The “Smart Pig Handling” Videos

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on June 5, 2017 | No Comments

Points arising from the “Smart Pig Handling” videos
Slow is faster than stopped. Most of the things that cost extra time: pigs stopping, baulking, piling, bunching, wedging, circling back… can be avoided simply by backing off and letting pigs move at their own speed. Reduce rushing to reduce the time required.

Nancy-Lidste-Smart-Anima-Handling-Videos-Key-Concepts

Oral Fluids Testing to Detect Respiratory Disease

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Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex is a major cause of production losses, most often from decreased weight gain. This powerpoint outlines how testing oral fluids can be used as a diagnostic tool for a variety of pathogens and how to gather these fluids. Studies were done to test how accurate this method of sampling is and results were very positive.

Oral-Fluids-Testing-Detect-Disease-Dr-Susan-Detmer

YOUTUBE-PROOFING AGRICULTURE

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This power point outlines a variety of strategies for creating open lines of communication with consumers.

YouTube-Proofing-Agriculture-Andy-Vance

Feeding for carcass value: Considerations of genetics

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Nutritional and genetic strategies individually and in combination offer tools to influence carcass value in many ways. as our knowledge and technologies develop, these tools are becoming more powerful. However, a bigger challenge is to determine the attributes of the carcass where changes or specific targeted levels can add more value. The additional value could come anywhere in the pork production chain, but there is a need  to motivate changes at one point in the chain when the increased value takes place somewhere else in the chain. For example, if genetic suppliers worked to provide sires with higher genetic potential for marbling, this could give producers to tools to produce more pork that meets the requirements of high value fresh pork markets such as in Japan and in new premium branded markets here in Canada. Feeding strategies can also affect attributes such as firmness of the pork and marbling. However such decisions still need to consider costs related to changing specific attributes of the carcass. In the case of nutritional changes, the producer is directly affected and a change could could have a large effect on the cost of feeding. A change in feeding program can also adversely affect important traits other than the ones being targeted. The benefit needs to be at least as large as the cost and there needs to be a way for producers to cover the costs.  The costs of genetic changes, in contrast, do not affect the commercial producer directly, since the breeding stock suppliers are doing the work, and the cost per commercial hog would be very small. There is potential for large benefits from genetics with relatively little cost, but there needs to be a way for breeding stock suppliers to cover these costs. Feeding to genetic potential and selection of genetics for lean yield are examples that have provided opportunities for large increases in net carcass value in the past and continue to provide more opportunities today. Much of the benefit relates to lowering costs for production, slaughter and processing, but there is also increased market hog value for both the producer and the pack. There is potential today to start work on targeting other traits related to pork quality that can further increase carcass value.

Feeding for carcass value: Grading system implications

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The grading system is back on the pork industry agenda. With renewed interest in developing a national grading system, it is important to understand the attributes that could be included in the grading system and how it could influence carcass value. There are two main pillars to describe the carcass in all grading systems, Quantity being total lean or salable yield and quality. Carcass leanness is one of the outcomes considered in selection of energy and amino acid densities in diets. The Canadian Pork industry is already using some technologies to in efforts to improve carcass leanness and yield. In contrast, there has been less focus on methods to improve other aspects of pork quality. However, with ta new grading system on the horizon, introduction of new technologies may bring financial rewards for improving pork quality attributes. The pork industry already has the tools to improve quality through nutritional changes that have a direct financial cost. Besides providing appropriate levels of dietary levels of energy and amino acids to improve leanness, targeted supplementation of other nutrients can be used to improve pork quality. The adoption of nutrition strategies is however waiting for economic incentive. Focusing on individual animal needs, and when nutritional intervention would be cost effective will, however be a key to improving the bottom line in the pig barn.

Using enzymes and inoculants to manipulate the feeding value of DDGS for young pigs

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Controlled fermentation of co-products can improve energy availability and gut function through synergistic soluble fiber hydrolysis. This study assessed effects of extended DDGS fermentation on performance and digestive function of newly weaned piglets with light or heavy body weight at weaning fed corn and soybean meal based liquid diets. Liquid diets which contained either DDGS fermented with enzymes and silage innoculants or DDGS added to water immediately prior to liquid feeding were fed to newly weaned piglets for the entire nursery period. Growth parameters were assessed as well as digesta PH and organic acid profiles and the microbiome of the ileal digesta, ileal mucosa and feces. Feeding of fermented DDGS resulted in improved growth performance late in the nursery period in pigs with light body weight at weaning and altered organic acid profiles in the digesta. The microbiome of all sampling sites was increased by diet with decreases in alpha-diversity in the ileal mucosa and feces of pigs fed fermented DDGS.

Early nursery nutrition

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Every producers approach to nutritional programs may be slightly different to reach maximum profitability. One commonality across strategies during the early nursery phase is to facilitate the adjustment pigs must go through during the transition from sow milk to solid feed. Optimal intake of the right nutrients stimulates a healthy gut for long term effective nutrient absorption while reducing the incidence of post-weaning diarrhea.

Around the time of weaning, the digestive tract undergoes radical changes in physiology, microbiology and immunology. Such as:

• Increased stomach PH
• Decreased lactase and other pancreatic enzymes 3-5 days post weaning
• Gastric motility and stomach emptying are reduced
• Decreased villus height and increased crypt depth
• Intestinal permeability is increased
• Reduction in net absorption of fluids and electrolytes
• Crypt cell numbers are decreased in the large intestine
• barrier function and active absorption are decreased when pigs are weaned at 3 or less weeks of age

The nutritional program for weaned pigs should be designed to match the pigs digestive development at each stage by providing highly palatable and digestible ingredients that encourage feed intake and result in maximum performance.

Post weaning disease control

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The long cold Canadian winters present some unique challenges in pig production. Keeping animals warm in the winter, temperature fluctuations and ventilation issues. The former is a challenge to newly weaned pigs in particular and the latter, or lack of it brings on problems with respiratory and systemic infections.

Necropsies of typical cases give you a good overview of what is going on. Samples can be taken and sent away for testing, these all add up to the overall picture and diagnosis and what may be the best method of control.

Behind the numbers of finishing barn managment

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4 Key Points are made for successful finishing:

1. Develop checklists for both the barn operator and the fieldsman.
   • This allows you to monitor repeatable incidents and develop individual profiles
2. Keep and maintain a database of everything going on
   • Monitor each system as this will allow for specific changes to be made which will positively influence productivity
3. Develop a benchmark group that is monitored by a third party
4. Health and biosecurity.

Changing Business structure of the North American hog industry

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Combined US and Canadian pig inventory in December 2015 was 81.6 million including 7.24 million head kept for breeding compared to December 2007’s inventory of 79.1 million pigs including 7.71 million kept for breeding. Productivity of the North American swine herd continues to grow with pigs saved per sow increasing from 9.16 in 2006 to 10.3 in 2015. US annual pork production by carcass weight has also increased by 2.5 billion pounds from 2007 to 2015.

Managers and investors need validated information on new technology now more than ever, they also require transparent supply chain economic analysis of the impacts of technological innovation, demand shifts, demographic changes, seemingly unrelated market effects and policy changes. There appear to be large opportunities for further precision management, another genetic revolution and entrepreneurial innovation. Time allows presentation of only a few ideas today. The need for educational conferences is continually increasing. Pig industry research and educational institutions are and will be investments that generate huge ROIs for producers and allied industry.