2017 Spring Producer Meetings

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Press Releases by admin on March 21, 2017 | No Comments

Three producer meetings will be held across Western Canada throughout April 2017

Meeting locations will consist of Swift Current, Saskatchewan  (April 11),  Strathmore, Alberta (April 12), and Portage la Prairie, Manitoba (April 25).  For more information please contact Ken Engele @ Prairie Swine Centre

2015-2016 Prairie Swine Centre Annual Report now on-line

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Press Releases by admin on November 30, 2016 | No Comments

Highlights from the 2015-2016 Annual Research Report include:

• Visual inspection of newly cleaned transport trailers is not sufficient in assessing trailer cleanliness. Page 10
• Preliminary results have shown that sows can tolerate temperature as low as 9⁰C. Page 13
• In-barn evaluation of ventilation systems indicated a 21% and 14% reduction in natural gas and electrical consumption respectively, when compared to traditional ventilation systems. Page 16
• Inclusion of spray-dried animal plasma in DON-contaminated diets did not improve feed intake or growth rate. Page 19
• Neither DON or spray-dried animal plasma had an affect on nursery pig performance. Page 22
  There was no evidence that fermented soybean meal used in this study was superior to standard soybean meal in improving growth rate or feed intake of newly weaned pigs. Page 24
• Inclusion of Lyso-Lecithin (10% dietary fat) into high or low energy diets had no effect on growth or feed conversion when fed to newly weaned pigs . Page 26
  Increased creep disappearance was found with the use of a tray feeder indicating greater interaction with creep feed, however no benefits to growth rate were found. Page 28
• Viable enrichments were found to be durable, with little to no maintenance required after one week of use. Page 31
• Initial results of studies housing weaner pigs at different densities showed no effect of space allowance on growth, but significant effects on behavior. Page 34
• The main goal of the National Sow Housing Conversion Project is to provide assistance to producers to guide them through the process of converting existing barn systems, or design of a new site. Page 36

Download the full version of the 2015-2016 Annual Research Report

Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop October 19, 2016

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Press Releases by admin on September 28, 2016 | No Comments

National Sow Housing Conversion Newsletter

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Press Releases, Welfare by admin on July 18, 2016 | No Comments

June 2016 Vol. 1, Issue 3

The NSHCP is a four year project, with the goal of providing Canadian pork producers with reliable information on barn renovations and management of group housed sows. This newsletter marks the midpoint of the project which is gathering steam as interest in group housing grows across the country. We look forward to achieving a lot more before project completion in December 2017, and appreciate the role that strong hog markets have played recently. Good returns on production are essential for producers’ confidence in the industry, and the ability to plan for the future.

Doug Richards joined the project team in the fall of 2015, shortly after his retirement as a swine extension specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agricultural Food And Rural Affairs. Doug has a great background of working with pork producers and Ontario Pork, and many years of experience with the London Swine Conference and other producer events. Now (in semi-retirement), he enjoys the opportunity of seeing barns across the country, and helping producers with the information they need to move forward with group sow housing.

Doug was instrumental in getting the project website up and running (www.groupsowhousing.com). Since the website launch in January 2016, we have made a number of additions, and many more improvements are in the works to make the site as comprehensive as possible. If you haven’t seen it yet, please take a look, we welcome your comments and suggestions!

NSHC Newsletter vol 1 – 3

Group Sow Housing Seminar – September 6th and 7th, Stratford, Ontario

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Press Releases, Welfare by admin on July 13, 2016 | No Comments

Mark Your Calendars!! Group Sow Housing Seminar – September 6th and 7th, Stratford
On Sept. 6th and 7th, 2016 OMAFRA, along with Prairie Swine Centre, Ontario Pork and Swine Innovation Porc will host a Group Sow Housing Seminar. Two different seminars will present group sow housing options with practical solutions to the challenges of different systems, along with potential opportunities associated with group housing. Both days will feature a producer panel and exhibitor space.

Day 1 – Sept 6th, 4 pm until 8:30 pm
The day 1 program is designed for producers who already have group housing systems in place. We will provide ample opportunities for discussions amongst producers, and will focus not only on how to handle some of the challenges producers encounter, but on the potential opportunities that are available to producers within these systems. Dr. Jennifer Brown from the Prairie Swine Centre will talk about aggression and best mixing practices, and Quincy Buis and Dr. Laura Eastwood will focus on capturing added potential through Nutrition. Producer John Van Engelen will also talk about where technology is going in the future.

Day 2 – Sept 7th, 9 am until 5:30 pm
The day 2 program is designed for producers who are looking at group sow housing options. This full day program will provide practical information from a wide variety of speakers. Should you renovate or build new? What will you do with your sows during a renovation? What are producers doing across Canada? How can you capture added potential through Nutrition? What technologies are coming down the line? All of these are topics that will be discussed throughout the day. Dr. Julie Ménard from F Ménard in Quebec will be joining us as our Feature Speaker, where she will talk about her experience with management and making group housing work. A producer update and producer panel will also be a part of the day 2 program.

Registration details will be available later this summer. Program details can be found at www.groupsow housing.com in the “producer events” section.

