2026 Swine Salary Survey: Key Findings

Each year, Continental Search talks with professionals throughout pork production about compensation, career movement, and the responsibilities behind different roles.

Our 2026 Swine Live Production Salary Survey received 136 responses. Before the results were analyzed, responses underwent a quality-control review, and incomplete or unreliable data were excluded where appropriate.

The survey covers veterinarians, nutritionists, VPs, and Directors of Live Production, production managers, field service managers, farm managers, department heads, researchers, and barn and veterinary technicians. Compensation is considered in the context of base salary, expected taxable income, incentive opportunities, and applicable benefits.

A few findings stood out:

• Farm Managers were the largest group, with 26 respondents.
• VPs and Directors of Live Production can reach $220,000+ in base salary. Among the 11 respondents in this group, 70% were responsible for 10 or more production sites.
• Swine nutrition remains highly specialized. Three nutritionists participated, and the U.S. respondents with advanced technical specialization and PhD credentials reported total taxable earnings above $220,000.
• Field service may be an area to watch for retention. Five professionals participated, and all U.S. respondents in this group were actively considering a career move.
• Practical production experience matters. Among Farm Managers, traditional credentials, team size, and inventory volume did not consistently predict the highest earnings. The survey found that managers with high school credentials could equal or out-earn degreed peers, with sow management showing some of the highest compensation ceilings.

The full survey provides a closer look at how compensation, responsibility, experience, and career mobility differ across swine production roles. Those differences matter when employers benchmark compensation, plan future hires, or try to retain experienced people.

Our team provides this survey as part of our service to the pork industry.