OK LAA, I've read and re-read your post and I'll stand my ground with Massey333. Sounds like we have real ife experience that you are comparing with studies.
The shelter you are talking about, is it big enough that the pigs are fed inside of it?? If your feeder or trough is outside, there is going to be mud around it within a few days and the entrance and exit to your shelter will also be torn up within a few days. I guess you move shelters and feeders every few days to keep them out of the mud.
How are you feeding on pasture with less feed than in a dry lot?? Are your animals living on grass and acorns because the supplied feed is limited?? The pig will eat the easiest most abundant food it can get to fulfill it's needs. It may forage for food for fun, but it's going to fill it's belly at the feeder if it can.
How are you measuring animal contentment?? A happy, content animal will be the one gaining the most weight on the least amount of feed usually in the shortest number of days. Add stress (unhappiness) to a pig in any feeding enviroment and the efficiancy goes down. I'm not saying a pig laying in a pasture in the sun on a nice Spring day isn't content, but if he's wading through mud at the feeder or coming and going through a doorway in the rain, in the Winter, before the ground freezes..... he's probably not too content.
Health wise, I'll give you the benifit of the doubt on pastures. If your management isn't up to the task of taking care of pigs in a barn or dry lot, they'll be better off in a pasture.
I'm not opposed to pastures or total confinement barns, I had issue with your "...all livestock, bar none, do better on pasture as far as health and cheapness of feed and contentment of the animals...." part of the statement.
I guess my measure of contentment is a pig that has all it wants to eat, whenever it wants it, and a dry draft free place to sleep. In return for it's happiness, it'll give you the best rate of gain in the shortest amount of time.
As far as backing up your statement with comparing to the way it was done before the 50's is nonsense. They used to pick corn by hand back in the day too, that doesn't make it right or efficient. My grandpa would have a stroke if he walked into a modern day field of 200 bushel corn with a corn peg.
We feed in a well ventilated, old fashioned straw bedded barn. We don't over crowd and clean manure out at least once a week. I know most of ours run to the the fence when my wife walks in, because she scratches their heads and gives them apple slices and lettuce leaves once in awhile... they seem happy and stress free.
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