Genetic determination of mothering ability and piglet growth in indigenous Mukota sows of Zimbabwe

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

The objectives of this study were to estimate the direct and maternal genetic effects for weight of pigs at 21 days and at weaning (35 days) and growth rate from birth to weaning, and determine the genetic parameters for cumulative litter traits and mothering ability in Mukota sows. It was found that common environmental litter effects for these traits were low. Incorporating maternal genetic influence increased the precision of the heritability estimates. Maternal genetic influence tended to increase as the pigs grew. Since MA was not genetically correlated to either LTHRWT or LWWT, no antagonisms should be expected when selecting for mothering ability and increasing litter weights in Mukota pigs.

Roadmap for a Competitive Pork Industry in USA

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U.S. pork production increased by 11% at a time when higher feed costs should have caused a 6%
reduction in output. The industry has not yet felt the full economic costs
associated with this output expansion due to a perfect storm of other events
that worked to mitigate the impact of these economic forces. Key among these
events was a weakening of the U.S. dollar and a dramatic expansion of U.S.
exports to China. When and if the dollar strengthens, this will cause hardship
for U.S. pork producers even as it reduces feed costs. China imported more
pork because it made political and economic sense to do so. Now that the
Olympics are over, much of the political reason for these imports has been
eliminated. This means that exports will be maintained only if the Chinese
government allows market forces to operate. As labor shortages emerge in
China, fewer farm families will be willing to produce backyard pigs, a sector
that currently produces about half of all the pork produced in China. If China
responds to this problem by allowing a continuation of imports, then U.S. pork
producers might dodge the bullet and export their way out of the problem of
increased production. However, if China decides to restrict pork imports
despite these economic forces, then the U.S. pork industry will need to cut its
sow numbers by about 3%. This is less than one might otherwise have
expected in part because other countries have already adjusted and because
the price of almost all other foods has also increased.

Sulphate and sulphide corrosion in livestock buildings, Part I: Concrete deterioration

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Reinforced concrete for the manure storage of a farm operation is often exposed to aggressive environmental conditions. Temporary storage of liquid manure underneath barn floors produces corrosive agents generated from aerobic and anaerobic fermentation, causing premature corrosion of reinforcement steel and degradation of the concrete. The rehabilitation of reinforced concrete structures due to corrosion of steel-reinforcing bars is quite expensive compared with the use of more resistant concrete at the time of construction, as it is generally accepted that the quality of the concrete cover that protects the reinforcement is critical in limiting corrosion damage. For Canadian climatic conditions, storage of manure for a period of 6 months, or even longer, is generally recommended, and in some provinces legislated, so that manure spreading can be avoided during winter. Before the manure can be removed from storage it usually has to be agitated, which causes the concentration of the various corrosive gases to increase drastically. Methane and carbon dioxide concentrations increased to a level 2–3 times higher than the level before mixing took place. Hydrogen sulphide concentration increased by a factor of 100–1000, whereas the NH3 concentration was 2–5 times lower. Of these, hydrogen sulphide is the most corrosive agent that leads to the rapid deterioration of concrete floors in barns. It is suspected that the relative humidity of the air, the concentration of various gases and vapours above liquid manure pits and the continuous wetting of concrete floor slats are all contributing factors (Svennerstedt et al., 1999). As a consequence of the concrete degradation, slatted floors have deteriorated, in some instances to the point of requiring replacement in less than 5 years. In order to improve the durability of concrete and the environmental protection under such severe agricultural aggressive conditions, some recent investigations have been carried out in an attempt to find ways to reduce the rate of deterioration by changing the concrete composition (Jiang, 2002; De Belie et al., 1997; Idriss, 2000). The overall objective of this study is to provide the technology to design and construct defences against reinforced concrete deterioration so that manure handling and storage structures will be able to withstand the corrosive environment created by the manure, and last a reasonable service life (25–30 years). In the present study 48 concrete cylindrical specimens, 100mmin diameter and 100mm in height, with a reinforcing steel bar in the centre were exposed to hydrogen sulphide gas and sulphate solution, some for more than 3 years. One half of the specimens was partially immersed in sodium sulphate (20,000ppm) and also subjected to hydrogen sulphide gas (1,000ppm). The second set was subjected to hydrogen sulphide gas only. Each set consisted of 8 different treatments including Portland cement (PC) concrete with 0.4 and 0.5W/CM ratios, PC concrete with 8% silica fume replacement, 25% fly ash and 35% slag of the total amount of cementing material and specimens made of PC concrete with combinations of silica fume and fly ash (6%, 25%), and silica fume and slag (6%, 25%). Finally one treatment was carried out with sulphate-resistant cement.

