How Should the Canadian Industry Approach Swine Welfare?

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Welfare by admin on July 23, 2015 | No Comments

Animal welfare is a complex issue which becomes more and more important for the industry and the outside society. It is significant to know that the point of view on the animal welfare aspect distinguish a lot between the food producing industry and the society which is increasingly isolated from farming practice. It`s obvious, though sometimes not fully appreciated by those outside the industry, that good swine health is a prerequisite for good animal welfare. Unfortunately in the society, health and welfare are often considered separately. But good welfare is also not just good health, it is more than that. And this is a point the industry sometimes forget. The theme animal welfare has the ability and did already start debates and conflicts in the society. Those debates and conflicts can only resolved by objective scientific data, plausible to all, on how the animal itself perceives its welfare and the strength and importance of its different welfare needs. This should be the basic for an objective discussion between the different stakeholders about new animal welfare rules in the industry. A Canadian Industry Chair in Swine Welfare, based in respected academic institution, would allow the required scientific research programs to be developed through national collaboration, and offer an independent forum to facilitate debate and consensus.

Building a Solid Farm Team

Posted in: Economics, Pork Insight Articles by admin on July 22, 2015 | No Comments

People don’t leave jobs they leave managers

Motivation, Leadership style and Accountability – The three Pillars

Given the immense importance of strong leadership, it is why businesses need to think strategically about whom they put in leadership roles and devote the time and expense toward developing strong leaders for the operation.

Great leaders are people who handle changing circumstances with poise and consistency. They know how to motivate and engage their workforce and understand how to convey appreciation for their team’s effort. They also know how to get the most out of people, while creating an atmosphere for motivation and a sense of accountability. Motivation works as a key component of success.

Managing people takes a dedicated effort, but the rewards of helping employees grow can be one of the most rewarding aspects of a manager’s job. Effective leadership has a direct influence on building a solid farm and the bottom line.

The Makings of Stockpeople

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Traditionally, the producer of the swine unit was the stockperson and pig handling skills were passed down from the previous generation. Because of the increasing numbers on Pigs on nowadays farms, the demand of reliable and motivated stockpeople is gaining in the last years. Finding stockpeople with an appropriate character is important to the productivity and welfare of pigs and the future of the farm. As producers hire and train employees as stockpeople, many of them are new to the industry, their attitude and ability can be shaped through constant information and on-farm training of best-management practices for animal handling and movement, animal health diagnosis and treatment and other  topics related to animal care. Research indicates that the productivity of pigs is related to the interaction with stockpersons, so well training people can be a chance for the barn.

Forgotten Fundamentals of Ventilation in Swine Facilities

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Why do we ventilate?

We ventilate to provide good air quality (IAQ) and a healthier environment for both pigs and people. Improved health will mean improved profits and an easier production system to work with. A good ventilation system should provide fresh air and heating in the winter and cooling in the summer. Electrical energy costs for the ventilation system can be in the range from 30% for farrow and nursery facilities up to 80% in the grow/finisher. There are many different ventilation systems available to achieve the goal of good air quality. The ventilation system is typically made of a combination of the components inlets, fans, heating and control panels. Regardless of how simple or complicated the systems are, the goals are the same.  An understanding in pig behavior is essential for a proper management of the ventilation system. There are several factors that should be considered for a proper air quality: temperature, relative humidity, air placement, radiation and other gases. There are several items to gauge the level of IAQ of your ventilation system: temperature gauge, relative humidity meter, static pressure gauge, but even a general observation with your eyes and nose can detect inappropriate ventilation.

Reproductive Technology and Its Impact on Sow Productivity

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The swine industry is an ever-changing and progressive industry and continued success is dependent on the implementation of new reproductive technologies. The use of improved reproductive technologies can have widespread effects on productivity and profitability in commercial swine operations. The evaluation of the relative fertility of commercial AI boars, the removing of lower fertility boars and the move to single-sire AI programs in combination with advanced AI technologies, holds significant potential economic benefits for the swine industry. Collectively, these technologies improve the use of elite boars with the highest genetic value and improve sow productivity in terms of farrowing rate, litter size and total pigs produced.

