Definition: Target weight is the live weight window you aim for at official fair weigh-in — driven by county/state class rules, sale eligibility, and your genetic package, not a national average alone.
Most junior market hog projects aim for roughly 240–280 lb at fair, but your county rules win. Always check minimum/maximum weights and sale eligibility before you buy the pig.
Back-solve purchase weight
Purchase weight ≈ target weight − (expected ADG × days to show).
Worked example: target 265 lb, 110 days, expected ADG 1.7 → purchase ≈ 265 − 187 = 78 lb. New exhibitors often plan a slightly lower ADG (1.5) for margin: 265 − 165 = 100 lb feeder.
Use the purchase weight calculator before the sale barn. Then track weekly with the fair weight projector and budget bags with the feed cost estimator.
Related reading: what is ADG, selecting feeder weight, feed budget.
Next step: Start a free market hog project and lock target weight + show date on day one.