Variety of manure management practices

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2009 | No Comments

Due to the size and dispersed nature of its facilities, the Heimerl
hog operation in Ohio uses a variety of manure management
practices—from manure injection to a traveling irrigation gun, to
do the job right. In terms of the timing of application, Heimerl says they avoid
spreading on weekends to keep good relations with neighbors and
pay extra attention to water quality issues and application rates. When attempting to maintain a hog production business with
people
crowding in all around you, it takes an operation of this caliber to
successfully avoid the health and public relations nightmares that
can sometimes develop when city folk get an itch to move to the
country.

How does Air Filtration fit into Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Virus Regional Control and Eradication Strategies?

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If the industry aspires to deal with some of today’s disease problems (particularly PRRS), we need to systematically identify the major obstacles and seek the solutions. The feasibility of controlling the complex diseases we face now and into the future will increasingly depend on uptake of improved technology. Air filtration is an example of how technological advances can alter the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of implementing a regional control program.
However the biggest question is not whether new technologies can assist us in the challenge of disease control in the swine industry; it is whether we are ready to embrace them (Davies 2007). In the long term the greatest challenge will be to foster producer participation, which will ultimately determine the usefulness of any initiative to support
regional disease control. Common sense also must be part of the equation. As of today we have plenty of knowledge and understanding on pathogen transmission and how to prevent it, importance of geographical location, and implementation of effective and not “psychological” biosecurity strategies such as air filtration. So let’s use available, sound information and help our producers on the battle against PRRSV and other economically important pathogens; let them be successful and profitable and may the swine industry shine again!

Nutritional value of flaxseed meal for swine

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Flaxseed meal (FSM) is a by-product of the flax crushing industry and
contains an average of 34% crude protein (CP) and 13% fat on a DM basis.
The CP fraction is characterized by a low lysine content (4.1% of CP) but is
high in tryptophan (1.2%), methionine (1.9%) and threonine (3.7%).
Two experiments were conducted to determine the nutritional profile of FSM
for pigs. In Exp. 1, apparent nutrient digestibilities (AD) and the digestible (DE)
and net (NE) content of FSM were determined. The DE and NE contents were 3.52
and 2.46 Mcal/kg DM for growing pigs and 3.58 and 2.49 Mcal/kg DM for
sows, respectively. In Exp. 2, 5 barrows (38 kg) were fitted with T-cannulas at
their terminal ileum to determine the standardized ileal AA digestibility (SID) of
FSM. The SID AA content (g/kg dry FSM) was 29.6, 5.7, 12.1, 16.8, 10.3,
5.3, 14.0, 9.4, 2.9, 13.8 and 12.2 for Arg, His, Ile, Leu, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, Trp
and Val respectively. Therefore, FSM contains a comparable nutritional value to that of canola
meal for pigs but with a lower lysine content and higher DE and NE content,
due to its high fat content. The main limiting factor for its use in swine nutrition
could be its low lysine content.

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AASV To Release H1N1 Recommendations

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The American Association of Swine Veterinarians will release a document with recommendations on the Pandemic H1N1 disease and the risk it poses to the U.S. swine herd, according to Rodney “Butch” Baker, DVM, AASV president. The document will be available to veterinarians and producers by early August. The Pandemic H1N1 virus has never been found in U.S. pigs. “Based on current research with the virus, it has been determined that the virus is infectious in pigs and it will likely spread if it does enter our pig population,” Baker reports. Further, it has been determined that pork from influenza-recovered pigs is completely safe. “We are certain that swine influenza viruses will not enter the food chain from pigs that have recovered from this virus,” he continues. All pigs harvested in the U.S. must be healthy at the time of slaughter. All pigs are inspected by government Food Safety Inspection Service veterinarians to assure this.
The virus will not be present in the meat.

Land-Use Credits to Corn Ethanol: Accounting for Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles as a Feed Substitute in Swine Rations

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First, we estimate displacement rates and land-use credits from optimal feed rations derived from a least-cost optimization rather than from feeding trial rations. We find that using feed ration changes from feeding trials and using changes between optimal feed rations may give comparable displacement rates in the case of a swine feed ration because DDGS is a dominant feed ingredient such that regardless of the variable nutrient profile outcomes, the maximum inclusion rate for DDGS is always reached in the optimal feed ration.
Second, absent any efficiency improvement impact in the use of DDGS, we propose an approach to calculate displacement rates that takes into account all changes in feed ingredients when DDGS is introduced in the ration. This approach imposes a bound on displacement rates between zero and one. Third, we fully account for DDGS nutrient profile variability and characterize displacement rates and land-use credits with a distribution rather than a single point estimate. The total land-use credit for DDGS in a swine feed ration ranges from -0.367 to -0.596 hectares. The land-use credit from substituting corn in the feed ration accounts for 56.09% and for soymeal it contributes 48.46%.
Finally, we consider and analyze the possibility that feed compounders may discount the DDGS nutrient profile that they assume when they formulate their ration to ensure that they are at or above any realized nutrient profile at a certain probability, which we refer to as the safety level (say 90%). At this safety level, the land-use credit for corn ethanol declines by 8.47% from the mean in the swine ration case.

