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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:
Vertification of a porcine embryo-specific gene specific microarray platform
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles by admin on June 5, 2012 | No Comments
The abstract for the report on the designing of an embryo-specific gene expression microarray platform. Using pyrosequencing results, the probe will be able to collect data on gene expression in embryos to determine the effect of various factors.
Genetic and epigenetic effects on PRRSV- infection in pregnant gilts
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The abstract for a study looking at the gentic and epigentic influence on PRRSv susceptibility, and hopefully how resistance can be selected for. 60 high birth weight and 60 low birth weight prednant sows were used, and 100 were infected with PRRSv on gestation day 85. The study is expected to be completed October 2012, with results in 2013.
Identification of gene networks associated with a swine immune system trait
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The abstract for a study examining the genes involving in immune response. Lymphocytes were exposed to Concanavalin A, which triggers a immune response equivalent to one for multiple antigens. Four gene expression profiles were conducted on the four animals with lymphocytes that provided the greatest response. Lists of expressed DE genes were analysed, and gene network analysis. The results show that the interleukin 15 gene plays a large role, and cell mediated immunity.
Novel Swine Feeding Programs to Enhance Competitiveness and Pork Differentiation: Feedstuffs and Carbohydrates
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Increasing feed costs and increasing grain processing have resulted in processing co-products commonly being used in swine feed. Adding co-products changes the nutritional profile of feed, and alters the starch and fibre content. Adding co-products does not necessarily effect average daily gain, feed intake or efficiency; however, fats and fibre content can have an impact on carcass characteristics. Oils in co-products can change the fat profile, and fibre can stimulate organ development – leading to lower carcass weight from the same slaughter weight. Using fibre-degrading enzymes can increase the digestibility of some co-products, but appears to have varied results depending on the specific co-product. Starch can make up a large content of feed, and its digestibility impacts whether it will be converted to glucose or fermented. In vitro and in vivo testing showed a linear relationship between the digestibility and glucose appearance. Fibre that is more fermentable will degrade faster, produce more gas, and metabolites that benefit gut health. Adding co-products to feed can reduce costs, and they can have large variety in starch and fibre properties.
The Future of High Tech Animal Agriculture
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles by admin on June 4, 2012 | No Comments
Technologies and additives that will provide a metabolic shift and change body condition are of interest to increase productivity. Porcine somatatropin has been know to increase protein and decrease fat deposits, but requires injection which is not as practical as an oral compound would be. Some of the new technologies and additives being studies include Cysteamine, chromium, lecithin, betaine, immunization against GnRF, and neuroleptics. Cysteamine increases the release of somatotropin by inhibiting somatostatin secretion, and various studies have found increases in average daily gain, final live and carcass weights, feed intake, nitrogen retention, and decreased back fat depth. Addition of chromium to feed is proposed to increase insulin sensitivity, manipulate fat deposition, and have varied effects on growth rate and average daily gain. The varied results are thought to be because of the uptake factors, like digestibility and absorption, of particle size. Lecithin contains the phospholipid polyenylphosphatidylchlorine (PPC), which may be able to decrease cross-linking in collagen. Decreased cross-linking would lead to reduced or softer collagen, and a decreased toughness in final pork products. Bentaine increases protein deposition and reduces maintenance energy, which results in better growth performance and decreased heat production.Immunization against GnRF is an alternative to surgical castration, and it still avoids boar taint. The immunized, intact males have also shown increased feed intake, weight (live and carcass), and average daily gain when compared to barrows. Recent studies of the dietary neuroleptics magnesium, trytophan, and bromide have shown variable results on growth. There are a variety of oral additives and technologies being developed to change pig composition, and provide a more desirable pork product.
Managing Risks of a Global Food System
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Rick Shanks introduction to his presentation at the 2012 Banff Pork Seminar on non-traditional risks for the global food supply system.
