Latest News From Sows

Seasonal infertility is a major swine industry issue, resulting in substantial economic loss due to decreased farrowing rates, reduced litter sizes and increased non-productive days. Here are five tips to consider.

Keeping sows in ideal body condition can be a balancing act. New research from North Carolina State University outlines sow condition targets to minimize body lesions and maximize productivity. 

Summer Doty hasn’t saved anyone from a burning building or led an army into battle. She hasn’t jumped into the path of an oncoming train. Still, the work she does at Islercrest Farms is proof not all heroes wear capes. 

Attention to sow longevity is so important because of the multiple ways it can affect a producer’s economics.

What are the health impacts of piglets choosing a teat from their mother sow?

The latest MetaFarms reports show sow death loss in 2023 was at an all-time high at 15.3%. That’s up 1% from a year ago – a trend that continues to move in the wrong direction. 

Is the ability to focus on the farm a superpower? It might be, especially in modern pork production systems. Here's a look at MetaFarm's preliminary 2023 data and why focus is more important than ever on the farm.

Here's a look at the 2024 line-up for SowBridge, the distance educational series for those who work with sows, boars and piglets, and with genetic and reproductive issues.

Jamil Faccin, post-doctoral researcher in applied swine nutrition at Kansas State University, shared five key feeding strategies to achieve success with gilts during his presentation at the 2023 Leman Swine Conference.

One day, he’s hanging out with his brothers, basking in the warmth of his mom. The next day, he gets mixed in with his neighbors and finds himself in a new home. Here's why getting pigs off to a good start is essential.

Where is the pork industry on its path to a PRRS-resistant pig? Matt Culbertson, chief operating officer at PIC, provides an update.

Dalton Obermier works to develop novel phenotypes available for genetic selection in hopes of speeding up genetic progress towards feed efficiency and conversion by utilizing the NUtrack livestock monitoring system.

Pork processor Triumph and others dispute legality of a Massachusetts law about sow housing regulations.

Sow mortality due to POP is even more relevant than a year ago because it’s no longer an issue isolated to the U.S. Sow mortality reports are increasing around the world. That’s why a new genomics study is turning heads.

Kelsey Hammers, a Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota, is studying the impact of high zinc supplementation to gestating sows on sow and piglet performance, specifically the effects on piglet mortality.

Adequate colostrum intake after birth helps promote piglet survival. As litter sizes increase, the demand for colostrum proportionately increases to achieve this desired intake. Here are three ways to improve intake.

The hot summer months are upon us, and a team at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists recently announced a new smartphone application, HotHog, to help predict heat stress in pigs.

Experts from across the country came together at the 2023 World Pork Expo for an in-depth discussion on what the industry knows – and doesn’t know – about sow longevity and pig survivability.

How can the use of a feed flavor in sow lactation impact sow feed intake, body condition changes and piglet growth? Mikayla Spinler, our latest addition to Farm Journal's PORK's Up & Coming Leaders, sheds insight.

How can better understanding the sow's amino acid demands in lactation ultimately lead to more profitable pork production? Iowa State's Dalton Humphrey is exploring how to nutritionally support the sow better.

Sow behavioral changes from weaning to 10 days post-weaning can provide important clues about the optimum time for breeding. Nicole Moest, a graduate student at the University of Illinois, is exploring possibilities.

Sow caretakers often focus on increasing feed intake in lactation. However, gestation feed intake comprises over 50% of sow feed intake. Here's how you can improve sow gestation in your barn.

Check out the 2023-24 line-up of topics for SowBridge, the distance educational series for those who work with sows, boars and piglets, and with genetic and reproductive issues.

When it comes to rearing healthy pigs, sows possess the superpower: colostrum. That’s why Kara Stewart is so invested in improving pig livability by starting with one of the most basic building blocks in a pig's life.

Every detail matters when you're talking about preventing a bacteria or virus from walking onto your sow farm. Here's a look at why employee turnover may be one of your greatest biosecurity risks.

The strategy for pig production is pretty simple, says Clayton Johnson, DVM. But we have to call out our challenges. How do producers manage execution and sustainability in a world of distractions? 

It was a big day at our house when our son brought home his Ascend One Limited Edition Gable Steveson wrestling shoes. If you follow wrestling, you know Gable.

Conflict. Everyone wants to avoid it, but experts say that's never a good move. 

Being an advocate for your employees is one of the best things you can do as a sow farm manager because it pays off in their work and in their mental health, says Danielle Voelkel of New Fashion Pork. 

It’s hard when sows die, says Luis Lopez, a breeding team lead at New Fashion Pork. The reality that you can do everything right and still experience loss on a farm is hard to deal with day in and day out.

Although not a big surprise, the 2017-2021 Production Analysis Summary for the U.S. Pork Industry revealed a continued mortality increase across all production phases. Here's a look at why mortality gaps are growing.

There is more to a thermal environment for a pig than just temperature. Here's a look at a recent review in the Journal of Animal Science on the impact and management of the housing environment and piglet response.

Benny Mote, University of Nebraska-Lincoln assistant professor and swine Extension specialist, believes producers can help tackle the lameness issue in their herds by focusing on three simple things.

Ongoing research aims to provide clarity on why sows die. What’s challenging about sow mortality is the largest contributor is a bucket of reasons labeled “unknown.” The leading identifiable reason? Lameness.

Iowa State graduate student Jamie Studer is studying immune cell profiles and circulating biomarkers in sows at farrowing to determine if they are predictive of future agalactia, or the absence of milk production.

Iowa State graduate student Jamie Studer is studying immune cell profiles and circulating biomarkers in sows at farrowing to determine if they are predictive of future agalactia, or the absence of milk production.

Two of the most critical challenges facing pork producers are herd health and labor shortages. Unless solutions to these complex issues can be found and implemented, producers will struggle to maintain profitability.

A North Carolina State University study examined relationships among birth characteristics, early nursing behaviors and colostrum consumption in over 600 piglets by measuring their immunocrits 36 hours after farrowing.

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? 

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.

Equip your team with confidence so they can thrive through the transition to electronic sow feeding (ESF) systems and improve their animal handling skills. Here are a few tips to get started.

By the world’s standards, they looked like an unlikely group of employees to bring into a sow barn. But to Jimmy Tosh, owner of Tosh Farms, they looked like a group of women who could use a second chance.

The Grow-Disk™ chain disk system is a cost-effective solution for automating feed delivery.

Producers are continually driven to integrate new technologies to improve sustainability and welfare. Purdue University researchers have developed a new way to cool sows and lower their respiration rate while farrowing.

SowMAX eliminates the guesswork of feeding sows to full appetite.

The North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute) praises the ruling issued by the Superior Court for Sacramento County in California to halt enforcement of Proposition 12.

When John Deen, DVM, was a kid, he remembers a time when sow mortality was not a problem. However times have changed, and Deen says it's partly our creation. Here are seven sow management trends to watch in 2022.

A flattening of the U.S. swine breeding herd is supported by the continued pace of sow slaughter, analysts said in the Daily Livestock Report. Here's a look at sow slaughter in 2021.

China's sow herd at the end of November was 4.7% higher than the previous year at 42.96 million head, the agriculture ministry said late on Thursday.

Sow mortality numbers continue to be a concern for producers across the country, with lameness being the second leading cause at a rate of approximately 30% of the total mortalities.