Forage Subsurface Drip Irrigation Using Treated Swine Wastewater

Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2008 | No Comments

The overall study objective was to determine the feasibility of using subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for treated wastewater effluent applications. It was found that treatments using wastewater effluent had significantly higher hay yields and significantly higher nutrient biomass removal rates than the commercial fertilizer treatments. Nitrate-N observed in soil water lysimeters increased with depth, indicating the potential for leaching without proper management. Soil nitrogen and carbon were not significantly different for any of the treatments but did vary slightly over the life of the project.

Can we feed mycotoxin contaminated feed to pigs?

Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin produced by fungi which may contaminate cereal grains, including barley and wheat. The contamination is especially problematic when wet, warm conditions prevail during the growing season. The ingestion of grain that is severely contaminated by DON will cause overt symptoms such as vomiting (hence the common name “vomitoxin”). Less dramatic, but more frequently observed symptoms, reduced feed intake and growth, will result when pigs consume feed with a lower concentration of the mycotoxin. The Canadian Feed Inspection Agency suggests that 1 ppm mycotoxin in feed is a safe upper limit for swine.

There are several feed additives available which reportedly reduce the impact of the mycotoxin on the pig. Modes of action vary, and include; binding the mycotoxin in the gut and preventing absorption, chemically transforming the toxin to decrease its toxicity, or enhancing immune system function.

The overall objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of these feed additives on the performance of nursery pigs fed diets contaminated with DON.

We used 5 nurseries for this experiment, 24 pens per nursery and 4 pigs per pen. Pigs were fed starter diets for 14 days before being offered the treatment diets (BW 9.02 ± 0.36 kg) for the next 14 days. All starter diets contained in-feed antibiotics.
Treatment diets were formulated to meet or exceed all requirements for pigs of this age. A positive control diet contained no contaminated corn, while the negative control diet was formulated with contaminated corn but no feed additives. Samples of corn which were pre-analyzed and shown to contain DON were used for 70% of the corn (35% in the final diet) in diets 2 to 12 to provide 2 ppm DON in the final diet. This concentration was chosen because a preliminary experiment indicated this amount would cause a measurable reduction in feed intake but would not be fatal.
Performance results are shown in Table 1. Pigs on the positive control tended to be heavier than those on the negative control by day 22 (0.50 kg, P = 0.09). Overall, pigs consuming diets contaminated with DON had reduced ADG and ADFI compared to those consuming the positive control diet free of DON (P < 0.001). Weekly measurements of body weight and feed intake showed that the decline in feed intake preceded the decline in growth (data not shown). Average daily gain and ADFI of pigs on the positive control was superior to those consuming the DON contaminated diet, regardless of the feed additive used. None of the feed additives ameliorated the effects of DON on feed intake or gain. Feed efficiency was unaffected by treatment (P > 0.05).
Based on a literature search and our preliminary experiment which indicated that 2 ppm would elicit a detectable decrease in feed intake but was non-fatal, we formulated the treatment diets to this level. Analyses of the diets indicated a mean concentration in the DON containing diets of 1.99 ppm, however, the individual diet concentrations ranged from 1.57 to 2.61 ppm.
The 1 tonne totes of contaminated corn were initially sampled from about 10 different locations within each tote to a depth of about 1 metre. These samples, composited by tote, were sent to two different labs for analyses for DON and moulds. The results were extremely variable, within and between the labs. Results from lab “A” ranged from 2.4 to 5.5 ppm with a mean of 4.5 while the results from lab “B” were 2.2 to 9.6 ppm and a mean of 6.9. We didn’t use the totes which displayed the most variability, however, the DON concentrations in our diets were still quite variable (Table 1).
The above illustrates the difficulty of working with mycotoxins. Obtaining representative samples for mycotoxin testing is very difficult, however it is imperative that a good sample is obtained or the results will be irrelevant. It has been estimated that almost 90% of the error associated with mycotoxin testing can be attributed to the method used to obtain the original sample. Because contamination within a field may be localized, a truck-load which has come directly from a field at harvest is likely to contain only discrete areas of contamination. Moreover, mycotoxin contaminated grains are heavier, thus within a truckload or during storage, some stratification may occur.
The “Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) of the USDA only recognizes samples which have been obtained using a probe. Moreover, at least 4 samples should be taken from each lot, preferably 7 to 9, depending on the size and thickness of the trailer. A 2000 to 2500 gram sample should be obtained. This sample should be ground and then subsampled to obtain the approximately 100 gram sample required by the lab. Producers are advised to contact the laboratory they will be using for the analyses to obtain specific sampling procedures and amounts required.
In summary, when nursery pigs were fed diets contaminated with approximately 2 ppm DON, feed intake declined by 10 % and growth by 7%. None of the feed additives mitigated this response, however, actual concentrations of DON in the test diets varied. This variability is an illustration of the difficulties inherent in correct sampling and analysis for mycotoxins.