Towards Integrated Nutritional Management of Growing-Finishing Pigs
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Feed makes up the majority of producer costs, and as knowledge of nutritional content increases it is important to utilize it to increase productivity. The Canadian Swine Research and Development Cluster program is researching the effect of diet on post-weaning to market performance, the variable nutritional content of byproducts such as corn DDGS, and the development of software to utilize nutritional information. Post-weaning pig performance was evaluated with simple or complex diets, and the addition of antibiotics (chlortetracycline). Preliminary results show the performance for those fed with complex or additional antobiotics was increased for the first six weeks post-weaning, but did not impact long-term growth rates and performance. Feed costs can be lowered with the addition of byproducts such as corn DDGS, the problem is the nutritional value is often highly variable. A large scale sampling is ongoing to test nutrient value through nutritional analysis, colour, near-infrared sceptroscopy, in vivo and in vitro nutritional and availability assays. Fibre-degrading enzymes and microbial inoculants were shown to increase the nutritional availability for corn DDGS, and was the most effective in a liquid diet. Finally, software is being designed to integrate nutritional knowledge into one program, and allow predictions for nutritional requirements for populations including GnRF immunized intact boars. Accurate assessment of nutritional content and requirements will allow economic savings, and steady performance for producers.
Sustainable Precision Livestock Farming: A Vision for the Future of the Canadian Swine Industry
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Current feeding programs typically use a three-phase schedule, and feed for the nutritional requirements of the most demanding pig. The result is that most of the other pigs are being overfed and feed is wasted. Precision feeding would allow each pig to be fed their individual nutrient requirements instead. In order to use precision feeding, the precise nutritional value of feed would need to be evaluated, as well as the nutritional requirements for each pig. The pig requirements could be determined by mathematical models of requirements and growth rate, but the ultimate goal would be to calculate exact requirements from individual data and previous growth rates when a pig inserts its head into a feeder. Instead of three-phase feeding, blend feeding could be used to mix the exact diet for a pig. Currently, advancements in feeding technology and computer software are needed in order for precision feeding to become a reality. Once the developments have been made, precision feeding will be able to provide environmental, production, and economical benefits for the producer.
Canadian “Risk Management” Approaches: ASRA, ASRA-lite, and HPIP
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Four of the government programs in Canada to help the pork industry are the federal AgriStable program, Assurance Stabilisation des Revenus Agricoles (ASRA), Risk Management Program (RMP), and the Alberta Hog Price Insurance Program (HPIP). The AgriStability program provides payment when producers fall below 85% of their previous margin (income-expenses) for the last 3-5 years. The payment is 60-80% of the loss, depending on the margin. For ASRA, a stabilized income is the cost of production plus a return. Payments are made if the average selling price is less than the stabilized income, and are reduced by 40% if the producer is not part of AgriStability. RMP requires premiums paid in advance and enrollment in AgriStability, and producers receive the higher support from AgriStability or RMP, but not both. RMP is tied to AgriStability, and the benefit of RMP is only seen if the RMP payment would be greater than the provincial portion of AgriStability. However, RMP should potentially pay out in sync with market drops, which does not necessarily happen with AgriStability. HPIP locks in a market price in return for the payment of a premium, and pays if the market price drops below that point. In evaluation of the programs ASRA provides good assistance, but the program is overdrawn; and AgriStability smooths out fluctuations, but doesn’t help with long-term declines in the market. RMP does not appear to benefit producers enough to justify paying the premium; although, it may benefit producers with low AgriStability margins. HPIP has not been received well because of the premium required, no current payouts, and lack of government funding.
Risk Management: A Producer’s Perspective
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Risk is the probability of a negative outcome occurring, and in businesses usually the negative outcome is a loss of profit. For the pork industry, sources of risk can be production, market, public policy, human resource, or legal. Some of the ways to respond to risk can fall into the categories risk avoidance, understanding and measuring it, increasing capacity to bear risk, reduction, and transfer. The return on equity depends on the return on assets, leverage, and cost (of debt). Revenue and cost risks depend on global pork or supplies (feed mainly) prices, exchange rates, and production issues like sow productivity or grow-finish performance. Having a risk management strategy and alternate opportunities can help with risk, but two unavoidable risks are feed prices and hog industry itself.