Feeding Sows More Efficiently

Posted in: Swine Innovation, Uncategorized by admin on November 5, 2012 | No Comments

When someone mentions feed costs, thoughts typically gravitate towards what is happening in the fi nishing barn, simply due to the influence it has on the cost of production. If we take a look at feeding the breeding herd for a moment, what are some of those things producers can implement to reduce feed costs, while maintain or increasing sow productivity?

Oilseed Co-Products as Alternative Ingredients

Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on November 2, 2012 | No Comments

Who can afford to feed fat(s) to pigs now-a-days?  With feed tallow, grease blends, and canola oil prices at record highs, oilseed and bio-diesel co-products offer an alternative to supplementing dietary fats in swine diets.  Cost per Mcal of residual oil content has changed our paradigm from considering canola as a traditional supplemental protein source to a novel dietary energy source.  Expeller pressed, extruded pressed or screw-pressed canola meal or cake, the latter two processed locally, offer opportunities to reduce producers’ feed cost and beef up dietary energy.

Fine Tuning Your Operation When Times Are Tight

Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Press Releases by admin on October 5, 2012 | No Comments

Any time is a good time to review management practices within your operation.  In the current environment of high feed prices and tight margins producers are more aggressively seeking ways to reduce costs and increase revenue.  Prairie Swine Centre’s research program focuses on ways to enhance the economic position of pork producers throughout Canada.  The following list are some, easy-to-adopt ideas, that can be incorporated into your operation immediately.  Many of these ideas may be already implemented in your operation – in that case it serves as a reminder as to the importance of each aspect.

1. Adding peas to the diets at 60% inclusion
   1. Work at Prairie Swine Centre has shown a high inclusion (60%) of peas does not necessarily result in reduced feed intake.  At current market conditions, every $10/mt reduction in finishing diets will save approximately $1.20 per market hog.  A bi-weekly publication (Feed Pea Benchmark) produced by Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba Pulse Growers provides a quick summary on what the price of peas needs to be in order to price into diets.
2. Monitor Temperature
   1. Elevated barn  temperatures reduce feed intake and thus growth rate. For every 1°C above the pig’s thermoneutral zone, feed intake drops by 1-2% and growth rate drops by about 3%. Thus, for every °C above the pigs thermoneutral zone, net income is reduced by $0.50 to $0.75 per pig.
   2. Reduced nocturnal temperature.  Reducing the setpoint temperature by 6°C during hot weather, the barn becomes cooler at night, with somewhat shorter duration of high temperatures. The net result was an increase in growth rate of 2-5%, equal to 2 to 5 fewer days to market; this is valued at $0.50 to $1.00 per pig sold.
   3. The past three winters PSC has been challenging our lower setpoint temperatures in all rooms by reducing setpoints1-2^oC lower than published values.  The result is lower utility costs and no change in productivity (7% or more reduction in utility costs).
3. Properly adjusted water nipples and flow rates
   1. By adjusting nipple drinker height, water wastage can be reduced by up to 20% for grower/finisher pigs. High flow rate can result in more water spillage from nipple drinkers.
   2. Nipple drinkers should be adjusted to 5cm higher than the smallest pig in the pen.  Having the drinker adjusted to a lower  setting will result in additional 10% water wastage in grower and 20% in finisher.
   3. Water wastage increased by 7% with a higher water flow rate of 1,000 ml/min compared to 500 ml/min.
4. Properly adjusted feeders

• A 5% feed wastage at the present time costs the pork producer more than $2 per pig sold. It may be impossible to eliminate feed wastage, but research at Prairie Swine Centre has shown that with most commercial feeders, wastage of 3% or less is not an unreasonable expectation.  Research has shown that having a feeder adjusted to achieve 40% pan coverage will have the optimal combination of reducing feed wastage and maximizing pig performance.

6. Energy levels in finishing diets
   1. Under typical market conditions, high energy diets do not necessarily result in the highest return over feed cost.  Feed efficiency is improved with higher energy diets, however  additional diet costs far exceed the beneficial impact of feed efficiency.  Cost savings range from $3-$5.00 per hog under current market conditions.
7. Review your ideal shipping core
   1. This requires monitoring feed intake and growth as pigs approach market weight and comparing this to the changes in yield and index as market weights increase. In this way, determine the cost of adding an extra kilogram to the market weight, and compare that cost to the added income.
   2. With a finishing diet costing $0.25 per kilogram, and a feed conversion at of 4.0:1, it costs $1.00 to add 1 kg to the live weight. Assuming a dressing percentage of 80% and an index of 109, the price of pigs must be at least $1.15 per ckg to break even on added market weight.
       
8. Power washing and sprinkling
   1. Recent work at Prairie Swine Centre indicates soaking prior to pressure-washing a fully-slatted production room may not be necessary.  Additional labour costs associated without sprinkling are offset by lower water (including well pumping) costs.
   2. Conventional  pressure washer nozzles have been shown to be the most efficient in terms of labour requirements and total water used.  They have been shown to save up to $50 per hog marketed when compared to other nozzle types.
       
