A Survey of Best Management Practices of Swine Farms Across Canada
Two projects funded by Swine Innovation Porc and carried out by Prairie Swine Centre (PSC) and Centre de développement du porc du Québec (CDPQ) examined the adoption of best management practices on farms throughout Canada. The first project audited 24...
Take time to do maintenance
As part of the brochure ‘Managing energy cost in the barn’, this section talks about the importance of a well-designed maintenance program, including attic, roof and walls, insulation, feed system, heating system, drinkers and pens, and the ventilation system. To...
Controllers and sensors
As part of the brochure ‘Managing energy cost in the barn’, this section talks about the do’s and don’ts of controllers and sensors and shows the economical implications of improper settings or calibration of the controllers. To access this specific...
Seal up those barns
As part of the brochure ‘Managing energy cost in the barn’, this section talks about the importance of good insulation and sealing of air leaks such as shutters of ventilation fans. To access this specific section, go to ‘Seal up...
Ventilation systems
As part of the brochure ‘Managing energy cost in the barn’, this section talks about the goals of a ventilation system and how to reduce energy use of the ventilation system, including proper controller settings, energy efficient fans, and air...
Sow mortality in Canadian Swine Herds
Sow mortality is an area of increasing concern as production records indicate a significant increase in spontaneous death losses over the past 10-20 years. This project gathered information on sow mortality in Canadian herds through a literature review, a producer...
Managing High Feed Costs
Feed costs always will be the single largest component in costs associated with pork production. Finding ways to effectively reduce feed costs while optimizing pig performance helps producers economic sustainability. This publication focuses on four key areas including: 1) Diet...
Water intake
Table showing recommended flow rate and height of nipple drinkers. Tips for saving water include adjusting nipple drinkers to proper height, check flow rates, and repair or replace leaky drinkers and water lines, among others. Water intake (full article)
Now is the time to look at market weights
With feed prices at or near all-time highs now is he time to look at how heavy you should market your pigs. Calculating your optimal market weight is a relatively straightforward exercise, once you have all the required information. Once...
How do we manage high feed prices?
Over the past several years, grain prices have increased significantly with wheat and barley prices close to doubling the values seen in the fall of 2020. Therefore, finding strategies to minimize the impact of high feed prices will be important...
Making the most of your water
Previous work has shown finishing pigs can waste 25% of water from well-managed nipple drinkers, therefore opportunities exist to reduce wastage when flow rates are adjusted on a regular basis. Actual on-farm water flow rates and nipple drinker heights were...
