• Employees put ear tags on newborn piglets at a breeding farm of Best Genetics Group (BGG), a Chinese pig breeding company in Chifeng, China, on Feb. 27. Raising a pig in China costs about 2½ times more than in the United States due to costly imported feed and high levels of disease. | REUTERS
    Employees put ear tags on newborn piglets at a breeding farm of Best Genetics Group (BGG), a Chinese pig breeding company in Chifeng, China, on Feb. 27. Raising a pig in China costs about 2½ times more than in the United States due to costly imported feed and high levels of disease. | REUTERS
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CHIFENG, China – Tiny slivers of ear tissue snipped from hours-old piglets offer valuable clues for the team at Best Genetics Group (BGG) as it strives to improve the genetics of China's hog herd to produce cheaper meat for the world's top pork consumer.

Breeding pigs that have larger litters, reach slaughter weight quicker and require less feed can make a big difference in a market producing almost 700 million hogs a year.

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