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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:
Forms and reactivity of manure phosphorus from phytase fed swine in Manitoba soils
Posted in: Environment by admin on January 1, 2007 | No Comments
The objectives of this study were: To determine the solubility and reactivity of manure P from phytase amended diets in Manitoba soils. To develop techniques that can be used to assess the environmental reactivity and mobility of manure P. To obtain a better understanding of the relationship between increased dietary efficiency of
feed P, animal performance and reduced environmental impact of manure. It was demonstrated in this study that it is possible to completely remove inorganic P from animal diet and have no negative impact on the performance of the animal if the diet is supplemented with adequate amounts of phytase. The digestibility and retention of N and P improved with phytase supplementation leading to reduced manure P content. Overall, the addition of phytase to swine diets reduced the total and labile P in the manure and feces and this will reduce P loading when manure from phytase mended diets is added to the soil. This management practice has the potential to reduce the loss of P from soil to
surface water, as such, swine producers in Manitoba should be encouraged to use this technology as part of their manure management strategies. This study also shows that phytase supplementation had no effect on the solubility of manure P in representative Manitoba soils. However, in the absence of inorganic P, solubility of
manure P increased in calcareous soil mainly due to a lack of calcium in the manure. It may
not be environmentally prudent to eliminate all the inorganic P from swine diets due to its
possible impact on increased manure P solubility in certain soils.
What Do We Know About Feeding Peas, Lentils, and Flax
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Hulless Barleys as Health-Promoters for the Pig Gastrointestinal Tract
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
Consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact of nutrition on their health. They want pork products devoid of antibiotic residues because of fears that the latter could be responsible for the development of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Pork producers are aware that the pig gastrointestinal tract must remain healthy in order to maximize the use of the nutrients and to prevent the occurrence of diarrhoea. Different alternatives are currently tested in many laboratories. Among them, “prebiotics” are of particular interest. These plant extracts are used as substrates by health-promoting bacteria (Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria) and the latter grow at the expense of pathogenic ones (Salmonella, E. coli) in the pig tract. Different indigestible carbohydrates are used as substrates by health-promoting bacteria such as Lactobacilli in the pig gastrointestinal tract. Some specialty hulless barleys contain high amounts of these indigestible carbohydrates. This experiment aimed at evaluating the possibility to use hulless barleys as a health-promoting factor in swine nutrition. Hulless barleys were better digested than hulled barleys and oats. Their presence in the gut also generated the production of higher amounts of short-chain fatty acids and led to the disappearance of some pathogenic bacteria strains in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. This confirms the potential of specialty hulless barleys as health-promoters in swine nutrition.
CHOIX DU SITE
Posted in: French Articles by admin on | No Comments
CONSIDÉRATIONS GÉNÉRALES
Comme les coûts de construction des bâtiments d’élevage et des structures d’entreposage des
fumiers/lisiers sont très élevés, une planification appropriée d’un projet de construction ou de rénovation
d’un bâtiment d’élevage est essentielle. L’impact de la localisation de la ferme sur son voisinage et
l’environnement est directement lié aux nuisances (odeurs, bruits) occasionnées aux voisins et aux autres
utilisateurs du territoire ainsi qu’à la contamination possible des eaux par la proximité de cours ou plans
d’eau (comme les installations doivent être imperméables, un déversement accidentel peut présenter des
risques). L’aspect visuel et esthétique des bâtiments joue aussi un rôle dans l’intégration au paysage.
DISTANCES SÉPARATRICES
La plupart des éléments présentés dans cette section ne réfèrent pas à une directive ou une réglementation
particulière comme présentée dans le Chapitre sur la législation mais sont plutôt des éléments à considérer
lors du choix d’un site de bâtiment d’élevage.
Sweeten (1997) suggère que de planifier le projet pour avoir suffisamment de terre cultivable pour
supporter un site de production est une première étape dans la réduction des impacts environnementaux
de bâtiments d’élevage. Pour réaliser une telle planification, la balance des éléments fertilisants produits
est faite en considérant la taille des installations de production animale, le type d’animaux, le fumier/lisier
produit ainsi que le système de gestion des déjections. En considérant la valeur agronomique des
fumiers/lisiers appliqués sur les cultures comme prévu dans un plan de gestion des éléments fertilisants, la
superficie totale des terres nécessaires pour un troupeau donné peut être obtenue. Si cette superficie totale
est disponible sur un seul site, une zone tampon ou des distances séparatrices suffisantes pour limiter les
nuisances associées aux odeurs par rapport aux voisins devraient être obtenues directement. Le choix
final de l’emplacement du ou des bâtiments doit aussi prendre en considération la distance de la route
d’accès (pour limiter les coûts d’accès aux services comme l’électricité, le gaz, l’eau et les coûts
d’entretien d’une entrée) tout en considérant la proximité des voisins et des autres utilisateurs du
territoire.