The effects of sex and slaughter weight on growth performance and carcass traits of pigs intended for dry-cured ham from Teruel (Spain)

Posted in: Meat Quality by admin on | No Comments

This study investigates the effect of sex (barrows and gilts) and slaughter weight on growth performance and carcass characteristics using crossbred pigs from Duroc sires mated to Landrace x Large White dams. These pigs were intended for high quality dry-cured hams (Teruel ham) from Spain. It was concluded that barrows were better than gilts when intended for Teruel ham. Also, an increase in slaughter weight up to 130 kg in pigs impaired growth performance but improved some aspects of carcass quality that is required by the Teruel ham industry.

Antibiotic resistance genes and identification of staphylococci collected from the production chain of swine meat commodities

Posted in: Meat Quality by admin on | No Comments

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of staphylococci resistant to various antimicrobial agents in the entire production chain of swine meat commodities, from animal farming to final foods. Resistant staphylococcal isolates were collected and examined for the presence of 11 AR genes by means of specific PCRs; species identification and genetic correlation among the isolates were determined, as well. It was concluded that this investigation provided evidences of the wide occurrence of AR genes in resistant staphylococci derived from various steps of the production chain of swine meat commodities. It emerged that both coagulase-positive and -negative resistant staphylococci carry a number of AR genes demonstrating the spread of multidrug resistance in bacteria of food origin too, and the importance of resistance surveillance in the food production environment.

Feed Grains and Livestock: Impacts on Meat Supplies and Prices

Posted in: Economics by admin on | No Comments

In this article we attempt to explain what is happening to feed costs, including the likely consequences of the recent ethanol boom on these costs and how the different sectors—beef, dairy, pork, and poultry—are adjusting to higher costs. Importantly, speed of adjustment will vary significantly as industries with shorter production cycles, such as poultry, are able to respond in a matter of months whereas adjustments in industries with longer production cycles, such as beef, can take a period of several years.

Effect of dietary soybean oil and soybean protein concentration on the concentration of digestible amino acids in soybean products fed to growing pigs

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

The apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids by growing pigs is increased if oil is added to the diet (Li and Sauer, 1994; Albin et al., 2001). Standardized ileal digestibility values (SID) for crude protein and amino acids take into account the amino acid contributions of endogenous origins, and values for SID are more accurate estimates of the digestibility of amino acids in a feed ingredient compared with values for AID (Stein et al., 2007). However, there is limited information about the effect of dietary oil on the SID of amino acids in soybean products fed to pigs. It has been suggested (NRC, 1998) that the digestibility of amino acids in full-fat soybeans (FFSB) is less than in soybean meal (SBM) and soy protein concentrate (SPC). This is surprising because full-fat soybeans contain more oil than SBM and SPC (Cromwell, 2000; Zarkadas and Wiseman, 2005), and it would, therefore, be expected that the digestibility of amino acids in FFSB is greater than in defatted soybean products. Because increased protein concentration in soybeans is often accompanied by a reduced concentration of oil (Yaklich, 2001), the digestibility of amino acids in high-protein soybean varieties may be different from the digestibility in conventional varieties. The objective of this experiment was to measure the effect of oil addition to SBM and SPC on AID and SID of crude protein and amino acids by growing pigs and to compare these values to the AID and SID for crude protein and amino acids in FFSB. The second objective was to compare the digestibility of amino acids and the concentration of digestible amino acids in a new high-protein variety of FFSB (FFSB-HP) to values obtained in conventional sources of FFSB (FFSB-CV), SBM, and SPC. Four diets were prepared using each soybean product as the sole source of crude protein and amino acids in 1 diet. Two additional diets were formulated by adding soybean oil (7.55 and 7.35%, respectively) to the diets containing SBM and SPC. A nitrogen-free diet was also used to measure basal endogenous losses of crude protein and amino acids. The 2 sources of FFSB were extruded at 150°C before being used in the experiment. Seven growing barrows (initial BW = 26.2 kg) were prepared with a T-cannula in the distal ileum and allotted to a 7 × 7 Latin square design. Ileal digesta were collected from the pigs on day 6 and 7 of each period. All digesta samples were lyophilized and analyzed for DM, crude protein, amino acids, and chromium, and values for AID and SID of crude protein and amino acids were calculated. The addition of oil improved (P < 0.05) the SID of most indispensable amino acids in SBM and SPC. The SID for 6 of the indispensable amino acids in FFSB-HP were greater than in FFSB-CV, and the SID for all indispensable amino acids except Met was greater in FFSB-HP than in SBM. However, the SID for most amino acids in FFSB-HP was similar to SBM with oil and SPC, but these values were lower than in SPC with oil. In conclusion, the addition of oil improved the SID of most amino acids in SBM and SPC fed to growing pigs, and the SID of amino acids in FFSB-HP were greater than in SBM and similar to the SID of amino acids in SBM with oil and in SPC.

