Between the Gate and Plate: a Grocer’s Perspective on the Influence of Consumer Demands on the Value Chain

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles by admin on April 1, 2010 | No Comments

In order to increase pork sales, the choices of the consumer should be considered and products made available for specific needs. With the rise of obesity, high blood pressure, and related diseases, Canadians are making more health conscious choices. They are more likely to choose products that can be incorporated into a balanced diet. This can include products that are low sodium, low fat, and reduced calories. Canadians are also time constrained, so meals that are quick and easy to prepare are the preferred choice. Products including simple recipes or that are co-marketed with products to make a meal could be popular with this group of consumers. Food of conscious, like organic or natural products, are chosen because they are perceived to be higher quality, and with improved nutritional benefit and animal welfare. Many consumers are willing to pay more for food that has a third party food safety certification, and some prefer products that are traceable. Finally, environmental concerns can be addressed by using recyclable material, offering locally grown products, or showing the carbon footprint of a product. By offering a variety of products, consumers will be more likely to include pork into their daily diet.

Food Safety, Traceability and Public Health

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles by admin on | No Comments

Each nation has been responsible for their own food processing policies for around 100 years, and the major goal has been to be self-sufficient. To achieve this, governments often subsidized underproducing sectors, and exported or bought overproduced items. Western perspective treated agriculture differently from other commercial activities, food will always be needed, and the volatility of agriculture due to climate etc. justified government support. Modern day has a different outlook on farming: most people have never had firsthand experience with a farm, and the view on agriculture has changed due to issues like globalization, influenza pandemics, GMOs, and animal welfare. A policy arrangement is a temporary stabilization in a sector to achieve a goal, and Growing Forward is a Canadian policy arrangement for agriculture. Policy arrangements can be changed by policy coalitions, as seen by the sale of ungraded eggs on Vancouver Island due to the popularity of the “100 mile diet”, or by the impact the Humane Society of the United States can have on legislature. Policy arrangements can be statist, corporatist, or liberal depending on the level of government involvement and control. After WWII the Netherlands created an “iron triangle” that represented the government, farmers, and society untied to support a modern, competitive agricultural sector. New Zealand went through an agricultural revolution after heavily subsidizing farming in the 1950-1970s. In 1985 many of the subsidies were stopped, farming shifted to dairy and horticulture, and farming became more strictly controlled by the government. The Canadian Agri-Food Research Council existed as a series of committees that tracked research, and strategized where research should be focused. It disbanded, and marked a change away from corporatist policy for research. The Agricultural Policy Framework was a five year plan in Canada that considered topics if they impacted profitability. It became the Growing Forward policy arrangement, which still notably does not address animal welfare topics. The future policies likely will address animal welfare, as three new organizations have formed with the primary objective of doing so.

Advances in Sow and Gilt Management

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on | No Comments

Proper sow management involves feeding and lying areas. The feeding system chosen should feed each animal individually at least once a day, they should be undisturbed, and fed at the same time as others in the group. Feeding stalls are the best option, as other systems will be lacking in at least one of these areas. Social hierarchy should be considered in group housing, and sows should be mixed in a properly set-up area. As well, satiation will prevent sow aggression due to hunger. Sows spend the majority of their time lying down, so a comfortable area is necessary. The local climate should be considered when choosing flooring as slats will cool sows, and solid flooring will insulate them. Straw provides additional insulation, and reduces leg and hoof injuries. Gilts represent the future of the herd, and should be treated as such. They should be kept in smaller groups, with ample space and feed, and different flooring types. Proper gilt and sow management can help ensure good herd performance in the future.

Performance Versus Cost

Posted in: Economics, Pork Insight Articles by admin on | No Comments

Even with good performance and consistently meeting weaning goals producers can end up in financial trouble. Either costs are too high or income too low, but either way performance measurements are not always accurate at determining the success of a producer. Financial statements allow the current and past status to be evaluated, provide objective targets, and allow for future planning. Ways to track financial performance include charts of accounts, balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements. Analysis of finances can be done through ratios in five areas: profitability, turnover, financial leverage, liquidity, and market value. Return of Equity (ROE), or the Dupont system, is often used because it addresses invested capital. Return on Assets (ROA) can intuitively be used when making management decisions, as it includes throughput and profit margin, and it contributes to total ROE. Optimum performance involves balancing high productivity and low costs, this is particularly hard to determine when prices are volatile and benchmarking difficult. Partial budgets are useful for making smaller, short-term decisions. Sensitivity analysis is useful to see how robust the budget is when one variable, like a price, is changed. Financial records can be powerful tools for analyzing performance, and with production records can give a good overview of the status of the facility.

