Dietary lysine requirements of heavy and light pigs weaned at 14 days of age

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 2000 | No Comments

Multiple Trait Selection for Pork Improvement

Posted in: Production by admin on January 1, 1999 | No Comments

One of the most important decisions breeders make is choosing which traits to improve in their herds. Breeders must decide among numerous traits of economic importance and determine whether to improve performance a small amount in several traits or make larger amounts of improvement in fewer traits.

Performance Records and Their Use in Genetic Improvement

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Recording performance data is common place within many swine businesses in the United States. Information such as sow farrowing and weaning data and changes in feed and pig inventories are used regularly for both tactical and strategic planning. Animal performance data within the commercial pork industry is primarily used to monitor production system dynamics and to pinpoint strengths and
weaknesses within each phase of production. A secondary use, chiefly for sows and boars, is evaluation of past performance of individual animals within the system.
Within seedstock farms, animal records are used primarily to monitor the performance of individuals for the prediction of genetic breeding values. Monitoring production system status is of secondary nature. All pigs within purebred or nucleus systems are uniquely identified whereas in commercial
systems, individual identification occurs primarily for sows and boars.
Seedstock programs implement unique production protocols to standardize conditions so individuals within a group experience similar production and environmental circumstances. Differences
in genetic merit between animals are more notable when individuals compared are exposed to similar
environmental challenges. The comparison of differences in performance records between individuals
is a key element in identifying genetically superior individuals. To accomplish this objective, data collection must follow specific protocols so that differences observed between individuals more accurately reflect their differences in genetic merit versus differences due to non-genetic factors.

Performance Records on Relatives

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Estimating the genetic merit of all individuals in a herd is required before a comprehensive selection and genetic improvement program can be successful. Performance records need to be
collected on as many animals as possible, ideally on every animal in the herd. Since animals have relatives and progeny in the herd, the records on these relatives or groups of relatives can be
used to improve the estimation of the genetic merit of an individual animal.
Animals are related when they receive some identical genes from a common ancestor. When they have genes in common, the performance of one individual for a given trait can be used to help
estimate genetic merit for other related individuals.
Genetic evaluations conducted by the majority of breed organizations and breeding stock companies use the animal model and best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP) procedures. This technology is used to determine expected progeny differences (EPDs) for the animals evaluated. An EPD is the predicted average performance difference of the offspring from a breeding animal compared to the average performance of the offspring from other animals in the same population. The animal model not only uses
the individuala

The Economic Impact of Genetic Improvement

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If the pork industry in the United States is to prosper, it is imperative that production efficiency of lean, quality, consumer-oriented pork products improve. The pork industry is one of several industries competing for a share of consumer market demand. Consumers, both domestic and international, have the option of purchasing numerous pork substitutes.
Due to rapid improvements in production efficiency, the retail prices of broilers and turkeys have risen less than pork prices. As a result, pork, the medium priced meat, lost sales to poultry in the more price sensitive markets and is competing with beef in less price sensitive markets.
As the pork industry matures, the most efficient producers continue to expand. The expansion of the more efficient producers causes profit margins to decrease. Thus, it is increasingly important that each pork producer carefully consider genetic options. Only progressive pork producers utilizing
seedstock with superior genetic potential arising from strategic selection practices remain competitive. Pork producers must exploit the power of genetic improvement programs in order to improve their production efficiency. While most commercial producers are aware of the dollar returns
associated with investments in improved management, the majority fail to realize the substantial economic impact of genetic improvement. Selection based upon performance data can be highly profitable for pork producers. Using proven selection techniques, it is possible to genetically
improve economically important traits at the rate of about 2 to 3% per year.
Improved efficiency of pork production results not only from genetic progress, but from advances in all areas of swine production: genetics, nutrition, physiology, management, and health. Longterm
improvement of a commercial producera

Mexicoa

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As part of a technical assistance project for emerging markets, USDAa

One century of genetic changes in pigs and the future needs

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The goal of this paper is to analyse one
century of pig breeding with societal needs in the background. It was found that during this time genetic changes have resulted. The main features are the progress in daily
gain (+100%) and in backfat thickness (-75%). During the last decade, genetic progress was accelerated
enormously by further specialisation and improved statistical methods (and computers), especially in
reproduction traits. At present, most European pig breeding programmes realise annual genetic progress for
daily gain of +20 g/day, lean meat % of +0.5% and litter size of +0.2 piglet/litter. In commercial pig breeding
programmes selection limits have not been reached yet. Nevertheless, there are experimental results that
indicate unintended side effects of the present breeding goals. In general, more genetic progress for a single
trait increases the potential risk for the biological balance of the pig. Clearly, the success of any pig breeding
programme next century will be judged by the consumer. Where a newly bred, or genetically modified,
variety of animals fails to provide something people are prepared to buy, the breeding programme will be
judged a failure. Next to quality of the product, animal integrity and welfare will also be judged. Only
improved production levels without affect on of health or metabolic balance of the animal seem to be
accepted by society.

Methods of assessing adequacy of drinker provision in group-housed pigs.

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Monitoring Pig Growth using a Prototype Imaging System

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Threonine Requirements of the High-Producing Lactating Sow

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