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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:
NUTRITIONAL EVALUATION OF MANITOBA-GROWN CORN HYBRIDS FOR SWINE
Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2004 | No Comments
Wheat and barley are the main sources of energy in swine diets in Western Canada. However, the availability of other grains such as corn, which is an excellent energy source, should afford pork producers an opportunity to better manage dietary nutrient supply and therefore efficiency of production. Moreover, using locally grown feedstuffs in swine rations is not only likely to be cost effective but also offers a means to effectively utilize nutrients and minimize the environmental impact of pork production.
Although corn is originally from the tropics, plant breeders have been successful at developing varieties that can grow well in areas with a short planting season like Manitoba (Manitoba Agric., 2004). Based on corn heat units (CHU), which is a measure of useful heat required for growth and development of corn, Manitoba can be divided into 10 regions with CHU ranging from 1800 – 2800. With the annual minimum requirement of 2200 CHU needed to produce grain corn, six regions in Manitoba support the production of grain corn. These six regions make up 95.3% of the total arable land in Manitoba, thus, a larger part of Manitoba support the production of grain corn.
It is well known that nutritional composition of feed ingredients vary from region to region
(Singh et al., 2000; Kuo et al. 2001; Schmidt et al., 2002) due to factors such as temperature, soil
types, soil fertility, management practices, hybrids and many more. For this basic reason, it is
important that ingredients grown within a region are well characterized in terms of their nutritive
value so as to optimize their use in livestock feeding. An important question that is yet to be
addressed with respect to corn is how differences in CHU might influence its nutritive value. In fact,
the available data on the nutritional value of corn for swine is primarily based on values derived for
US-grown corn. Therefore, a current research project at the University of Manitoba, which is
supported in part by the Manitoba Corn Growers Association, is characterizing the nutritive value of
Manitoba-grown corn for swine.
This research is expected to provide useful information for formulating nutritionally adequate
swine diets containing Manitoba-grown corn varieties. Providing such data will promote the use of
locally grown corn in swine diets thus benefiting both the grain grower and pig producer. Data on
carcass characteristics will be useful in guiding the use of corn in feeding programs for growing finishing pigs.
Creating a Positive Impact in Your Community
Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2003 | No Comments
Pork production is very scientific and the people who run it work very hard. Pork production begins with the insemination of the sow. Most common today is artificial insemination. The use of a boar in direct contact with the sows will initiate an “immobilization response†so that it can be bred. Because boars can be dangerous to use or expensive to house/feed, a product called Boar Mate can be used. This product contains boar pheromones and when sprayed in front of a sows nose, the combination of the spray and back pressure can bring her into a standing response. Cost and nutrition is the key to successfully feeding pigs. Feeding too many amino acids will cause some to flow over into the feces and urine. This is not a good thing for the environment. The large amounts of manure produced each day by pigs create a gas hazard. Without oxygen, some of the bacteria in the feces produce hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Odor can be controlled (although virtually impossible to eliminate) by the addition of certain enzymes or certain types of rocks to it to “eat away†the odor. People have a history of complaints on pesticides and their effect on human health. The use of pesticides is controlled and regulated by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Before a pesticide can be registered for use it must be tested for its effects and long-term effects on the environment, people, etc.
Working with Variance: Hassle or Help in Developing Breeding Management Programs
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The demands of particular markets for pork products will likely result in specific genetics in specific production systems to meet these demands. Replacement gilts need a good growth performance for a good reproductive life. When it comes to genetics certain genetic lines are better for tissue deposition. This allows production systems to focus on depositing the correct amount of fat and muscle for maximum fertility of the gilt. Sow studies suggest that increased protein mass at farrowing can protect against the loss of condition during the gilts first lactation (target weights are being investigated). The object of gilt growth variability is bad for standardizing the gilt pool. To overcome the problems caused by this variation, it may be essential to sort gilts by weight and growth performance at an early age. Nutrition can then be customized to bring the pool into uniform condition. Weighing and measuring back fat is also essential to the process. After all of this though, it is still recommended that the variation be monitored in gestation to ensure uniformity at farrowing. Starting an estrus detection routine at about 160 or 180 days will help to identify the small percentage that do not respond to the boar stimulus. This is good to identify because there is data that suggest that late maturing gilts have reduced lifetime productivity (including the fact that late puberty induction will result in a heavier gilt at time of first mating). Genetic selection and sow nutrition can help meet the nutrient demands of lactation from adequate nutrient intake. Low variation in wean-to-estrus interval should be the focus of lactation feeding. Research is still ongoing in this area, but molecular genetics looks promising. Current ways to improve this is to improve estrus detection and an estimate of heat duration for farm. Several options exist for compensating for the first wean-to-estrus interval (WEI): “skip-a-heat breeding” (which may be financially justified), breed at the extended WEI, treatment with PG600 at or on the day after weaning, a Regumate feeding program, split weaning, and split weaning along with a Regumate program. Improved selection of AI boars and reducing the number of sperm inseminations can also be effective. This has obvious advantages in terms of boar stud management in that it can produce more breedings per boar stud per year.