9. Check particle size
   1. Once the diet has been formulated there are still opportunities to reduce costs by observing particle size stays within the 650-700 micron range to ensure optimum digestibility. Frequently, due to screen wear, improper screen size or hammer wear, the feeds milled on farm are significantly over the 700-micron threshold.  For every 100 microns under 700 the feed conversion improves 1.2%. With feed costs today of $110 per finished hog, moving from say a 3.0 F/G to a 2.96 F/G (the effect of 1.2% improvement, or 100 micron reduction in feed particle size) is worth $1.30 per pig marketed.

While this is not an exhaustive list, it’s meant to take a quick look at your operation and potentially find a couple of hidden dollars, or perhaps re-enforce why we do certain things.  If you are looking for more information there is a wide array of resources available at www.prairieswine.com – or if you have other ideas to save costs don’t hesitate to any one of the Research Scientists at Prairie Swine Centre.

Abreuvoirs économiseurs d’eau pour porcs en engraissement – Comparaison de la consommation d’eau et des performances zootechniques de différents types d’abreuvoirs utilisés au Québec

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation by admin on September 25, 2012 | No Comments

L’objectif principal du projet vise à évaluer et à comparer la consommation d’eau et les performances zootechniques de porcs en engraissement abreuvés par différents types d’abreuvoirs économiseurs d’eau.

•   Mesurer et comparer la quantité d’eau consommée quotidiennement pour quatre modèles différents d’abreuvoirs utilisés fréquemment au Québec en engraissement;
•   Comparer les impacts des différents abreuvoirs sur les performances zootechniques;
•   Évaluer et comparer les impacts environnementaux de différents modèles d’abreuvoirs, dans l’optique de réduire le gaspillage d’eau;
•   Comparer les impacts économiques des différents abreuvoirs.

Évaluer différentes stratégies de contrôle de température ambiante en engraissement porcin en vue d’optimiser les performances zootechniques et de réduire la consommation d’énergie et les émissions gazeuses

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Proposer une stratégie de contrôle de la température optimale dans les engraissements porcins dans un contexte d’agriculture durable et de bien-être des animaux

• Évaluer l’impact de trois différentes stratégies de contrôle de la température ambiante sur les performances zootechniques des porcs;
• Effectuer et comparer le bilan énergétique (consommation d’énergie) entourant le besoin de chauffage durant les périodes froides pour chacune des stratégies testées;
• Évaluer l’impact des stratégies de contrôle de la température ambiante sur les concentrations et les émissions de gaz;
• Évaluer l’impact des stratégies de contrôle sur la qualité de la carcasse;
• Calculer les impacts économiques des stratégies de contrôle et indiquer les impacts sur le coût de production;
• Déterminer la stratégie optimale en regard des paramètres étudiées;
• Diffuser les résultats auprès des conseillers, intervenants et producteurs.

Développer des concepts de ventilation permettant de minimiser les débits d’air requis durant la période estivale en maternité et en engraissement

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Développer et tester des concepts de ventilation en maternité et en engraissement afin de minimiser les débits d’air requis durant les périodes chaudes sans affecter les performances zootechniques et le bien-être des animaux. Au final, le but est de réduire les coûts liés à l’implantation de systèmes de filtration d’air à l’intérieur de bâtiments porcins de type naisseur et naisseur-finisseur

•   Concevoir et évaluer l’efficacité de différents concepts de ventilation permettant d’optimiser les débits d’air et le refroidissement des porcs durant la saison chaude;
•   Évaluer l’impact des différents concepts de ventilation à débit d’air réduit durant les périodes chaudes en maternité et en engraissement sur :
•   Les paramètres d’ambiance (température, humidité et vitesse d’air) dans les bâtiments;
•   Les performances zootechniques et le bien-être des animaux;
•   Les coûts liés à l’implantation de système de filtration de l’air;
•   Les coûts liés à l’implantation des systèmes de ventilation;
•   La consommation d’énergie;
•   La consommation d’eau liée au fonctionnement de systèmes de refroidissement.

Effects of Handling Procedures and Transport Vehicle Design on the Welfare and Meat Quality of Pigs

Posted in: Ontario Pork by admin on September 24, 2012 | No Comments

The objectives of this project were to study stressors experienced by market pigs during handling and transport, to identify components of these stressors that can be modified, and to assess whether modifying these components can reduce stress and/or improve the ability of pigs to recover. Our overall goal was to reduce the stress associated with marketing and thereby improve animal welfare, reduce death losses, and improve meat quality.  Stressors assessed included handling during loading and unloading, the environmental conditions on the transport vehicle in summer and winter and duration of travel. The stress response of pigs was assessed using behavioural and physiological parameters, as well as carcass and meat quality characteristics.

Pathogen die-off rates following manure application under Ontario field conditions

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A field study to examine the decline of manure-derived pathogens under field conditions was established in the spring of 2011.  Sentinel chambers were used to facilitate the study of “captive” populations of organisms within field sites without the confounding losses due to runoff-induced movement from the sites.  The overall objectives of the study included the following.

