It appears batch farrowing is making a comeback, according to John Deen, DVM, PhD, distinguished global professor at the University of Minnesota. 

Historically, batch farrowing was more attractive to smaller farms, when producers needed a set number of pigs to fill a truck or barn, “but we’re seeing it much more in large sow units,” Deen told Pig Health Today. In fact, the practice is being considered and experimented within many larger systems across a wide geographic area.