VALUE OF FEED PEAS TO SWINE DIETS TO SWINE DIETS

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Selection Programs for Seedstock Producers

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Seedstock producers require sound selection programs to ensure genetic progress for their customers. This fact sheet will aid seedstock producers in determining their selection objective(s) and how
to make selection and culling decisions while managing risk. The concepts of performance testing, expected progeny differences (EPDs), accuracies and selection indexes will also be briefly
reviewed. However, this is not a comprehensive publication on genetic improvement. Before using this fact sheet, it may be worthwhile to read NSIF fact sheets #9 and #10.
The order of topics in this fact sheet are:
1. Determining selection objectives
2. Basics of performance testing
3. Expected progeny differences (EPDs)
4. Accuracies
5. Selection indexes
6. Making selection decisions
7. Selecting and culling sires
8. Selecting and culling females
9. Managing selection risk
10. Summary

La production animale et les questions de santé

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Il arrive que les voisins d’une exploitation d’élevage soient préoccupés par les incidences d’une telle entreprise sur leur santé. Des questions comme la salubrité des sources d’approvisionnement en eau de la région, la qualité de l’air et la transmission possible de maladies des animaux aux humains méritent une certaine attention.

On farm AI – The Pitfalls

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Over the past 50 years AI has become extremely common, but there are some pitfalls to avoid in order for it to be effective. The key to achieving high levels of performance with AI is to ensure the delivery of “good quality semen into the right place at the right time”. There are many problems that can occur with management and even physiological problems that can only be realized 21 days after.

At the boar stud make sure that there are enough staffed people who are able to run the system in case of an illness or something to that effect. If there are specialized people assigned to different steps of the process, ensure they can all work as a team. Keeping the staff focused and interested will prevent boredom and therefore keep the quality of work up. The size of the boar stud should match the requirements of the operation. Semen wastage cannot be over looked, as it is simple to do. People tend to think that because semen is constantly produced it is not a big deal to waste some. Make sure that everyone understands the costs involved.

Staff should follow a manual or “AI Blueprint”, in which each step is detailed to ensure standardization and consistency. AI supplies should be as clean as possible. Items that come into direct or indirect contact with the ejaculates must be guaranteed “non-spermicidal”. Backup plans should also be made in case of a semen outage, which is a reality in any operation.

Specialized Pigs for Specialized Markets

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The market for pork has led to a variety of products available in food stores to satisfy consumers. Export to Asian countries is very important to Canadian markets, as is producing a carcass that is economically valuable and usable by packers. Pigs produced can be made to target a differentiated market. Genetics, nutrition, slaughter and pre-slaughter conditions can help to manipulate the product to give the packers what they desire. Genetics provides some tools to fulfill different requirements. Some breeds have certain characteristics that are genetically available from the get-go, and through good selection these traits can be enhanced. PIC is one of many companies that offer a wide range of products for domestic or export targets.

Gleaning Information From Mandatory Livestock Price Reporting

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Across-Herd Genetic Evaluation of Swine

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One way to improve performance in a herd is through selection of genetically superior animals, with the selection based on an estimate of the genetic merit of the animals. How well this genetic merit is estimated (accuracy) is important, because accuracy predicts the potential rate of genetic progress. The higher the accuracy, the more genetic progress is possible, assuming that the
genetically superior animals have been selected.
Across-herd genetic evaluation programs are used to predict the genetic merit of animals for specific traits. These programs combine records on the individual with information on relatives in an in-depth analysis, resulting in very accurate estimates of genetic merit. The programs typically express the genetic merit of an individual for a trait as an Expected Progeny Difference (EPD), or half of the animal’s breeding value. Across-herd genetic evaluation is the comparison of sires, dams, and pigs
based on the analysis of performance information collected on pigs of the same breed in different herds at many different times. This may include onfarm records, national breed test information, and progeny test data.
Across-herd evaluations can be used to accurately compare animals in different herds. Across-herd evaluations are used routinely by the dairy and beef industries in the U.S. to identify the very best
genetic material in each breed. Canadian pork producers use an across-herd program to select breeding stock. In the U.S., the STAGES program began using an across-herd evaluation in 1991, and has done nightly across-herd evaluations for Yorkshire, Hampshire, Duroc, and Landrace breeds since 1998. There are separate evaluations for each breed.

Health Issues & Livestock Production

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Neighbours living near a livestock operation may have concerns about how their health might be affected. Questions about the safety of the water supply in the area, the quality of the air and
whether illness can be passed from animals to humans deserve consideration.

Community health risk from properly managed livestock operations is negligible. By strictly following
agricultural guidelines and environmental regulations, livestock producers can minimize potential
impacts on health. Individual personal hygiene is very important when visiting or working in a livestock operation.

Handling Pigs for Optimum Performance on the Farm and in the Slaughter Plant

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Genetics plays a role in swine behavior. There are certain genetic lines of pigs that have extreme bulging hams which can lead to broken bones at kill time and damaged meat. Simply walking the finisher pens each day for 10 to 15 seconds reduces the stress and in turn the damage at time of slaughter. What this does is makes the pigs not too panicked at slaughter but also not so tame that they are difficult to move. 12 steps are offered for quality handling of finisher pigs which address moving, grouping, and transport to minimize death losses and damage from fighting. 6 steps are offered for packer plants to reduce the stress on the pigs and reduce the risk of quality reduction (these steps include low-stress handling and environmental concerns). Genetic companies should be looking at selecting for low-stress animals.

PSE (pale, soft, and exudative) pork is the result of genetics, producers, and packers. PSE can be reduced by using quality genetics, transporting longer distances (if possible), and fasting pigs 12 to 24 hours prior to slaughter. Using genetics to eliminate the stress gene (especially in confinement facilities) will allow for easier single file movement to slaughter in the packing plant and also reduce excitability, which can cause meat damage. Environmental stimulation in the finisher barn such as toys or a radio can help adapt pigs to sudden noises and therefore reduce stress. 9 points are given for packers to reduce the incidence of PSE, which include handling and environmental factors. Reducing heat will reduce PSE as well as dark firm dry (DFD) meat. 6 steps are also given to help eliminate bloodsplash, which is an aesthetic defect caused by mini hemorrhages in the meat. This includes adjusting kill wattage, bleeding quickly, avoiding double stunning, reducing prods, using quality equipment, and CO2 killing.

Objectives of Assisted Reproductive Technology

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The concept of significantly increasing the lean meat output per AI boar via assisted reproductive technology is important. Early programs have given producers better estrus detection, better estrus behaviour, and better AI practice to enhance production. Good estrus detection is essential for detecting when the time is right for AI. Good estrus detection can minimize the wean-to-estrus interval and help developing gilts via visual, audio, smell, and tactile stimulation. The sequence of events that are followed for heat detection should be monitored in order to attain a good standing heat in the sow. Proper stimulation should be administered before the question of “is she in heat or not?” arises. Boar-sow interactions should be limited to the critical breeding period so that muscular contractions during heat are maximized. This will result in a higher conception rate and litter size. AI techniques are being developed so that intra-uterine insemination can be done (rather than cervical insemination). This will reduce the number of sperm per dose by a large amount without the loss in productivity. 3 billion sperm per dose is the average used today, and the use of intra-uterine insemination can lower that number to 1 billion per dose.