1. Measurement of die-off rates of manure-derived organisms under field conditions following spring, late summer and fall manure application using the sentinel chamber technique.
2. Comparison of these die-off rates to population changes in the bulk soil which result from both die-off and transport mechanisms.
3. Assessment of the effect on pathogen survival of manure surface application versus incorporation, and application times (spring, summer and fall).
4. Measurement of concurrent changes in nutrient (N, P) levels at the same field sites to assess the contradictory impacts on nutrient and pathogen risk management.
5. Comparison of measured die-off rates to pre-planting and pre-harvest waiting times for food safety
6. Provision of the information for manure management recommendations to
   1. reduce surface and groundwater impacts from manure application, and
   2. improve food safety by reducing the risk of food-borne illness resulting from pathogen contamination of irrigation water or soils in which food crops are grown.

Environmental Compliance Costs and the Competitiveness

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This study measured the compliance cost of the current and possible future nutrient management regulations on pig production facilities in Ontario. Two farm types were examined: farrow to finish and finishing facilities. Three farm sizes were considered for each category:  a small farm with 900 pigs produced per year, a medium farm with 4,500 pigs produced per year and a large farm with 10,500 pigs produced per year. Each scenario was then tested with uniform manure application and optimal manure application that varied application rates by crop type based on plant nutrient needs. These scenarios were then examined under nutrient management regulations from the Nutrient Management Act (2002) and the Clean Water Act (2007).   The Nutrient Management Act includes two separate calculations for determining the maximum manure application rate. The crop nutrient requirement calculation bases the maximum manure application rate on the amount of phosphorus each crop requires and then allows for additional phosphorus application of 15.15lbs per acre. The second calculation to determine the maximum nutrient application rate involves the amount of phosphorus removed by the crop. This calculation allows for manure application to meet the amount of phosphorus the crop will remove at harvest plus 69.5lbs of phosphorus per acre. The Clean Water Act results assumed that regulations would restrict the nutrient application rate to 115% of the crop requirements of nitrogen and phosphorus. The medium and large production facilities were then subjected to sensitivity analysis of the soil phosphorus test as well as changes in the nutrient application rate allowable under the Clean Water Act. Lastly, the medium and large scenarios were also subjected to changes in the prices of inputs and outputs for crops and pigs to determine the sensitivity to prices.

Breakthroughs in Canadian Swine Nutrition

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Swine Innovation, Uncategorized by admin on September 19, 2012 | No Comments

Precision livestock farming is an innovative production system approach, which is based on intensive and integrated use of advances in animal sciences and in the new technologies of information and communication (Berckmans 2004). Its main objective is to optimize animal production and the management of the productive processes (Groot Koerkamp et al. 2007). Today, this approach offers many opportunities, such as the increased feed efficiency that can be obtained by reducing uncertainty in decisions relating the control of the variability that exists among farm animals (Wathes et al. 2008). A relevant contribution in this regard of precision pig farming is the development of precision feeding systems (Niemi et al. 2010; Pomar et al. 2009) which lays the groundwork for addressing key issues in today intensive livestock farming which are: (1) reducing feeding cost by improving feed and nutrient efficiency (2) improving production system sustainability by increasing profitability and reducing production footprints and (3) increasing food safety through traceability. This paper presents key elements for the development of sustainable precision livestock farming and a vision for the future of the Canadian swine industry.

Feeding rather simple, corn and soybean meal based diets to nursery pigs reduced post-weaning growth performance, but had no long-term effect on growth performance in the growing-finishing phase, days from weaning to market and carcass characteristics. Therefore, a reduction in feed costs may be obtained in the nursery phase by feeding less complex diets without compromising subsequent growth performance and carcass value.

Detailed nutritional analyses and in vitro nutrient digestibility and availability assays confirm the substantial variability in nutritional value of corn distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) that are used in Ontario.  While color provides a reasonable prediction of the nutritional value of individual sample of DDGS, especially the available lysine content, this simple measurement has limitations. Given the relatively high fiber content of DDGS, fiber-degrading enzymes and microbial inoculants may be used to enhance the nutritional value of corn DDGS.  The combined use of exogenous enzymes and inoculants appears more effective at enhancing the feeding value of corn DDGS in liquid-fed finishing pigs than in conventional dry feeding.

This topic is broad. Therefore, the emphasis is on parts of the program funded by the Canadian Swine and Research Development Cluster and industry partners that is focussed on changes in diet formulation that: 1)  alter the profile of feedstuffs to less grain and more co-products from processing of crops or 2) alter the profile of dietary carbohydrates (starch and fibre). These two parts are linked: the changes in feedstuffs by default will change dietary profile of carbohydrates to more fibre and less starch. Dietary feedstuffs play an important role in feed costs and thus competitiveness. Functional characteristics of carbohydrates, digestion patterns of starch and fermentation patterns of fibre, play an important role in value-added attributes such microbial profile in the gut and thus intestine health; however, such characteristics are not used widely yet in feed formulation.