From the results it can be concluded that high-quality concrete with a low W/CM ratio and sulphate-resistant binder-like type 50 Portland cement (SR) is a simple and cost effective method to produce durable reinforced concrete for livestock buildings.

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

Modelling of biological nitrogen removal from the liquid fraction of pig slurry in a sequencing batch reactor

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Biological nitrogen removal through nitrification–denitrification is a treatment alternative that can be considered for scenarios in which there is a nitrogen surplus linked to pig manure management. Studies found in the literature referring to the treatment of the liquid fraction of pig slurry using sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were reviewed and typified. Mathematical modelling of this treatment was carried out considering: nitrite and pH as state variables; nitrification and denitrification as two-step processes; surface limited kinetics for hydrolysis and dependence for the heterotrophic biomass yield, as well as for the anoxic maximum growth rate, on the electron acceptor. Sensitivity analysis permitted identification of the parameters that had the greatest influence on the response of the model under specific test conditions. These were subsequently assessed, principally using respirometry. Finally, model-based predictions were contrasted with results obtained in a lab-scale SBR following two different operational strategies. The availability
of biodegradable organic substrates for complete denitrification was identified as one of the main limiting factors of the treatment, even when treating raw waste. Low aeration intensity during oxic periods made it possible to mainly conduct the process along the nitrite route and to thereby reduce the organic and oxygen requirements of the process.

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

Geotextile Filtration Performance For Lagoon Sludges and Liquid Animal Manures Dewatering

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A geotextile filtration testing method termed a hanging‐bag test was used to treat dairy lagoon sludge, swine lagoon sludge, liquid dairy manure, and liquid swine manure. Hanging‐bag performance was evaluated by: (1) determining solids and plant nutrient mass retention efficiencies, (2) quantifying the overall volume reduction, and (3) characterizing the dewatered manure or liquid dairy manure, geotextile filtration reduced the total influent volume to less than 1%, concentrated the solids and nutrients in the dewatered material 16 to 21 times greater than the influent, and retained 38.4% of total solids, 25.8% of total ammoniacal nitrogen, and 45.0% of total phosphorous, making this an effective liquid‐solid separation technique.

Equilibrium Sampling Used to Monitor Malodors in a Swine Waste Lagoon

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

The concentrations of malodorous compounds in a 0.4-ha
anaerobic lagoon that received waste from approximately 2000
sows were monitored during the late summer to late fall of 2006. It was found that the increases in the
concentrations of malodorous compounds in the wastewater during the fall were due to reduced degradation by
lagoon bacteria, less wind stripping of volatile compounds from the lagoon surface due to lowering of the lagoon
surface after crop application, and/or reduced evaporation of malodorous compounds due to falling temperatures.

A second look at the influence of birth weight on carcass and meat quality in pigs

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Birth weight and within-litter variation in birth weight are important economic traits in pig production. Genetic selection for large litters during the last decades has lowered mean birth weight, which mainly results from a higher competition of the fetuses in utero reflected also by an inverse correlation of birth weight and litter size (e.g. Milligan, Fraser, & Kramer, 2002; Quiniou, Dagorn, & Gaudre, 2002). Low birth weight, however, is associated with decreased survival and lower postnatal growth rates (e.g. Herpin, Damon, & Le Dividich, 2002; Milligan et al., 2002; Pond & Mersmann, 1988; Quiniou et al., 2002; Ritter & Zschorlich, 1990). In addition, pigs at market weight originating from piglets of low birth weight develop a lower carcass quality in terms of higher fat deposition and lower lean accretion compared with their middle or heavy weight littermates (Bee, 2004; Gondret et al., 2006; Hegarty and Allen, 1978; Kuhn et al., 2002; Poore & Fowden, 2004; Powell and Aberle, 1980, 1981; Rehfeldt and Kuhn, 2006). Low birth weight results from intrauterine growth retardation during gestation. It has been shown previously that small piglets form a lower total number of skeletal muscle fibres during prenatal development compared with their larger littermates (Gondret et al., 2006; Handel & Stickland, 1987; Wigmore & Stickland, 1983). From recent studies, it has been suggested that it is the low number of muscle fibres, which restricts the potential of postnatal lean growth and therefore allows to deposit increased amounts of fat (Rehfeldt & Kuhn, 2006). In addition, tendencies towards lower meat quality in terms of tenderness and water holding capacity have been observed at slaughter, when the piglets were small at birth (Gondret et al., 2005; Gondret et al., 2006; Rehfeldt & Kuhn, 2006), which may be associated with accelerated muscle fibre hypertrophy because of low fibre number. The studies on the influence of birth weight mentioned above have in common, that the number of animals used in the experiments were not very large (5–32 pigs per birth weight group born to 13– 16 sows) and the variation in the traits of interest caused by the dam/litter has not always been considered in the statistical models. Therefore, this study was conducted using a larger set of pigs from 63 litters in total to re-examine the consequences of birth weight for ultimate carcass and meat quality. In order to accomplish this, the offspring (n = 378) of the 63 sows were assigned to three birth weight groups; 25% low weight, 50% middle weight, and 25% heavy weight, with runts (<800 g) being excluded. Low weight pigs exhibited the lowest postnatal growth performance, the lowest lean mass and the greatest degree of fatness in terms of perirenal fat compared with medium weight and heavy weight pigs. Only in females, but not in male castrates, the lean percentage was highest in heavy weight pigs. Characteristics of longissimus muscle technological quality declined either in low weight (pH, drip loss) or heavy weight (conductivity, lightness) compared with medium weight pigs. In contrast, intramuscular fat percentage (IMF) was highest in low weight pigs. The results suggest that the most desirable carcass composition is obtained with heavy weight pigs, whereas optimum technological pork quality, except for IMF, is achieved with medium weight pigs.

