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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:
Water Quality Impacts on the Economics of Nursery Pig Production
Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2004 | No Comments
Although water is a critical resource for profitable swine production, there has been surprisingly little research on how various aspects of water relate to pig performance. There is a growing number of pigs being raised in areas where good quality ground water is unavailable, and surface (dugout) water must be used. However, there is very little information on the use of surface water for pigs in general and nursery pigs in particular. Compared to well water, surface water is at a much higher risk of contamination and therefore its quality is likely to be an issue for its use in pig production.
Various water treatment methods are available to the pork industry, but their impact on pig performance is largely unknown. These include chlorination, coagulation, filtration, and pH adjustment. Chlorination is now an accepted practice within the swine industry, at least as it relates to nursery pigs. However, the impact of different levels of chlorination on water intake and pig performance remains a key concern that needs to be investigated.
Therefore the objectives of the project were:
1. To compare the performance of newly weaned pigs provided surface water compared to those provided ground water.
2. To determine the effect of coagulation and filtration of surface water on the performance of newly weaned pigs.
3. To determine the effect of chlorine levels in the drinking water on the performance of newly weaned pigs.
4. To determine the impact of acidification on the performance of newly weaned pigs.
5. To determine the economic impact of surface water quality on pork production.
Warming up for C.O.O.L.: American Viewpoint
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Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) has been a household name in the food sector for roughly two years and is basically now law. As of October 2004 (in the USA anyways), COOL is mandatory (law), implementation was about 2 billion USD, industry stakeholders had their input heard, and more concerning the passage of COOL into law. Reasons for supporting COOL include the fact that people have a right to know where their food came from and may pay a premium for meat of a different origin. This theory is flawed, and many think that politicians that have no real understanding of agriculture and economics passed COOL into law. In conclusion, COOL is a shortsighted attempt by anti-trade members in the US to construct a complex and costly trade barrier to trade in livestock and red meat. There is little economic merit other than consumer rights, even though consumers indicate they have no interest in the origin. The poultry industry is excluded from this, which helps it due to the fact that the costs of COOL would be highest for pork and beef.
Practicalities and Pitfalls of Semen Evaluation
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Current AI techniques utilize 2.5 to 3 billion sperm per dose, yet there are still many other factors that influence fertility with AI. Yet despite the numerous measures for semen quality, sperm concentration is still the most commonly performed test. Most studies indicate that 2 billion sperm per dose will not limit productivity but will reduce performance. Assessment of sperm concentrations is done by a cell-counting chamber and analysis by spectrophotometers. Both age and collection frequency seems to be the biggest factors when addressing sperm concentration variation. Cell-counting chambers are good because they allow for visual assessment of sperm. Despite it being a time consuming method, it is low cost and fairly accurate. Errors occur typically with sub-sampling, pipetting, filling the counting chamber, dilution of the samples, and errors in counting. Optical density is the most common and practical method used for commercial semen production. Spectrophotometers are used because of their speed and ease of use. It measures the amount of light transmitted through a sample, which is dependent on the number of sperm. Many photometers have predetermined curves that calculate the concentration or provide a chart for conversion of the reading to sperm/mL. Errors from this method can result from improper sampling, pipette error, improper sample holder, incorrect diluent, using the machine wrong, incorrect standard curve, and reading out of the range of the photometer accuracy. Knowledge of the equipment accuracy range and the concentration of the ejaculate could allow a single dilution to be performed that would provide optimal readings within the limits of the spectrophotometer for a wide range of ejaculates. Determining the range of semen concentrations range that will be encountered in the lab could help choose the labs standard dilution rate and give warning when expected values are out of the expected range and reading accuracy for the equipment. It appears that average concentrations today are consistently higher compared to earlier reports. This could be due to lower collection frequency, selection for testes size, greater maturity age, and better health/nutrition/housing. It could be beneficial to produce a grid for ejaculate volumes and concentrations for certain ages of boars. Standard curves should be generated for the optimal reading range of the equipment and investigations should occur when readings fall out of this range.
Variability in Growth, Pig Weights and Hog Marketing Decisions
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Digestible energy value of DON contaminated barley increased by de-hulling
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Infections of cereal grains by fusarium not only lead to reductions in crop yields and quality, but also lead to a reduction in the suitability of the grain as a feed source for swine. This is due to the fact that mycotoxins, most notably deoxynivalenol (DON, vomitoxin), produced by the fungi can reduce feed intake in swine, thereby increasing days to market. Current guidelines recommend keeping DON levels to less than 1 ppm in the final ration in order to avoid problems with feed refusal. The use of a commercial-scale pearling unit can turn DON (vomitoxin)-contaminated barley into a usable feed ingredient for swine diets. Pearling removes the DON and makes the grain acceptable to swine. Additionally, the digestible energy value of the grain is increased by 28% over intact barley. Therefore, commercial scale pearling may serve as a useful technique to improve the utilization of DON-contaminated barley by the swine industry.
Transportation of Early Weaned Piglets: Seasonal Effects
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Segregated early weaning (SEW) has become a standard practice in the swine industry in Canada. Piglets are weaned at an early age (14 – 20 d) and transported to a separate site to reduce the risk of transmission of disease from the sow to piglets. The relocation of early weaned piglets to a separate site necessarily involves transport. These journeys vary in length but typically, in Canada, fall within the 4-20 hr range. Initially, transport vehicles were heated in winter but the industry has moved to winter transport without heating. There is little information on the preferred transport temperature ranges for piglets or on actual temperatures experienced by early weaned piglets under commercial transport.
The objectives of this research were to:
1. Collect information on vehicle temperature in commercial vehicles transporting early weaned piglets during journeys of varying lengths and in different seasons.
2. To determine the effect of season on the behaviour and production of early weaned piglets following transport.
3. To determine the effect of transport factors other than duration and temperature on the behaviour and production of early weaned piglets following transport.
4. To determine the effect of piglet weight at weaning on the behaviour and production of early weaned piglets following transport.
Keeping Up With Change
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The role of one farmer has become more and more important in the past 25 years, and the importance will only continue to grow. Three principle forces that drive these changes are economics, consumer demands, and public expectations. As a producer, economically we must focus on cost saving measures, such as properly adjusted water nipples and controlling wastes of feed, medication, and energy. We must also respond quickly to packer grids and feed costs. Consumers today are demanding a safe product with great eating quality, consistency, and predictability. Quality assurance programs are ensuring producers are outputting the best product they can. Public expectations show concern on environmental quality, water utilization, and waste management. We must demonstrate safe practice.
A Global Perspective on Pork Industry Competitiveness
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Live animal cost of production is one of many factors that will determine a specific industries ability to survive and prosper in the global market area. A 2003 study investigated the economic, political, social, and cultural factors of the pork sector in terms of their impacts on various key countries hog and pork sectors. Feed availability and cost can be measured, as can other key input variables. Herd productivity can be measured but is kept mostly confidential. It is also difficult to measure types of production because it can vary so much around the world. Hog quality is difficult too because of varying consumer preference. Social factors include environmental issues and animal welfare. Key factors for hog production competitiveness include core land base of a country (for grains and such), hog weights, sow productivity, labour costs, industry and market structure, and disease status. Canada’s assessment showed an aggregate index score above the US, negatives for hog weights and feed costs, and all other factors positive. Chile, Brazil, and Australia could be major competitors for North America. However, an evaluation of the entire supply chain is required as an evaluation of a countries overall economic situation, social issues, exchange rates, etc. In an aggregate sense, Canada remains at the top, but overall advantage over the US was relatively slim.