Lors de la planification d’un nouveau projet, Jorgenson et al. (1995) suggère d’utiliser une carte ou une
photo aérienne et d’y placer tous les éléments concernant le site et le projet. Les lignes de propriété de la
terre disponible pour la construction de la ferme, les habitations voisines occupées ou non et autres
installations avoisinantes (entreprises, parcs, etc.), les cours ou plans d’eau, la direction des vents
dominants ainsi que les services présents (routes, électricité, disponibilité de l’eau en considérant la
qualité ainsi que la quantité) devraient aussi être intégrés sur la carte ou la photo. Des cercles de 1 et
2,5 kilomètres de rayon peuvent être ensuite dessinés et déplacés sur le terrain disponible présenté sur la
carte ou la photo pour déterminer la localisation du site qui présente le moins d’impact sur le voisinage et
les utilisateurs du territoire et fournir une localisation optimale en considérant l’ensemble des paramètres.
Is Exchange Rate Pass-Through in Pork Meat Export Prices Constrained by the Supply of Live Hogs?
Posted in: Economics by admin on | No Comments
The objectives of the article are twofold. First, a theoretical model that accounts for production and marketing lags is used to explain the pricing decisions of a firm that exports a processed good to two markets. The second objective is to measure Exchange Rate Pass-Through (ERPT) in pork meat export prices from three Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba) to two destinations (United States and Japan) over the 1988–2003 period. The estimation results strongly support the hypothesis that predetermined supplies have a significant impact on export prices for two out
of three Canadian provinces. ERPT elasticity for Canadian exports to the United States is approximately in the range of −0.2 to −0.7. In the case of exports to Japan, the degree of misspecification involved with the standard ERPT
equation that only includes the Canadian dollar to yen exchange rate as well as a marginal cost proxy is quite large. The standard specification yields ERPT coefficients that are much smaller in absolute value than the ERPT coefficients found in the full system approach that includes predetermined hog supplies. Hence, failure to account for the dynamic nature of agricultural supply chains may result in significantly biased estimates of ERPT.
Comparative sequences of the canine and feline vasopressin prohormones
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
Dietary fibre for gestating sows: effects on parturition progress, behaviour, litter and sow performance
Posted in: Welfare by admin on | No Comments
In the European Union, animal welfare legislation (European Council, 2001) imposes the provision of bulky or high-fibre (HF) diets to pregnant sows to improve sow welfare. Such practices intend to fulfill feeding motivation in sows by increasing the daily feed allowance without increasing the energy intake during gestation, and thus avoiding overweight at farrowing which can be detrimental for piglets’ survival (Dourmad et al., 1994). Many studies have highlighted the beneficial effects of fibrous components in the gestation diet or through the litter on sow welfare (Meunier-Salaün et al., 2001). Dietary fibres are also known to reduce sow digestive disorders such as constipation (Wenk, 2001; Tabeling et al., 2003) as well as excessive body fatness at farrowing, that has been shown to lead to longer parturition length and increased piglet losses (Bilkei Papp, 1990). Approximately 75% of the 8% of stillborn piglets generally reported in usual rearing conditions die during parturition (Van Dijk et al., 2005), mainly as a result of asphyxia (Van Rens and Van Der Lende, 2004). Last-born piglets are more likely to suffer from asphyxia resulting from the cumulative effects of successive contractions or from a rupture of umbilical cord as parturition progresses (Randall, 1971 and 1972; Herpin et al., 1996). The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of feeding a high-fibre (HF) diet during gestation on parturition progress and reproductive performance of sows. Forty-two primiparous sows (Large-White3Landrace crossbred) were fed during gestation either a control diet (C diet; 2.40 kg/day, 3.2% crude fibre, in % of dry matter (DM)), or a HF diet (2.80 kg/day, 12.4% crude fibre, in % of DM). All sows received 33MJ digestible energy per day. Continuous video recordings were done on the parturition day to determine postural changes (standing, sitting, lying) and behavioural activities (nesting behaviour, uterine contractions, restlessness, social behaviour towards piglets) during parturition. Duration of parturition and individual birth intervals were also measured. Piglets’ growth was evaluated by weekly weighing from birth until weaning, at
26.5 days of age. Sows were weighed and backfat thickness was measured at mating, on day 105 of gestation, on the 1st day post partum, and at weaning. Durations of parturition and of birth intervals were not affected by the gestation diet and averaged 211 ± 12 min and 16.5 ± 0.9 min (mean ± s.e.), respectively. During the parturition progress, the gestation diet did not affect the frequency and the time devoted to postural and behavioural activities. Dietary treatment during gestation did not influence duration of gestation and weaning-to-oestrus interval, as well as litter size, and number of stillborn and weaned piglets. Piglet weight at birth did not differ between gestation dietary treatments but piglets nursed by HF sows showed a 13.5% greater growth rate during the 1st week of life (P<0.01) and tended to be heavier at weaning (P=0.06) compared with C piglets. The HF sows were leaner at the end of gestation (P<0.05), but variations of sows’ weight during gestation and lactation were not affected by the gestation diet. All sows lost the same amount of backfat thickness during lactation. During lactation, the average daily feed intake was not significantly affected by the gestation diet. This study shows that substituting a control diet for a HF diet during gestation has limited effects on farrowing progress and reproductive performance, but improved piglets’ growth rate during the 1st week of life and tended to increase their live weight at weaning.
12 Born Alive: It's Not all Hugs and Kisses
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