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Industry Partners
Prairie Swine Centre is an affiliate of the University of Saskatchewan
Prairie Swine Centre is grateful for the assistance of the George Morris Centre in developing the economics portion of Pork Insight.
Financial support for the Enterprise Model Project and Pork Insight has been provided by:
What have We Learned about Swine Dysentery in Canada?
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on June 11, 2013 | No Comments
The University of Saskatchewan has been studying Swine Dysentery since its re-emergence in western Canada in 2009. A new species, Brachyspira Hampsonii, has been identified since then, and it causes mucohaemorrhagic diarrhea in a similar way to swine dysentery. Samples collected from farms have shown 66% positive for a Brachyspira species, and 43% positive for B. Hampsonii. Other species of Brachyspira were only present in 12-14% of samples. With a new strain, new ways of accurately identifying it had to be developed, and a new PCR along with microbiologic tests can now do so. PCR is often used to identify Brachyspira, but it is not very sensitive and can result in false negatives. Genus-specific PCR should not be used for rectal swab samples, but can be more sensitive than cultures for higher starting material, like feces samples. Cultures are the preferred choice for rectal swabs, or for several individual pigs. Currently, the recommendation for sample submissions is to send as much as possible, but to avoid rectal swabs or feces samples. Live pigs submitted to have samples taken at the lab are preferred. Specific biosecurity breaches have not yet been identified for causing contamination, except for from other pigs. All age groups, with the exception of suckling pigs, can shed Brachyspira, and the source of it can be masked by medication included in feed. Vaccines are not yet available, and eradication without a known source is very hard. So far, increasing biosecurity remains the best way to prevent Brachyspira contamination.
Measuring Performance and Decision Making
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on June 10, 2013 | No Comments
Swine Management Services collects data from over 800 swine farms, and from both ends of the production spectrum. SMS has compiled suggestions for increasing production based on their observations of the data. The average production numbers from all farms show an increase in pigs weaned/mated female and pigs weaned/female from June 2011 to June 2012. Some suggestions on how to lower wean to 1st service include increasing feed on the first farrowing day and from weaning until breeding, also to have boar exposure and heat checks after weaning, and to not skip breeding. Farrowing rate can be improved by the technicians by training, breaks, records, and improving procedures. Also, farrowing rate can be improved by proper semen storage, temperature recording, rotating, and using old batches first. Increasing pigs born can be influenced by increasing the litter size for gilts, and this can be aided by allowing the gilts to skip a heat before breeding. Piglet survival can be increased by having more hours covered by a technician with defined responsibilities, providing heat to newborns, and euthanizing small piglets. Sow deaths can be reduced by having proper observation, procedures, and treatment of sick sows, and records kept after. Female non-productive days can be lowered by proper culling decisions. These suggestions come from observations of farms with high production levels, and could be used to aid low producing farms.
Productivity and Optimal Returns
Posted in: Economics, Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on | No Comments
Often the pork industry views maximum production as maximizing profit, but this only occurs with no costs associated (free input). When there are costs, the maximum level of production will be less than the maximum total production. In the 1980s to 2000s the focus shifted from the individual pig to herds and meat, and averages became the standard for evaluation. The goal became to spread fixed costs over more units, but did not account for the rise of variable costs after a certain output level. As well, it was about weight of meat produced, but failed to look at quality. Soon producing more specialized products did occur, and the global market opened. Then in the 2000s the volatile prices of feed and hogs changed the industry, and a high price for a hog no longer necessarily meant profit. Individual animal data is now rarely collected, and average group metrics are now used to determine future profitability. The future of production likely will continue to have volatile crop prices, and the need to keep records of crops will be important. The development of technology will continue, with more implementation. Metrics are currently looked at too individually, and correlations need to be assessed. In order to determine profit optimal production producers need to record more than averages because the distribution in a population is currently being overlooked.
Managing People and Pigs to Maximize Performance
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Two essentially identical facilities can have different production levels because of the people involved, but rather than blame staffing problems on employees it is good to consider it starting at the owner and management levels. A good owner will listen to ideas, have a clear path of communication with employees, and genuinely care the happiness and well-being of the pigs and people of his business. A great owner will attract great managers and employees. Managers should be inspired by the owners to be knowledgeable, provide great training, and inspire the employees below them. When there are great owners and managers, employees will more likely be passionate about their job, which is reflected in production. High employee turnover and negative exit interviews are two warning signs that management has critical flaws. The most common reasons people give for leaving a job after a short employment are the job wasn’t what was expected, a job and person mismatch, not enough feedback, too few personal opportunities, feeling devalued and unrecognized, overworked or work-life imbalance, and lack of trust in senior management. By correcting these issues employee happiness should improve, passion for their work increase, and overall production improve.