For more information, please contact:
Laura Eastwood, OMAFRA Swine Specialist laura.eastwood@ontario.ca 519-271-6280

H2S Awareness Training On-Line Course

Posted in: Environment, Pork Insight Articles, Press Releases by admin on April 13, 2016 | No Comments

Hydrogen Sulphine Awareness Training for Liquid Manure Handling Systems

The 2-Hour On-Line Workshop Includes Instruction in:

• Properties of H₂S
• Exposure limits to H₂S
• Detection of H₂S
• Demonstration of H₂S monitoring and safety equipment
• Identifying potentially hazardous locations
• Importance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and a hands-on approach to writing a procedure
• Rescue strategies
• Importance of implementing an emergency response plan

Who Should take the Awareness On-line Course?

Anyone working in an intensive livestock operation or is involved with the handling of liquid manure. Specifically employees and owner-operators in the following sectors:

• Swine Industry
• Dairy Industry
• Liquid Manure Transportation

Important Information and Education for Anyone Who Works with or Transports Liquid Manure

How can you benefit from the Hydrogen Sulphide Awareness Course?

• Increased workplace safety by increasing awareness of H₂S
• Discover the latest information in strategies to reduce H₂S exposure
• Training is an investment in people

What will you learn with the Hydrogen Sulphide Awareness Course?

• H₂S gas, its properties and threat to human health
• How to be prepared
• How to work towards a safer workplace
• Rescue techniques and safety procedures
• Case study learning technique is lively and interactive

PSC H2S Awareness On-line Course

2016 Prairie Swine Centre Producer Meeting Schedule

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Press Releases by admin on March 17, 2016 | No Comments

GroupSowHousing.com Launched

Posted in: Pork Insight Articles, Prairie Swine Centre, Press Releases by admin on January 8, 2016 | No Comments

GroupSowHousing.com Launched

Saskatoon, SK, January 8, 2016.  Providing pork producers with the latest information on different types of group sow housing systems, a new website groupsowhousing.com has been launched with the goal of assisting the swine industry in the transition from stalls to groups.  With recent changes to Canada’s Pig Code of Practice all barns newly built or renovated to house gestating sows must utilize group housing, and all producers are encouraged to move to group housing by 2024.  According to Dr. Jennifer Brown the transition to group sow housing needs to be well thought out in advance in order to minimize costs, maintain production and ensure the best possible system is in place for the sows.  “It’s not a one size fits all approach, the website is intended to provide information and increase knowledge and confidence in the swine industry as people look towards making the change to group sow housing and away from stalls.”

Groupsowhousing.com sets out to compile the best science on how to manage sows in groups.  In addition it provides real world examples of producers who have successfully made the transition to group sow housing.  This includes documenting their rationale for the transition to groups, management of the new system, design and construction of group housing, and the costs involved.  According to Dr. Jennifer Brown “the producer experience is a key component of the website, as it gives other producers a clear idea of what’s involved in the transition.”

Producers looking for more information on transitioning to group sow housing will find resources dedicated to different feeding systems (competitive and non-competitive), grouping strategies, and training and management of gilts and sows under group systems.

GroupSowHousing.com is part of the National Sow Housing Conversion Project, funded in part through Swine Innovation Porc, much of the information being available in both official languages.  This project is funded by Swine Innovation Porc within the Swine Cluster 2: Driving Results Through Innovation research program. Funding is provided by Agriculture and Agri‐Food Canada through the AgriInnovation Program, provincial producer organizations and industry partners.

Prairie Swine Centre Inc., located near Saskatoon, is a non-profit research corporation affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan, and is recognized globally for its contributions to practical, applied science in pork production in the disciplines of nutrition, engineering and applied animal behaviour.

For pdf version please click here National Sow Housing Website Launch- January 2016

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For more information, contact:

Dr. Jennifer Brown,

Research Scientist, Ethology

Prairie Swine Centre Inc

Phone:  306-667-7442

Fax: 306-955-2510

E-mail: jennifer.brown@usask.ca

Upcoming Swine Industry Events

Posted in: Press Releases by admin on November 3, 2015 | No Comments

National Chair in Swine Welfare – Your Input is Important

Posted in: Press Releases by admin on October 5, 2015 | No Comments

A notice for industry participation in the selection of the industry-sponsored National Chair in Swine Welfare.

The presentations by the candidate to seek the National Chair in Swine Welfare position took place September 24-25 in Saskatoon. A packed lecture theater on the Thursday drew industry, academics and students to learn about the proposed research program and how that will address the challenges of the Canadian pork industry in the areas of care and welfare. The second presentation spoke directly to Canada’s Code of Practice. To accommodate the national scope and support of this position we are inviting the industry to view and comment on the presentations made by Dr. Yolnade Seddon during the interview process.

Both presentations can be found in the links below.

This interview team is committed to gathering comments from the industry people who met Yolande in person, as well as those who will see her within the video links attached.

Please send any questions or comments to Lee Whittington or Committee Chair Dr. Murray Jelinski, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, by Friday October 9.

Thank you for your continued interest and support for this important industry-funded position.

Please copy and paste the following links into your web browser.

https://ess-admin.usask.ca:8443/ess/echo/presentation/e6f42205-596f-40ea-a0ec-10fd51fadb51
https://ess-admin.usask.ca:8443/ess/echo/presentation/26c3a14d-995b-4fdb-ae3a-aa9821ab76c6
For other interviews with Dr Seddon see
http://www.swineinnovationporc.ca/farmscape-interviews.php

http://farmscape.com/f1Scripts.aspx?m=SEARCH&p1=seddon
Thank you for your input and support.