Digestible and metabolizable energy of crude glycerol for growing pigs

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The apparent DE and ME values of crude glycerol for growing pigs were determined in 5 experiments using crude glycerol (86.95% glycerol) from a biodiesel production facility, which used soybean oil as the initial feedstock. It was concluded that among all experiments, the crude glycerol examined in this study was shown to have a Digestible Energy of of 3,344 ± 8 kcal/kg and an Metabolized Energy of 3,207 ± 10 kcal/kg, thereby providing a highly available energy source for growing pigs.

Cross Compliance and Competitiveness of the European Beef and Pig Sector

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Cross compliance, introduced with the 2003 CAP reform, links direct payments to
farmers to their respect of regulations in the field of environmental protection, public, animal
and plant health and animal welfare. This paper focuses on the additional costs cross compliance may generate in
the beef and pig sector. For both products the most relevant standards were identified and an
assessment was made of the level of compliance and the cost of compliance. The subsequent
analysis then focused, first, on the additional cost of compliance if compliance levels were to
become universal, and second, on the impact this would have on trade flows of the EU with
the US and other competitors on the world market. The second section of this paper is dedicated to the impact of the Nitrate Directive and Regulations that are currently applicable to pigs farms. It was found that the extent to which the Nitrate Directive may create extra costs to the pig sector
depends on the pig density per hectare in each Member State, on the percentage of pigs
present in Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and on the degree of compliance of pig farmers to the
Nitrate Directive. These three data differ very much from country to country and explain
primarily the very different sector cost increases for the pig sectors of EU Member States. The
overall EU cost increase to be attributed to the pig sector due to attain full compliance with
the Nitrate Directive has been estimated at 0.55%.
From a comparison with the impact of the Clean Water Act in the US it turns out that
this act raises the cost for the American pig sector with 1.08%, an almost double cost effect
compared to the impact of the Nitrate Directive in the EU. The reason for this substantial rise
of costs has to be attributed to the large percentage of pig affected by this measure and its
rather recent application to US pig farms, which still implies a rather low degree of
compliance.
A calculation of the animal welfare regulations for pig farmers in the EU shows, that
the cost increase is very limited. The reasons for this minor cost impact are a high degree of
compliance with the standards and the limited rise of costs for farmers which still have to
adapt their farm to the new legislation.

Relational Contracting and Allocation of Decision Rights in the Agri- Food Industry: Producer Contracts and Food Safety

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We applied a formal theoretical model of adaptation to two empirical settings within the agrifood
industry: specialized pig production and food safety in Denmark. The objective is to allocate
decision rights ex ante so that actual decisions taken ex post will optimize the profit accruing
to the two parties in a contractual or integrative relation.
Two applications have been presented in this paper: First an actual partnership between two
pork producers in Denmark. Based on detailed budgets we develop detailed schedules for the
“reneging temptations” of the two partners- These are the temptations to renege on the contract
during the evolution of the partnership. Using a model developed by Baker, Gibbons and Murphy
(2006) we calculate equilibria using the Folk theorem in order to determine which is the
best allocation of decision rights. We find that the existing allocation of decision rights in the
case we examine is efficient in the sense that it results into a second best allocation.
Using the same modelling approach we presented a second application on salmonella control
related to end-feeding, that is, salmonella contamination of pork due to filled bellies of pigs fed
for the last 12 hours before delivery. Based on appropriate assumptions, the parties should give
the decision right (whether to end-feed or not) to the slaughterhouse in order to reach the firstbest
solution which, given the assumptions, is feasible