Why We Should Reduce Antibiotic Usage and Ways to Do It
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Whether or not livestock antibiotic use contributes to bacterial resistance in human pathogens is debatable, but it does create resistance in livestock pathogens and its use is negatively viewed by the public. Current antibiotic use in Canada is not well recorded (at least in mg/kg of pig produced), but Denmark and the Netherlands have recorded and reduced their use. Denmark no longer uses antimicrobials for growth performance, and has a system in place for encouraging the reduction in use for therapeutics as well. The Netherlands is working on reducing their use by requiring the record of use to be available to the public, and possibly restricting veterinarian right to sell the drugs if the goal is not met. There are many ways to reduce the use of antibiotics as therapeutics: one obvious way is to increase the health of the herd, for example creating clean herds with strong biosecurity. Management can have an effect because smaller barns with an all-in all-out system will reduce the chance of a pathogen cycling through repeatedly. However, some environments may be more susceptible to spreading certain pathogens, even when all other conditions are the same. Increasing weaning age will decrease the chance of enteric diseases post-weaning, and alternative ingredients in feed or water can reduce certain disease occurrences. If antibiotics are used year round, it may be possible to reduce the use to only the high season for the target disease. Selection for higher health breeding animals can reduce use, as can separating males and females – as females tend to be healthier and require less drug use. Separating parities can also help, and treating individuals or pens instead of entire herds. Vaccines will provide a major reduction in antibiotic use needed, as can increased biosecurity, lowering doses, and phase treatments. When antibiotics are still necessary, it is important to use the lowest priority in order to reserve high priority for when it is truly needed.
Feeding Green to Save Green
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Production by admin on May 13, 2013 | No Comments
Pork producers are always looking for new ways in which they can increase their efficiencies through reducing feed costs. Feeding coproducts from the fuel ethanol industry like distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) or from the wheat flour industry like millrun can reduce feed cost and spare inclusion of imported soybean meal. But these coproducts have reduced starch content that propels pigs to grow. Calories thus need to come from other sources instead like fat. One high fat feedstuff that can spare calories from starch is green canola seed. It might be available as close as your own farm or the neighbours.
Nursery Management in Light of Frugal Earnings in Swine Industry
Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on March 28, 2013 | No Comments
Proper nursery management starts with the barn environment: it should be warm and dry when pigs are brought in. Proper ventilation, sanitation, and possibly sorting can help pig performance. Feeders and drinkers should be properly adjusted. If medication is provided through feed or water it is essential the correct dose be given. Also, knowing the pH and any additional components in water are important for both general pig health and when administering medications through the water.
Feeding and Barn Management to Improve Feed Conversion
Posted in: Nutrition, Pork Insight Articles, Production by admin on | No Comments
Kenpal Feed Products Inc. shares options to help improve feed conversion. Included in these are having proper storage and maintained equipment for feed, properly adjusted drinkers, good ventilation, avoiding overcrowding, and shipping at the appropriate weight to maintain feed efficiency.
Impact of Influenza A in Pork Production
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Influenza can have an impact on the pork industry by affecting pig health, and also negative public perception because of pig-human transmission. Pig health can be affected in two ways: by an outbreak or an endemic strain. Outbreaks usually have a beginning and end, so the economic impact is easier to measure. Endemic influenza strains are harder to economically measure, and the effect may be further complicated when other diseases, like PRRSv, are present in the herd as well. Vaccines exist, but will only prevent against certain strains. The pork industry recently became of interest to public health due to the spread of H1N1, or as it is commonly called the “swine flu”. Limiting the spread of influenza between pigs and between humans and pigs can be aided by vaccines, limiting human and bird access to barns, employees avoiding the barn when sick, and use of PPE by employees.
Maximizing Weaning Capacity of Sow and Crate
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A summary of points from Cranbrook Swine Ltd to increase weaning capacity, and increase teat development in gilts. This was attempted by loading P1 with 15-17 piglets, P2 with 14-15, and other sows with their weaning average plus one. Increasing weaned pigs/sows should decrease lactation feed/pig and provide more uniform weaning numbers.