Sows
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.
Sow mortality continues to baffle the pork industry. Although no one has uncovered the smoking gun, most would agree that it’s a multifactorial problem and needs to be approached from many perspectives.
What makes a good mother? Can early-life social behaviors indicate a female’s mothering ability later in life? A research project utilizing the NUtrack animal monitoring system is seeking to find out.
Whether you are converting an existing herd or populating a barn utilizing electronic sow feeding systems with new gilts, it can be a long road to get the herd comfortable with the new system. Here are a few tips.
Kansas State University swine researchers and graduate students are reporting findings that could help the survival rates of newly weaned pigs.
When it comes to sow mortality, we often take note of the upper part of the “iceberg,” but we really need to be concerned with what’s below the surface, said Carlos Piñeiro, DVM, of PigCHAMP Pro Europa, S.L.
China is now allowing imports of breeding pigs from Ireland.
Sow death loss continues to rise. Many or most farms don’t have enough labor due to cost and availability. This leaves the pork industry asking a tough question: How can we make the most of the labor we have?
How does overfeeding amino acids impact a sow’s energy balance and lactation feed intake? Nutritionist Jeff Knott shares his thoughts on lactation diets.
Research shows what technology, and in particular precision feeding, can do to improve efficiency in a commercial swine farm setting. So, what’s holding pork operations back from implementing precision feeding systems?
The swine industry has historically battled labor shortages, and COVID-19 amplified those challenges. Here are a few tips for attending farrowing I learned working on a sow farm with labor challenges.
Sow reproductive performance drops off in the summer, and this year will be no different, according to Paul Yeske, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minnesota.
Brandi Burton, DVM, Suidae Health and Production, Algona, Iowa, shared her thoughts with AgriTalk host Chip Flory on the pork industry’s progress in addressing several issues.