Pigs in Space
Space allowance can impact many areas of pork production including social interaction, behaviour, stress and productivity. Often weaner pigs are given less space allowance due to their size but this may not be adequate. Crowding occurs near the end of the nursery phase as the...
On Farm Automation Takes Off
Collecting data is an important part of farming with trends moving towards precision farming, though it can be a time consuming process so new ways of doing this task are being looked into. Automation including 3D vision technology and individual water recording systems have a...
Boar Taint Research in Good Taste
Boar taint is a problem for the pork industry due to its impact on meat quality. Pork has an unpleasant odour and a gamey taste when from an uncastrated male due to sex pheromones produced, which is why early castration is a common occurrence in...
Code-Related Research an Enriching Experience
Sows often have increased aggression due to restricted feeding or low space allowances. It may also be increased in a competitive feeding system. Moving to group sow housing makes aggression more dangerous to the animals and implementing enrichment in the pens may help mitigate this....
Rapid PEDv Test Earns Top Marks
A faster, easier and cheaper method to detect Porcine Endemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) is being developed that uses a molecular diagnostic platform called the Accutas™. This test can be done on the farm with very fast results (1-2 hours) so it is cheap to do...
Pork Quality: How to Assess without the Mess
New technology is being developed to help assess pork quality more efficiently. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) shows promise with identifying water holding capacity, including meat colour, cooking loss and drip loss. Meat composition may also be able to be determined by the amount of fat...
High Hopes for Hi-Tech Pork Research
New technology is being created to help the pork industry move forward through developing indicators of carcass value, welfare and performance. A few of these studies include developing a 3D vision system that can assess carcass value, using infrared cameras to identify sick pigs and...
EGF Helps Piglets Get Growing
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) supports the piglets' intestines development and is produced through the sows milk naturally. Weaning pigs earlier decreases the amount of milk and EGF a piglet would normally consume which slows their development and growth. Making EGF chemically is too expensive to...
Addressing Influenza a Shot in the Arm for Industry
Influenza has a large impact on the Canadian swine industry as it mutates quickly resulting in multiple strains. A genomic analysis was completed on 16 strains that were causing outbreaks in Canada. Once one of the viruses was being dealt with, often another strain would...
Sow Housing Strategies: Mixing Well With Others
Sow mixing strategies can affect reproductive performance, sow well-being and the economics of the operation. Mixing sows is a critical aspect of group housing so it needs to be better understood. The three time points that mixing can occur are at weaning, right after breeding...