The scale is indeed impressive: in a consolidated system he manages around 2,500 sows. The main focus is weaner pig production, with more than 60,000 produced annually. This makes him the largest independent weaner producer in Poland. 85% of the weaners go to independent pig farmers – Wojtczak’s regular clients – although, as he notes, demand is much higher. He also keeps part of his production for his own premium-quality pork program.

Independent Genetics and Advanced Technologies

Over the years, despite various ups and downs, challenges with genetic material, and changing market conditions, Wojtczak has developed unique, independent genetics. He carries out gilt reproduction in-house for biosecurity reasons. Moreover, he tests GGP gilts (great-grandparent) for fattening traits at specialised NEDAP stations, which continuously monitor growth, feed intake, and feed conversion. This approach is rare, even in Europe, due to the high cost of the technology. “Nobody else is doing this, not even in Europe, because it’s such an expensive technology,” he notes. Thanks to these tools, Wojtczak can consciously select animals for fattening traits, which is fundamental to ensuring stable genetics and uniform litters. The variance in these traits turned out to be significant, with great potential for improvement.

Filozofia sukcesu w hodowli trzody

“The greatest challenge for pig producers is maintaining cost efficiency.” Wojtczak’s philosophy embodies this statement. His approach to pig farming is, above all, business. “We don’t produce finishers, weaners, or piglets – we learn how to make money,” he says, a mantra that guides his work. For him, farming must be viewed as an enterprise, where every element contributes to profitability.

Feed Conversion as the Key to Profitability

Wojtczak stresses a mistake made by many Polish farmers, who continue to focus primarily on sow prolificacy – the number of piglets born per sow. In his view, the most important parameter for profitable pork production is feed conversion. “Feed accounts for 70% of pork production costs,” he emphasizes. If this parameter is ignored, no level of prolificacy will save the business.

Animal Health and Performance

Animal health is inseparably linked to all performance parameters: a high mortality rate results in poor feed conversion and lower overall herd prolificacy, not just that of the sow giving birth. He points to Spain as an example: despite apparently lower sow prolificacy, the Spanish are leaders in pork production mainly because they achieve the lowest feed conversion. “This is a business. It has to add up financially,” he concludes.

Genetic Selection and Cost Efficiency

Wojtczak stresses that larger, heavier sows, which require more maintenance feed, generate higher costs that must automatically be factored into the business. Calculating the profitability of each sow individually is crucial. The success of the Danes, who sell genetics, or the Spanish, who focus on efficiency, shows that the key lies in a clear strategy and deliberate action.

Technology and Welfare as the Foundations of Profitability

Animal welfare, which is treated with the utmost care on Wojtczak’s farm, is not just a matter of ethics or compliance, but a fundamental element of profitability. His approach to the barn environment is based on advanced technology:

• In the farrowing houses, four key air parameters are monitored: temperature, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide. The system automatically adjusts ventilation whenever any parameter exceeds the required standard.
• Water lines are regularly disinfected, and the level of organic contamination is measured with a luminometer to ensure cleanliness before piglets are introduced.

“You have to take care of animal welfare so that the animals can repay you twofold,” he emphasizes. Poor conditions, inadequate hygiene, or cheap, poorly balanced feed are, in his view, not only unethical but above all unprofitable. “There are no shortcuts,” he stresses.

And indeed – Wojtczak’s farm is an example of excellent conditions. The facility boasts outstanding ventilation – despite the large scale of production, the presence of animals is virtually “unnoticeable,” helping maintain strong relations with local communities and enabling further growth.

Umami Boost: Taste, Health, and Economics in Piglet Nutrition

An Innovative Approach to Piglet Feeding

Testing modern, innovative solutions in the search for optimisation and animal health fits perfectly with Wojtczak’s entrepreneurial spirit.
At the end of 2024, as one of the first farmers in Poland, he introduced piglet feeds containing Umami Boost – a functional feed component from HiProMine, based on Hermetia illucens larvae.

The Key Role of Energy Around Weaning

In piglet nutrition, it is essential to provide readily available energy, especially during the stressful weaning period. Wojtczak stresses that when energy supply is insufficient and protein intake is excessive, it can disrupt the piglet’s digestive balance, leading to diarrhoea and digestive problems.

How Umami Boost Works

Umami Boost proved to be a game changer. Thanks to its unique combination of naturally occurring bioactive compounds – lauric acid, AMP (antimicrobial peptides), and chitin – together with advanced production technology, the product delivers multi-directional benefits by supporting:

• gut health,
• immunity,,
• feed intake.

Lauric acid provides antibacterial effects, chitin supports peristalsis and binds toxins, while AMP improve digestibility and prevent diarrhoea. In addition, the umami taste in Umami Boost feed significantly increases intake compared to the control diet. Feed palatability tests are described in the article Umami Boost and Palatability: The Key to Successful Piglet Rearing.

Impressive On-Farm Test Results

Trials carried out on Wojtczak’s farm, confirmed by HiProMine data, delivered impressive results and proved the effectiveness of Umami Boost in practice. Compared to the control group, piglets fed with Umami Boost diets showed:

• higher daily feed intake: +6% to +8%,
• higher weight gains: +3% to +6%,
• lower mortality: up to -14% across the trial period,
• lower FCR (feed conversion ratio): -6%.