Spring Producer Meetings

Posted in: Production by admin on March 17, 2015 | No Comments

Wednesday, April 22

Niverville, Manitoba

Niverville Heritage Centre, 100 Heritage Trail

Time: 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 23

Portage La Prairie, Manitoba

Canad Inns, 2401 Saskatchewan Avenue

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.

PROGRAM

To register for this seminar, please contact Abel Lopez, Elanco Animal Health

Phone: (306) 280-0240

E-Mail: Lopez_abel@elanco.com

Interaction Between Pig Density and Dietary Energy

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre by admin on January 29, 2015 | No Comments

Dietary net energy and stocking density independently affect performance, feed utilization and profits in the finisher barn. The objective of this experiment was to assess the interactions of stocking density and dietary energy, and determine how these interactions affect net income. When stocking density was increased, the performance of finishing pigs was reduced; however the income over feed cost (IOFC) was maximized when pigs were stocked at higher densities.  Furthermore, finishing pigs responded to increasing dietary energy by decreasing feed intake and improving growth rate, feed efficiency, caloric intake, caloric efficiency, and IOFC. However, the dietary energy which maximized performance and economics did not vary with stocking density. Thus producers should optimize both of these factors separately when determining optimal production.

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Water Availability and Crowding

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre by admin on January 5, 2015 | No Comments

Space allowance, or stocking density, is expressed in terms of pigs per floor area. Space allowance requirements are based on the body weight of the pig, which is proportional to surface area of the pig. The optimal space allowance is the minimum area per pig for maximal individual weight gain. Many experiments have arrived at the same conclusion: “a decrease in space allowance per pig reduces growth performance” because reduced floor-space allowance increases competition for water and feed, reducing feed intake and consequently body weight gain.  However, from an economic perspective it is clear that fewer pigs per pen means less kilograms of pork will be produced per pen, despite the improvement in individual weight gain.  Under conventional management in the grower-finisher period, pigs remain in the same pen for several weeks until they reach market weight. The maximum space requirement has to be calculated based on the day that the first pig is sent to market. Considering a target market weight of 125 kg, the first pigs would be typically sent to market when the average weight of pigs in the pen is around 105 to 110 kg.  According to the Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs (2014) the minimum space allowance per pig under these circumstances will be 0.75 to 0.77 m2 or 8.04 to 8.29 ft 2. According to the same publication, a decrease of up to 15% is allowed in the grower-finisher period if the higher

Effects of Water Availability

Impact of Various Parity Groupings on Welfare and Productivity in ESF Housing

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Electronic sow feeders (ESF) provide an automated system for controlling the individual feed intake of group-housed sows. However, this system can prompt increased aggression, especially in the initial period following mixing, as sows compete for access to the ESF. The primary objective of this research was to compare different methods for grouping sows and their effects on feeding behaviour, sow injury and production. Sows were housed in groups of mixed parity (control), or uniform groups of low (parities 1-2), medium (parities 3-4), and high parity (≥ parity 5). Of specific interest was whether low parity sows experience less aggression and injury during gestation when managed in uniform groups than in mixed groups, and what effects these treatments may have on production measures.  Preliminary results indicate there are some benefits to housing sows in uniform groups, especially for younger sows. Sows in uniform groups had reduced lameness, and younger sows were able to increase backfat over gestation, as opposed to losing it. Younger sows in mixed groups lost backfat, suggesting feeder competition was more of a challenge for these sows in the mixed parity group. No production differences were found among the different grouping methods. Managing gilts as a separate group is already a common practice, and the results from this study suggest that parity 1 and 2 sows can also benefit from this practice. Maintaining uniform groups also reduced mixing injuries, in uniform medium and high parity groups with injuries sustained following mixing being equal to or lower than in mixed parity groups. However, the low parity uniform group had higher injury scores.  Greater injuries in younger sows is more likely related to the social ability of these animals, and management of gilts to improve sociability is a further management consideration that could be implemented.

PEDv Manure Sampling Protocol

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PEDv can affect all pigs and is often fatal to newborn pigs. However, it does not affect any other species, including humans, and is not a food safety issue. 

Manitoba Pork has initiated a PEDv Manure Sampling project in 2014.

To participate in the project, producers can contact project coordinator, Darlene Meakin, at 204-897-0622 or dmeakin@manitobapork.com.

The following video produced by Manitoba Pork will take you through proper manure sampling procedure in testing for PEDv.