Precision Management: What Top Producers are doing to be Profitable

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles by admin on | No Comments

Continuous improvement is the key to successful pork production, and various top companies have ways in which to do so. Clear expectations can be communicated through protocols, and then can be evaluated. Evaluations are best done by pass/fail, yes/no type systems. Communication between farm staff and management can help identify areas of the protocols that need to be amended. By encouraging change and not over-analyzing things continuous improvement can occur. When expectations are not met they are discussed, and the reason behind missing it identified and future ways to avoid it decided.  Finally, expectations are prioritized and done without rushing. Clear expectations, objective measurements, communication, and effect changes are ways top companies can continuously improve.

Milk Production and Nutritional Requirements of Modern Sows

Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on | No Comments

As litter sizes increase, it is important that the sow is able to produce enough milk. Nutrition and genetics contribute to milk production, but other factors like feed intake, body condition, and water intake can influence it as well. Milk production can remain high if a sow is given adequate energy and amino acids. The lysine requirement for sows is 62 g/day SID, but the percent in food changes with parity. Gilts require the highest percent because they have a lower feed intake, so increasing the percent will help avoid a parity 2 dip. Synthetic lysine can also be added up to 0.30% for all parities. Energy amount and type both influence milk production. In this study, ad lib feeding systems increased feed intake 7% compared to hand feeding. As well, with an ESF feed intake was maximized by feeding 1.8, 1.8, and then 2.7 kg of feed for the first three days of lactation, and then fully feeding. Bump feeding (increasing feed the last 2-3 weeks of gestation) is not recommended for over condition sows, and more research is needed to determine if there is any benefit for other sows. Adding additional fat to lactation diets has had limited success. One study found increased litter gain in P3+ sows, and another found increased gain in litters that was not maintained post-weaning.

A Holistic View of the Future

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on | No Comments

As population growth continues, and new areas for agriculture become limited, it is important to use new methods, like genetics, to keep the world fed. Pig production has responded to the demand over the years by switching from traditional to the current intensive system. Future development will be impeded by politicization in science: with funding given to researchers who use “conclusions seeking evidence”. Critics of current agriculture have led to some companies switching to other countries, often with fewer regulations. Population growth would suggest that pork demand will increase, however meat is generally eaten by those with more income. Slowing population growth will increase per capita income in a country, and possibly allow more people the opportunity to eat meat. The future market will likely be more volatile, and precision agriculture that provides stabilization will be a solution for success.

The Global Pork Situation – Where Does Canada Fit?

Posted in: Economics, Pork Insight Articles by admin on | No Comments

The pork industry has become a global industry due to importing and exporting of pork, pigs, and feed. Canada has only 1.6% of the global pig industry, and experienced the largest decline in numbers between 2005 and 2009. Although cost of production rose 22.5% in 2006-2007, Canada still has one of the lowest costs of production. Canada is also one on the top (3rd in 2009) exporters, and the global pork consumption is expected to increase, especially in developing nations. Canadian processors and retailers experience high competition globally and in North America. The US companies strongly dominate the market, and this puts pressure on the Canadian pork industry to supply Canadian companies pork at lower cost and higher quality. Global issues also impact the Canadian industry, as seen through issues like corn prices and H1N1. Since Canada relies on exporting, any global issues like exchange rates, labeling restrictions, and global prices, will have an effect on the pork industry.

EU-Welfare legislation on pigs

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Welfare by admin on March 30, 2010 | No Comments

The people of Europe consider the welfare of their livestock animals before they eat them. They are concerned about pigs being kept in dark, tight quarters with boring housing conditions. They are also concerned about painful procedures like castration and tail docking. There were standards set by the European Commission on pig production. The standards were originally made in 1991 and are soon coming up for review. It is unknown how the new standards will turn out. But an assessment of the current situation has the potential to provide evidence as to how it will turnout. This report gives a brief overview of the EU pig welfare legislation. It also provides a look at what national governments have been funding regarding pig welfare research.

Isospora suis infection and its association with postweaning performance on three southwestern Ontario swine farms

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on March 21, 2010 | No Comments

Objective: To determine the association between Isospora suis infection and weight gain in pigs up to 8 weeks of age.

Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on a convenience sample of three swine farms in Ontario. Fecal samples were collected from randomly selected piglets from each of 72 litters and examined for oocysts using centrifugal floatation. Piglet weight was recorded six times, during the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and eighth weeks of life. If one or more suckling piglets from
a litter were shedding I suis oocysts, then the litter was classified as infected. A linear mixed model was used to examine the effect of infection on weight gain.

Results: Isospora suis infection during suckling was associated with lower weights of pigs at the end of the nursery stage (average 62 days of age). Pigs from infected litters were 1.4 kg lighter than pigs from non-infected litters (95% CI, 1.1-1.8 kg; P < .001).

Implications: Infection with I suis during the suckling period can have an impact on postweaning performance. Thus, calculations of the economic impact of coccidiosis need to include the effect of slower growth rates in the first few weeks after weaning, as well as a reduction in suckling pig performance.