In addition, Umami Boost significantly improved the microstructure of the piglet ileum: absorptive surface increased by 24%, mucosal thickness by 7%, and the number of goblet cells by 8%. Beneficial changes were also observed in blood biochemical indices, such as a 25% lower LDL level and 32% lower ALT. Importantly, ammonia content decreased in digesta (-23%), faeces (-11%), and blood urea (-16%). All of this indicates better digestion and metabolism.

Practical Benefits and Production Management

Wojtczak highlights that with Umami Boost, feed intake was significantly higher without causing any digestive problems. This, in turn, translated into faster growth and shorter rearing periods. Today, his piglets reach 28–30 kg by day 70 of life, perfectly fitting a five-week production rhythm and enabling efficient management of the nursery.

Does Wojtczak plan to look for further feed optimisation?
“For now, the piglets aren’t asking for any changes. It’s not up to me – it’s up to them,” he says, emphasizing his satisfaction with the product.

The Ambitious “Kobe Pork” Project

Kobe pork, sustainability, and HiProMine’s role

Wojtczak always looks to the future. His latest ambitious project is “Kobe pork” – the production of meat with enhanced functional properties, rich in selenium, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids. This addresses the deficit of omega-3 in the human diet at this latitude. The key, however, is that the meat must be recognisable to consumers not only on paper, but most importantly “on the palate.” “We dedicate 15% of our weaner production to our own finishing, focusing on functional meat properties. These are introduced through tailored feeding – for example, by adding onions to the diet. Does it affect flavour and functionality? Absolutely, as confirmed by taste tests.” Wojtczak’s goal is to deliver consumers meat with exceptional juiciness and flavour, derived from the desired intramuscular fat.

Functional Feeding for Better Performance

As a forward-thinking entrepreneur, Wojtczak plans to expand the use of HiProMine solutions on his farm. Currently, Umami Boost is a standard part of piglet diets, and in the future, these products may also be applied in sow diets to improve health, condition, immunity, and feed intake. This reflects his ongoing drive for optimisation and innovation at every stage of production.

Record-Low Carbon Footprint

Wojtczak’s farm is also a pioneer in sustainability, already surpassing the future requirements of the Green Deal. It boasts a record-low carbon footprint: 1.61 kg CO₂ equivalent per kilogram of pork, which is three times lower than the European average (around 5 kg). This impressive achievement is the result of a well-thought-out strategy and investments: renewable energy use (self-generated electricity, heat, and cooling), on-site component production, and efficient manure management. As Wojtczak notes, he uses only 122 kg NPK + Ca, just one-quarter of what large producers typically apply.

The cornerstone of his sustainability strategy is a biogas plant and innovative technologies such as the world’s first combined Zudek + ORC unit, which converts waste heat from the biogas plant into process cooling and even additional electricity. This demonstrates full use of the potential of a “closed-loop system.”

Advice for the Industry: Knowledge, Business, and Professionalism – The Key to Rebuilding Polish Pig Farming

Finally, Wojtczak shares essential advice for Polish farmers and the entire industry, convinced that these principles can help rebuild the Polish pig sector:

• Knowledge: The Foundation of Recovery

“We must genuinely learn in order to know what we are doing.” Continuous education and mastery of production technology are essential to eliminate mistakes caused by lack of awareness, such as neglecting waterline disinfection or basic welfare rules.

• Business and Profitability: Focus on Returns

We must stop producing “by guesswork” and competing only on sow prolificacy.

“Let’s not produce finishers or weaners. Let’s do business, let’s make money.”

The key is to match genetics and feeding to the specific production goal. If the goal is to sell to slaughterhouses, the focus should be on lean meat and lowest production cost – which comes down to optimising feed conversion.

“Let’s produce exactly what the market demands,” not “products that are too good” for which no one will pay. If the goal is a premium product (like “Kobe pork”), it must be properly positioned and priced.

• Professionalism and Integration: The Power of Cooperation

Deeper industry integration is essential. He points to Denmark, where joint biogas plants serving entire municipalities enable efficient waste management and lower emissions.

“Here, neighbours in the same village wouldn’t even get together to build such a biogas plant. The time will come when we’ll have to pay for emissions, and then we’ll complain again. It’s better to integrate.” Such collective action is needed.

• Active ASF Eradication: A Professional Approach

“We can’t just work on a ‘somehow it’ll do’ basis.” Professional measures are needed to fight ASF, rather than relying solely on on-farm biosecurity. The Czech Republic, Belgium, and Sweden have proven that it is possible to bring the virus under control. Poland, as a pork importer, may not appear to suffer directly from ASFV’s presence, but on the other hand, export bans on so-called “fifth quarter” products (heads, feet, offal) represent a significant loss for the sector. Some nations, such as China, pay “top dollar” for these products, which could improve overall profitability.

Inspiration and Industry Support

Janusz Wojtczak is proof that Polish pig farming holds tremendous potential. His approach—combining innovation, strict business principles, and care for animal welfare—can inspire the entire industry, showing that the future belongs to professionals who can look beyond traditional metrics. HiProMine, as a Science Based Nutrition Partner, proudly supports such visionaries, delivering innovative components that directly improve animal health and economic performance. Together with farmers like Janusz Wojtczak, HiProMine is building the future of Polish pig production.

Learn more about the innovative Umami Boost—the feed component that Janusz Wojtczak has introduced on his farm—in the dedicated article. Discover how lauric acid, AMP peptides, chitin, and umami flavour work together to support piglet health, increase feed intake, and boost rearing efficiency.