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Industry Partners
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:
An Ergonomic Evaluation of Feeder Design
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on January 1, 1997 | No Comments
5 ergonomic studies were conducted using a feeder on which the lip height, feeder depth (front to back), width and feeding shelf height could be adjusted. Pigs were tested at 22 to 96 kgs. Stepping into the the feeder was more common as feeder depth was increased, but was dependent on the size of the pig. Grower pigs stepped into a feeder with a depth of 20 cm, but large pigs didn’t step into the feeder until the depth was 30 cm or more. Lip height only had a minor influence on stepping-in. The appropriate feeder depth for each weight group of pig could be approximated by the distance from the toe of a pig to its snout without a feeder lip. The feeder lip restricts access to the front feeding zone, particularly for small pigs. Pigs prefer to stand at an angle of 30degrees to the feed access, but in restrictive feeders will turn their heads to obtain the an angled approach. Pigs also rotate their heads 45-55 degrees while eating to improve access to feed.
GnRH vaccination of intact male pigs
Posted in: Prairie Swine Centre by admin on | No Comments
The objective of this trial was to determine the pattern of declined of fat androstenone, the main causative chemical of boar taint, in tact male pigs after vaccination with a recombinant GnRH protein. Four groups of pigs were used. The primary vaccination was given as the pigs reached 100 kg. Weight gain, fat androstenone and blood samples assayed for testosterone and anti-GnRH antibodies were collected pre-second immunization and weekly thereafter until slaughter. All pigs were slaughtered 42 days after the second immunization and testicular weight, bulbourethral gland length, carcass weight and back fat depth were measured. There was no difference in carcass weights although live weights prior to slaughter were different between treatment groups. The immunocastrates, late castrates and boars had less backfat than barrows. As expected, mean testicular weight and bulbourethral glands length of boars at slaughter were greater than those of immunocastrates. GnRH titers were detected in all immunized animals 28 days after primary immunization. Within seven days after the second immunization or surgical castration, the mean serum testosterone concentrations of both the immunocastrates and the late castrates were significantly lower than those of boars. By Day 14, there was no difference between immunocastrates, late castrates and barrows. Serum testosterone concentrations remained suppressed until slaughter. Within seven days after surgical castration, mean fat androstenone concentrations in late castrates had dropped below the olfactory detection level for boar taint (0.5A
Heating Systems Evaluation in Swine Nursery Units
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Effect of the estrogen receptor locus on reproduction and production traits in four commercial pig lines
Posted in: Production by admin on | No Comments
Over the past 40 yr, litter size has
improved due to management changes, use of superior
dam lines, and through crossbreeding. Selection
for litter size has been reasonably successful in
mice, but the response in
pigs has been extremely variable.
The development of genome maps offers the opportunity
to identify individual genes controlling
reproduction. More recently, associations with genetic variation
at the pig estrogen receptor (ESR) locus have
been discovered. Therefore, the objectives of this research
was to evaluate the effect of the ESR locus on litter
size in a large sample of pigs from four commercial
lines and to measure pleiotropic effects on growth and
carcass traits. The effect of the estrogen receptor (ESR) locus on
litter size was demonstrated in a large sample of pigs
from four commercial lines in which the B allele was
present. It was found that the potential economic value from marker-assisted
selection using the B ESR allele is considerable.
In addition to the positive effects of the ESR B allele
for litter size, a small favorable response was detected
in backfat thickness associated with a small decrease
in average daily feed intake but no effect on growth
rate. Therefore, selection for prolificacy based in part
on ESR genotype should not adversely affect growth
and carcass traits. The only negative effect was a
slight reduction in teat number. The use of this
genotype offers a clear example of economically useful
marker-assisted selection in pigs.
Critical Parameters for Emissions
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
Emissions from livestock buildings are well covered with sections covering ammonia, greenhouse gases, hydrogen sulfide, odors, particulates, aerosols and bacteria and also pollution prevention. An important quantity of references are presented in the text
A more complete summary is presented in the gas emissions section.
Ammonia and Contaminant Concentrations with Conventional versus Pit Ventilation in Finishing Pig Units
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The ammonia emissions measured are twice the ones fund in the literature and the authors explain those results from the fact that the floor were fully slatted and the slats type favorable to emission, the feed was of high protein level, the low animal density and the manure pH value was high. Generally the pit ventilation lowered the ammonia concentration in the building slightly but increased the emission to the environment compared to conventional ventilation.
Development of a Chamber System to Measure Emissions of Nitrous Oxide after Slurry Application on Grassland
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This chamber systems could probably be used to also measure other emissions than nitrous oxide. The plastic covering the sampling zone can however produce different emission conditions than the adjacent surface or the rest of the field.
Cultivating Island Solutions- Round Table on Resource Land Use and Stewardship
Posted in: Environment by admin on | No Comments
Many changes are happening in the Island with the rapid expansion of the potato industry, the increase in soil erosion, the land clearing, the forest clearcuttings and the increase in the pesticides use. As a result, conflicts between farmers and their non-farming neighbors have increased considerable as the public concern has also. The Government wants more development in the Island to generate more wealth but there are concerns about the way this development is been done, about the poor management of it and also about the controls may feel inadequate. People don’t want the experts and interested people to be the only ones involved with the decisions about that development.
To address those issues, the Government decided to develop a Resource Land Use Strategy that would identify ways of achieving this objectives:
1) “increase the contribution of resource lands and their use to wealth creation in the province;
2) maintain and improve the capacity of the lands to generate wealth for future generations;
3) minimize the conflicts between the use of resource lands and other land uses, and minimize the impacts on human health and the environment; and
4) increase public satisfaction with resource land use.”
The Round Table (RT) has been working from April 1996 until August 1997, meeting community, industry and environmental groups to discuss topics about the Island development.
The RT conclude on three basic principles:
– a working rural landscape (sustainable approach in land uses and development (farm practices, understanding of the primary resource economy of the rural areas and their practices by all residents),
– a healthy environment (high quality drinking and surface water, good soil quality and erosion control, replenishing harvested forests, pesticide control and habitat protection), and
– a successful alliance of communities and individual well-being (problem solving and planning, authority and information within the communities to direct economic development, sustainable approaches are put in practice and taught in schools, good balance of social life and economic life within the communities when young people have opportunities and seasonal residents contribute) .
For guidelines for environmental issues, they refer to the Environmental Farm Plan (Atlantic Farmers Council) and the Guidelines for Manure Management and Separation Distances in Prince Edward Island (P.E.I. Department of Agriculture). The RT makes many recommendations regarding the development of the Island in those recommendations The RT recommend that the Farm Practices Review Board complete the development of codes of practice for the significant agricultural operations by 2000 and that would have to be implemented by 2002. RT also recommend that official zoning plans increases to 25% by 2000 up to 50% by 2003 and that the emission of building permits for areas not having official zoning plans be limited.
This report is very interesting because many solutions come within the Island and are directed toward sustainable approaches in farm practices and land uses. The communities are the center of the success of the desired changes as they should control their development assuring social and economical wealth.