Hog Production
As temperatures reach all-time highs in some parts of the country, it’s an important time to take proper precautions to avoid heat stress in your barn.
Challenges are building on both sides of the profit equation: costs of production and sales revenue. Layers of uncertainty are in the air, and even if some are resolved today, their impacts will continue for months.
For Iowa State University’s Jacek Koziel, studying how to have clean air and reduce odor is nothing new. He has been using UV light to filter out airborne pathogens and produce air that ends up smelling like toothpaste.
At the end of 2020 and in 2021, the swine industry witnessed massive PRRS outbreaks in the Midwest caused by the novel porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) variant, L1C-1-4-4.
Gross incomes for both cattle and hog producers were up double digits from 2020 to 2021, according to a recent report from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Taking the time now to clean and adjust your cool cell system will save time later and improve the system’s performance during the season.
Even though research points to the benefit of attended farrowing in the sow barn, labor challenges can stand in the way. However, if you could cut your stillborn rate in half, what is that worth?
The Maschhoffs has investigated possible causes of piglet and growing pig scours, highlighting the need for a more holistic approach to address enteric challenges beyond a pathogen and antimicrobial treatment strategy.
Many producers are considering filtration to limit PRRS breaks, but there has been much debate over the best method for achieving it. Positive and negative pressure filtration systems each have benefits and challenges.
2021 was a phenomenal year for pork producers, CoBank’s Brian Earnest says. Live hog value as a percent of retail pork value was nearly 35% at one point. This year appears set to return similar, if not better, results.
A vaccine candidate for African swine fever passed an important safety test required for regulatory approval, moving the vaccine one step closer to commercial availability, say USDA scientists.
Herd health challenges and higher costs are expected to slow global pork production growth, limiting global pork availability and helping to boost expected hog prices, Rabobank says in its Global Pork Quarterly report.
Ventilation fans are no different than any other piece of equipment on the farm...they perform better with annual maintenance. Doing that maintenance now means you will not be doing it in the summer heat.
Brazilian pork exporters are grappling with a drop in volumes shipped to their main buyer, China, which has increased its pork meat production after an outbreak of African swine fever in 2018.
There are several ways to evaluate feed cost and feed performance in wean-to-market pigs, says Pipestone’s Jacob Koepke. Each method can provide a different answer for the producer about the “best” way to feed a pig.
Rumors of catastrophic PRRS outbreaks continue to shake the pork industry. One farmer told AgriTalk’s Chip Flory that he moved 1,500 pigs in and two-thirds of them were dead within a week due to the PRRS virus.
Manually removing piglets from the sow’s birth canal during farrowing, or sleeving, is a positively viewed management practice. However, it can be hard to know when to intervene. Here are a few tips to help employees.
Automated ceiling inlets offer a time-saving alternative to gravity inlets.
Livestock farmers, including those who previously paid to have animal waste removed, have found a fertile side business selling to grain farmers. Equipment firms that make manure spreading equipment are also benefiting.
Access to livestock drugs through over-the-counter (OTC) channels was curbed considerably starting in 2017. Soon, OTC antibiotics may no longer be available through traditional channels at all.
An unknown virus moved through David Refalo’s sow herd in New South Wales, Australia, last Christmas. He had 30 piglets die out of 170 total piglets. Tests showed nothing.
Commodity prices won’t grow less volatile over the next several months. So, what’s a potential game plan for locking in feed prices? Friday’s market action may be one example of what producers can do to manage risk.
Two feed mills and three breed-to-wean facilities were diagnosed with porcine deltacoronavirus at Kansas State University. Researchers investigated the mills and facilities for possible connections to the outbreak.
Innovative minds could win up to $46,000 for their amazing ideas on how to tackle a pork industry challenge.
Ryan Stohlquist says the new development barn adds flexibility to the family operation.
The Kansas State University Animal Sciences and Industry swine nutrition team has added a new tool to its suite of calculators. The team recently developed a KSU lysine calculator for Genesus grow-finish pigs.
Although risk of pathogen movement through feed is not a new topic in the U.S., around the globe there is less awareness of this pathway for disease to enter a swine farm. It wasn’t long ago PED virus hit in a fury.
By adding one more pig to a litter, the U.S. pork industry could increase production by an estimated $120 million annually. To do that, Karl Kerns says we need to learn what influences the capacity of sperm to fertilize.
Whether you are converting an existing herd or populating a barn utilizing ESF systems with new gilts, it can be a long road to get the herd comfortable with a new system. TriOak Foods’ Tanner McCulley shares three tips.
In times of tighter margins, it’s more important than ever to know that you are living within your means. Just as every farm is unique, so is every family’s needs when it comes to living standards.