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Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
Get’er Done for High Level Return: Using Structured Problem Solving to Attain Significant Value
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles by admin on May 6, 2011 | No Comments
The Puratone Corporation uses a structured problem solving system called Six Sigma to improve their profitability. Six Sigma uses the methodology DMAIC: define, measure, analyze, improve and control. Using the structured problem solving structure has had success in Puratone’s Full-Value Pig project, and reducing finishing feed costs.
Get’er Done for High Level Return: Getting the Fundamentals Right
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The highest frequency of injuries happen to new employees with no industry experience, and this can be reduced by proper training. There are various training programs becoming available, one being the Individual Pig CareTM which focuses on pig identification, symptom quantification, and communication. The symptom quantification part uses the ABCE system to informs trainees how to classify a sick or injured pig as acute, sub-acute, chronic, or needs to be euthanized. Proper training benefits everyone in the industry including employer, employee, and the animals.
Effects of Farm Handling on Physiological Responses, Losses and Meat Quality of Commercial Pigs
Posted in: Meat Quality, Pork Insight Articles, Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Stressful transport to the slaughterhouse can result in more mortalities, an increase in non-ambulatory pigs, more condemned carcasses, and poorer meat quality. By decreasing the stress during transport there will be less economic loss, higher meat quality, and better animal welfare. Feed withdrawal before transport helps by reducing fatigue during transfer, making handling easier, lessening transport sickness, reducing carcass contamination, and improving meat quality (from increased pH). In older farm facilities corridors would have been designed for a lighter pig, and given that pig size has increased they may be too narrow for current pigs. This can lead to increased stress in loading, and increased injury. The use of electric prods has been shown to increase the heart rate of pigs throughout the transport, resulting in higher stress and more mortalities. Programs encouraging transporters to slow down, and hydraulic lifts are two final ways to reduce stress during transport. Using these strategies the stress during transport can be reduced, and economic losses minimized.
Livestock Transportation Training Programs that Teach Practical Pig Handling Skills
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The close confines of transport trucks can make herding pigs challenging, but by watching the herd’s reaction and using their instincts loading and unloading can become much smoother. When feeling threatened, pigs will seek safety and do so in several ways. If the pigs are calm, the herd will move in a flow. As the pigs feel more threatened bunching or circling can occur. When unloading or loading pigs, the flow herd movement is desired. It is important to keep the pigs calm and to stay out of their flight zone. Transporters also need to control their own instincts to chase, or use too much pressure to get the animals moving. By paying attention to physical cues, moving pigs can be made much smoother by keeping the herd calm and using their natural herd instinct.
Innovation and Trends in Consumer Marketing in Europe
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Pork is eaten throughout Europe, and while there is variety in the preferred processed product fresh cut preference is similar. Consumers can be segmented by how often they eat pork, and the variety of pork products they are willing to try. By knowing the consumer segments, marketing strategies can be developed including high quality or free-range pork. Organic pork consumers also have different reasons to choose those product, with concern for environmental issues and animal welfare making up the largest faction. Finally, healthy choices are especially important to Northern Europeans, and pork could be marketed as a healthy, low-sodium, low-fat choice.
Cost Effective Feeding Strategies for Grow-Finish Pigs
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Cost effective feeding strategies can help increase net profit, but the nutritional requirements must still be met. The cost of feed can determine which strategy is best because when feed costs are high it is best to use a strategy to maximize feed efficiency, but when feed costs are low it is better to use a strategy to maximize average daily gain. Increasing fat percentage increases feed efficiency, but also increases feed cost, so a 3:1 corn to fat ratio should be maintained to be cost effective. Alternative ingredients such as DDGS and crystalline amino acids can help lower costs, but should be used in moderation and with an upper limit. Additives like phytase and Pyrolean can improve feed efficiency, and multiplying expected percent improvement multiplied by average cost of diet can determine what amount keeps the feed cost effective. If a barn markets on a fixed weight then focusing on a feed efficiency strategy is better; whereas, a fixed date marketing strategy suits maximizing average daily gain. Other management strategies including split sex feeding, phase feeding, and the form of feed chosen can be altered. The various dietary ingredient and management strategies can help keep feed cost effective, and nutritionally adequate.
Benefits and Limitations of Feeding Corn DDGS to Grower- Finisher Pigs
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Dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) has become a cost effective ingredient to add to feed, and contains fairly good energy, protein, lysine, and phosphorus values. However, the nutritional content is variable, which makes it harder to properly supply adequate energy to grower-finisher pigs. It has also been found to decreases carcass dressing percent, and decrease fat quality. The high linoleic acid of DDGS results in softer belly fat, and an increase in unsaturated fatty acids. This also increases the iodine value (IV), and each 1 point increase increases the feed costs by $0.30-1.10 per pig. DDGS can be fed at lower levels, or cut out of feed for the last few weeks during finishing to decrease the negative effect on dressing percent and the IV.
New Developments in Feeding Programs for Weaned Pigs
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Improving the performance of nursery pigs immediately post-wean is important, but the effect on later hog performance of changing sow nutrients during gestation and lactation has been largely overlooked. Certain fatty acids and Selenium supplementation to lactating sow’s diet can help improve nursery performance during weaning. N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids improve the piglet’s intestinal ability to transport glucose and glutamine, improving nutrient utilization and energy viability during weaning. Selenium is an antioxidant, so it helps reduce oxidation of tissues while the piglet is under stress, including the weaning period. Another way to improve nursery performance is to use plasma proteins to stimulate food intake while weaning; however, it has been difficult to implement. Now there is a product called LiquiteinTM, which allows plasma protein to be added to the water supply. It improves dry feed intake, rather than just promoting water intake. Finally, diet changes should be avoided during vaccination. By delaying the vaccination until after a diet change, stress is reduced and less weight loss occurs.
How to Analyze and Adjust Practices in a Vertically Integrated Production System
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In 2009-2010 Maple Leaf started to utilize Agristats and Metafarm to evaluate their performance, and set production goals. Agristats allowed them to internally benchmark their performance between barns, and to create competition to increase overall production quality. Metafarm allows benchmarking between different companies, and to recognize which areas are important to improve. Maple Leaf found they had a volatile, and the nurseries were frequently over capacity. They were able to stabilize the flow, and increase weanling weights after identifying the problem. Overall, Maple Leaf has been able to increase net profit by then setting priorities, effectively communication production information, and focusing resources on big areas.
Benchmarking – Production Practices Used by the Most Profitable Companies
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AgriStat was used to examine the data from the top 25% most profitable companies. There was a variety in what advantages and disadvantages each individual company had. In general, production was not as important as reducing cost. Getting more pigs to market was important (lower mortality rates), even if the price per head was lower. Overall, lowered costs and decent production were common trends. Each company needs to be able to evaluate its own strengths and weaknesses to find areas to improve.