Nutritional Value of Field Peas – Range of Digestible Energy content in 11 field pea varieties
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Recent research results indicate that locally grown feed ingredients express a high variability in nutritional value for growing – finishing pigs. The highest and lowest DE value differed 20% within twenty samples of barley collected from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Field peas are becoming an increasingly important protein and energy source for growing – finishing pigs in Western Canada. The range in nutritional value of field peas has been poorly assessed. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to characterize the DE content in samples of 11 field pea varieties. The DE ranged from 3098 to 3739 kcal/ kg; thus, the difference in DE between the highest and lowest value was 20%. Despite being grown under similar conditions, energy value for sample differed greatly among samples and variation in DE was greater than expected. Because nutritionists try to formulate diets within an accuracy of 1.5%, the issue of ingredient variability requires further study.
Farm Labor Legislation – How Does It Affect You?
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Government has allowed the agriculture sector more lenience in the labor department. In 2002 the Saskatchewan government imposed Labor Standards on agriculture employees. This resulted in unhappiness among the agricultural employees because of the way it changed long-standing procedures. Pork producers were having a difficult time implementing these into their operations. A significant problem with administering Labor Standards is the conflict that results from different interpretations of how the rules should apply. Employee termination has become more standardized and difficult because the terminated employee has the Division of Labor to fall back on. This can result in additional payment being made to the terminated employee as an unnecessary cost of the producer. Occupational Health & Safety must be adhered to and the Human Rights Code must be followed.
Reproductive Management: A Scientist in Production Clothing
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New ideas and observations about production come about when somebody new enters a production system (in this case, a research scientist). Implementing a once-per-week weaning across the production system means a reduced number of trips to the off-site nursery. Estrus that is not detected is more expensive than females that do not cycle. Boar stimulation is necessary for induction and detection of heat. A quick check of wean-to-estrus interval (WEI), % bred by 7 or 10 days after weaning, and entry to first service on gilts are often used to indicate successful usage of boars. Hormone replacement therapy does not make gilts older or more mature. They merely kick-start the cycle and enhance the expression of estrus. AI success is synonymous with excellent heat checking. Knowledge of the farms mating patterns and able staff are important for AI to be successful. More doses of semen in an AI program do not always equal better fertility. The decision to obtain maximum pigs per insemination involves more cost considerations than just price of extra semen. Animal welfare is a reproductive issue. The brain monitors reproductive cycles as a ratio of estrogen to progesterone more than absolute values of other hormones, and the value of any concept is the cost of implementation.
New levels of vitamin B12 recommended for early-weaned piglets
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Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, plays a central role in allowing animals to efficiently utilize dietary energy and protein. With respect to protein utilization, vitamin B12 acts to help animals use the sulphur amino acid methionine, a limiting amino acid in some swine diets. A deficiency of dietary vitamin B12 can lead to depressed tissue and plasma B12 concentrations, reduced growth and feed efficiency. Additionally, a deficiency of dietary B12 can lead to the accumulation in blood and tissues of a toxic metabolite known as homocysteine. At elevated concentrations, this metabolite has been shown to negatively impact the fundamental processes that lead to muscle growth, including DNA synthesis and protein accretion. Therefore, adequate dietary B12 levels are critical to ensure that the level of this metabolite is kept in check. A primary factor to consider for vitamin B12 nutrition relates to the dietary sources of this vitamin. Vitamin B12 is considered the “Animal Vitamin” because the primary dietary sources of this vitamin are animal products, such as milk powder, fishmeal, and meat meal. Plantbased ingredients do not contain appreciable levels of this vitamin. Therefore, pig diets, because they are cereal-based, require additional sources of vitamin B12 in the form of a synthetic vitamin found in premixes. The level of vitamin B12 required in the final diet will depend on the age and stage of swine. For young pigs weighing 5 to 10 kg, the current published value for vitamin B12 requirements is 17.5 micrograms per kilogram of diet. These estimates are based on extrapolations from studies with heavier, older pigs conducted over 40 years ago. In light of the central role that vitamin B12 plays in protein and energy metabolism, we conducted experiments to define the optimum level required in the diet to meet the needs of the young pig. While growth and feed efficiency were important criteria, we also used sensitive measures of vitamin B12 status, including plasma B12 and homocysteine concentrations. Our research supports a new estimate for vitamin B12 (cobalamin) requirement for early-weaned piglets. For pigs weighing 5-10 kg, the addition of 35 micrograms of vitamin B12 to a kilogram of diet is necessary to avoid accumulations in the toxic metabolite homocysteine that, if left unattended, could lead to depressions in performance and health as the animal ages.