Effects of variations in the environment, length of journey and type of trailer on the mortality and morbidity of pigs being transported to slaughter

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The objective of this study was to record a range of variables that might be involved when transporting pigs under
commercial conditions. It was found that temperatures below 5°C (especially when there is no bedding in the trailer) and above 20°C, journeys lasting 30 minutes to four hours, waiting times at the processing plant longer than four hours, journeys during October, November and December, and transporting trailer loads of pigs of both sexes were all factors that could adversely affect the welfare of pigs being transported to slaughter.

For more information the full article can be found at http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/by/year

Effect of dietary supplementation with inulin and/or benzoic acid on the incidence and severity of post-weaning diarrhoea in weaner pigs after experimental challenge with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

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Given the purported different modes of action against PWD and gastrointestinal sites where inulin and benzoic acid are effective, we hypothesised that feeding weaner pigs with diets supplemented with inulin and benzoic acid is a means to reduce ETEC colonisation and the incidence of PWD. Accordingly, this experiment was designed to evaluate whether dietary supplementation with 8% inulin and/or 0.5% benzoic acid would reduce ETEC colonisation and subsequently the frequency and severity of PWD under the conditions of an experimental ETEC challenge. The study found that feeding inulin-supplemented diets reduced the incidence and severity of PWD in weaner pigs experimentally challenged with live ETEC. Dietary modulation with inulin and benzoic acid failed to reduce average ETEC shedding, although a significant relationship occurred between average FC and average faecal shedding of ETEC. Overall this study suggests that feeding weaner pigs an inulin-supplemented diet has potential to reduce the incidence and severity of PWD in pigs without reducing the weaner pig performance.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gaan20

Assessing the ventilation effectiveness of naturally ventilated livestock buildings under wind dominated conditions using computational fluid dynamics

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A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to investigate the natural ventilation of a climatic livestock building under different wind incidences (WIs) for three different inlet opening areas. A 1⁄2 scale experimental duopitch building was employed to validate, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the CFD predictions of airflow distribution. To improve the applicability of CFD to building design, a thermal comfort index called the ‘‘minimum comfort temperature’’ was used in this study.

Results showed that ventilation rates were not at their highest when wind was blowing normal to the building because a considerable quantity of the flow exited the building via short-circuiting. However, the greatest ventilation homogeneity was experienced when the wind was blowing normal to the building, because of the formation of two
wind-driven vortices within the building. Results also showed that the highest level of environmental heterogeneity occurs at WIs of 10–40° because the primary vortex only occupies a portion of the total building volume. It was also found that in some circumstances the ventilation rate determined from the flow rate through the building openings may not accurately represent the actual ventilation rate of a building, and measurements/simulations of contaminant decay may form a more accurate measure of ventilation rate.

Expression of Toll-like receptor mRNA and cytokines in pigs infected with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

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Field observations have suggested that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) predispose pigs to secondary infections. The interaction between PRRSV and the secondary invaders has not yet been well elucidated. In this study, we investigated the mRNA expression of Toll-like receptors (TLR) in lymphoid organs and cells, and cytokine
secretions by alveolar macrophages (AMs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) in PRRSVchallenged pigs. TLR mRNA expressions were measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cytokine concentrations were determined using commercially available ELISA kits. PRRSV infection led to significantly increased secretions of IL-1b and IL-6 by AMs of PRRSV-infected pigs. Infection of pigs with PRRSV also resulted in an increased secretion of IL-1b by AMs in response to lipoteichoic acid (LTA) stimulation, and IL-6 by PBMCs in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and LTA
stimulation. Infection of pigs with PRRSV tended to up-regulate the mRNA expression of TLR2, 3, 4, 7 and 8 in at least one of the lymphoid tissues and cells. Further research is required to demonstrate the association between the enhanced expressions of the specific TLRs and the increased susceptibility to secondary agents with more severe clinical outcomes in PRRSV-infected pigs.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03781135

Genetic diversity of Brazilian pig breeds evidenced by microsatellite markers

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Until now, among all the types of molecular markers, the microsatellite loci are the most widely used when studying the
genetic diversity and population structure of livestock. Although the Brazilian naturalized pig breeds have been little studied it is known that they present adaptation traits that could be useful in breeding programs aiming at future consumer demands. For this reason, the objective of this work was to evaluate the actual genetic diversity and the population structure of five naturalized and commercial pig breeds sampled in Brazil utilizing 28 microsatellite loci to infer about some primary tasks important in the area of conservations of pig genetic resources. This study made it possible to clarify the importance of the local or naturalized breeds as well as to propose some management strategies for these Brazilian genetic resources. If the molecular markers are used holistically together with other methodologies, like was done in this present study, they can become a very important tool in assisting the conservation and improvement of herds. Therefore, to preserve the genetic integrity of breeds is necessary, in order to prevent their disappearance, as well as to develop similar research aiming at their conservation. In this way, the genetic potential of these naturalized breeds can be used more effectively as a resource for unexpected future demands in the area of animal improvement.

For more information the full article can be found at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/livsci