For more information the full article can be found at http://jas.fass.org/

Comparing fogging strategies for pig rearing using simulations to determine apparent heat-stress indices

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

Strategies to reduce the apparent heat-stress indices inside a growing pig building were compared. Two fogging strategies were studied, fogging with the necessary water evaporating to give the same: (i) duration of heat-stress, ‘FDuration’, and (ii) intensity of heat-stress, ‘FIntensity’, as when using evaporative pads, ‘EPads’. For the whole 5-month period (May–September) under Greek summer conditions strategy ‘FIntensity’ was significantly better than strategy ‘FDuration’ in terms of heat-stress duration (Po0.05; reduction 45.1%) and heat-stress intensity (Po0.01; reduction 70.7%). Also, during the hottest day (Julian 176) it resulted in: (i) a lower daily average inside temperature (28.5 vs. 31.8 1C; reduction 10.4%), (ii) a smaller daily inside dry-bulb temperature variation (8.7 vs. 10.3 1C; reduction 15.5%)
and (iii) a higher reduction of peak outside temperature (36.8 1C at 14:00 h), namely 2.9 vs. 0.2 1C, respectively. For both strategies and heat-stress indices July was the most stressful month and May the mildest. In areas characterised by high outside temperatures and scarce water resources strategy ‘FIntensity’ should be implemented with caution as larger water quantities, in comparison to strategy ‘FDuration’, need to evaporate.

For more information the full article can be found at  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/15375110

A comparison of the effects of dietary spray-dried bovine colostrum and animal plasma on growth and intestinal histology in weaner pigs

Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of dietary spray-dried plasma from two species (bovine and porcine) alongside spray-dried bovine colostrum in pigs weaned at 21 days of age, investigating the effect of these ingredients on small intestine histology, morphology and some indices of intestinal inflammation. It was found that compared to results from the control treatment, dietary spray-dried bovine colostrum reduced small intestine villus height at the site 25% along the small intestine, but increased it at the 75% site, whereas spray-dried bovine plasma increased villus height in the 25% and 75% sites, and spray-dried porcine plasma had no effect on villus height in any sampled region of the small intestine. Further research is needed to determine whether they are indeed functional alternatives, and where their similarities and differences may lie.

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

Evaluation of NutriDense low-phytate corn and added fat in growing and finishing swine diets

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

This study evaluates the effects of NutriDense low phytate corn in conjunction with increasing added dietary fat on growing and finishing pig performance. The results indicate that increasing added fat improved growth performance regardless of the corn source. In addition, growth performance was similar for pigs fed NutriDense low-phytate or yellow dent corn.

Effects of neonatal iron status, iron injections at birth, and weaning in young pigs from sows fed either organic or inorganic trace minerals

Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments

In this study second-partiy sows were fed diets containing organic or inorganic trace minerals, and their progeny were used to determine the iron (Fe) status of pigs at birth and nursing and postweaning phases. The results indicated a reduced Fe bioavailability when sows were fed the organic fe source, but this could also been because of a greater Fe need, lowered Fe status, or both, for the sow because of the greater number of pigs farrowed and heavier litter weights at parturition and weaning. It is also concludeed that Fe injection at birth may be critical to achieving maximum pig growth response to weaning. There was no apparent advantage to injecting fe at weaning when neonatal pigs received Fe injections.