Sow Management
Explore the latest news, research and practical resources pork producers need to optimize sow herd health, productivity and longevity. Stay informed on effective management strategies ranging from nutrition and reproductive performance to farrowing care and housing regulations.
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.
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.
As one of the researchers who helped developed pigs resistant to the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus said, “At the very least, the development of PRRS-resistant pigs is a new tool for im
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.
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.
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.
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?
The 44th annual World Ag Expo 2011 will take place Feb. 8 to 10 at the International Agri-Center in Tulare, Calif., with 1,600 exhibitors on 2.6 million sq. ft. of show grounds.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.