The importance of decreasing costs of production increases as the swine industry becomes more competitive. Costs of production can be decreased through an organized selection program focused on
genetic improvement in economic traits. The most competitive producers will use a swine-breeding program, which minimizes cost of production and maximizes return on investment. A clear understanding of genetic principles will aid producers in making selection decisions. This publication provides information about breeding values, heritabilities, and genetic correlations and how to use them in genetic improvement programs.