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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:
Clarkson professor takes unusual approach in cow study
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on December 26, 2011 | No Comments
This article discusses the work of Erik Bolt and others and their findings about space requirements for dairy cows. Bolt suggests that dairy cows prefer to eat, stand and sleep together, and also require lots of room to be comfortable. Mathematics were used in the study to determine the costs of cramming cows together to increase herd size versus allowing them to be comfortable but use up more space. The study found it was more profitable in the long run to allow cows to be comfortable.
A Comprehensive Approach to Animal Welfare Science
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on December 18, 2011 | No Comments
Animal welfare is very important at all levels of livestock production. People rely on the industry to keep up animal welfare standards as consumers cannot always choose what farm they buy their meat from. Traditionally there have been three perspectives when it comes to animal welfare functional, affective states and natural. A comprehensive approach to animal welfare would overlap the three perspectives and not run the risk of jeopardizing one aspect for another.
Less Boar Taint by Selecting Terminal Boars
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on | No Comments
TOPIGS in the EU will begin selecting boars for breeding who have a low chance of effecting their offspring with boar taint. Boar taint heredity will also be examined in sows. Boar taint currently effects 5% of non-castrated boars in Europe.
Prevent dehydration by body temperature control
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on December 15, 2011 | No Comments
Day old chicks are very sensitive to external factors. To avoid dehydration it is recommended that chick’s body temperatures be kept at 40-40.6 degrees C. For decades the focus has been on how many chicks hatch, but the time after hatching can be just as crucial to chick quality. After a chick hatches it may not get food or water for up to 72 hours as it gets transported to a farm. This could be a cause of dehydration and detrimental to chick quality.
Dehorning study results
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on December 13, 2011 | No Comments
This article gives the results from a study of Italian dairy farmers and their opinions about dehorning cattle. The article has statistics about farmers preferred methods of dehorning and the reasons for using certain methods.
Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for miRNA Expression Studies during Porcine Pregnancy
Posted in: Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on December 12, 2011 | No Comments
MicroRNAs comprise a family of small non-coding RNAs that modulate several developmental and physiological processes including pregnancy. Their ubiquitous presence is confirmed in mammals, worms, flies and plants. Although rapid advances have been made in microRNA research, information on stable reference genes for validation of microRNA expression is still lacking. Real time PCR is a widely used tool to quantify gene transcripts. An appropriate reference gene must be chosen to minimize experimental error in this system. A small difference in miRNA levels between experimental samples can be biologically meaningful as these entities can affect multiple targets in a pathway. This study examined the suitability of six commercially available reference genes (RNU1A, RNU5A, RNU6B, SNORD25, SCARNA17, and SNORA73A) in maternal-fetal tissues from healthy and spontaneously arresting/dying conceptuses from sows were separately analyzed at gestation day 20. Comparisons were also made with non-pregnant endometrial tissues from sows. Spontaneous fetal loss is a prime concern to the commercial pork industry. Our laboratory has previously identified deficits in vasculature development at maternal-fetal interface as one of the major participating causes of fetal loss. Using this well-established model, we have extended our studies to identify suitable microRNA reference genes. A methodical approach to assessing suitability was adopted using standard curve and melting curve analysis, PCR product sequencing, real time PCR expression in a panel of gestational tissues, and geNorm and NormFinder analysis. Our quantitative real time PCR analysis confirmed expression of all 6 reference genes in maternal and fetal tissues. All genes were uniformly expressed in tissues from healthy and spontaneously arresting conceptus attachment sites. Comparisons between tissue types (maternal/fetal/non-pregnant) revealed significant differences for RNU5A, RNU6B, SCARNA17, and SNORA73A expression. Based on our methodical assessment of all 6 reference genes, results suggest that RNU1A is the most stable reference gene for porcine pregnancy studies.
Electric stunning and experience with electro-convulsive therapy
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on December 11, 2011 | No Comments
This article discusses research looking into the electrical stunning of animals and if it is effective in reducing pain and suffering. The researchers state that electrical stunning of animals is similar to electro-convulsive therapy, which was deemed unfit for humans. Stunning animals may not be reducing pain and suffering like it should.
Economics and farm animal welfare
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch by admin on December 7, 2011 | No Comments
This article is a summary of a report which argues that economics should be considered as a factor in decisons about animal welfare. The report argues that economics can help us to understand the relationship between animal and human welfare. The report argues for government intervention in animal welfare, stating that it should not be left up to the free market to determine. The report assess several economic factors involved in animal welfare.
Evaluation of Temperature Conditions in Trucks during Transport of Market Pigs to Slaughter
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch, Welfare by admin on December 1, 2011 | No Comments
A study was done to find the different temperatures in a trailer of market pigs heading to slaughter. The study was done over a year tracking the temperature in each trailer compartment. The study found that pigs in the belly of the trailer experienced lower temperatures, while pigs in the upper-front and middle-front of the trailer experienced higher temperatures.
Piglets Overcoming Post-Weaning Stress
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Research Watch, Uncategorized, Welfare by admin on November 28, 2011 | No Comments
After weaning there are several factors that contribute to piglets post weaning stress. Post-weaning stress can influence when a pig goes to market and how it converts feed. Being separated from other piglets, switching from wet to dry feed and being in a new environment, all put stress on the piglet which effects its eating habits and requires two to three weeks for the piglet to achieve an optimal feed intake. Organic acids have done a good job to limit the growth and spreading of pathogens in feed but pathogens still effect pigs in all phases of production. Combining organic acids, cinnamaldehyde and a permeabilising substance are some of the ways researchs are trying reduce the effects of pathogens.