Smart Thinking
Finding Phosphorus Solutions for Weaned-pig Diets
(8/1/2010)
Refining swine diets is an on-going ef-fort, and with such dramatic changes in feed costs, it will continue to be a long-term priority.
Does the Feed in the Feeder Match Diet Goals?
(6/1/2010)
With hog prices and the economics of producing pork having improved considerably over the past several months, there has been a universal sigh of relief.
New Insights into Handling DDGS
(5/1/2010)
While there has been much awareness and research on the use and value of distillers’ dried grains with solubles (DDGS) in swine diets, more is needed on product quality and handling.
Get Ready for a Facilities’ Checkup
(4/1/2010)
Spring is the time to take inventory of your current maintenance operation plans for the warmer weather ahead and also to take note of what happened this winter
Liquidity: More Important than Ever
(3/1/2010)
Maintaining working capital has never been more critical than it is today.
Limiting Nursery Antibiotics May Prove Costly
(2/1/2010)
Oral swine vaccines are gaining popularity in the nursery production phase.
Some Old and New Thoughts on Farrowing Induction
(1/1/2010)
Farrowing induction is a production tool that’s been used for years in the swine industry.
Euthanasia for the Ages
(11/1/2009)
It is the reality in commercial swine production that ultimately the animal’s life will be terminated.
Be Aware of New Contract Requirements
(10/1/2009)
Due to the pork industry’s current financial problems, many producers have been forced to deal with default and termination of swine marketing or production contracts.
Looking at Feed Value from Both Ends
(9/1/2009)
Animal feed is the largest source of nutrients entering hog farms.
Investigating Pork's Carbon Footprint
(8/1/2009)
Pork producers are always on the lookout for ways to improve efficiencies in their operations and to reduce their input costs.
What to Expect from a PQA Plus Assessment
(6/1/2009)
Are you ready to demonstrate that “you care” as part of the industry’s “We Care” program?
Shared Values Build Consumer Trust
(5/1/2009)
Just as pork production has changed dramatically over the past three decades, so have consumers’ understanding and opinions about those practices.
Transport Biosecurity: What Does it Mean for You?
(4/1/2009)
Biosecurity can be defined as the variety of protocols utilized to protect swine against transmission of infectious agents between and among herds.
Nutrient-dense Corn Can Boost Efficiency and Cut Nutrient Excretion
(3/1/2009)
Pork producers are caught between a rock and a hard place, as strict environmental regulations, coupled with soaring input costs, are changing the way they are allowed to do business.
Improving Reproductive Efficiency from the Ground Up
(2/1/2009)
Removing non-productive sows as well as introducing replacement animals is essential to maintaining breeding herd productivity at a constant level.
You Can Lower Nursery Utility Costs
(1/1/2009)
As electricity, propane and natural gas costs all jumped dramatically this past year, you are no doubt looking for ways to cut utility costs.
Getting Ready for Winter Operation
(11/1/2008)
Winter is knocking on your swine facility's door. So it’s wise to be ready.
Training and Communication Reduce Transport Losses
(10/1/2008)
Transport losses — dead and non-ambulatory pigs at the packing plant — are a multi-factorial problem.
Estate Planning: What is it? Who Needs it?
(9/1/2008)
In truth, everyone has an estate plan. The real question is whether the individual created the plan or the state legislature created it for him or her.
Insurance to Help Manage Your Risk
(8/1/2008)
This summer, corn futures repeatedly set and broke price records — and it’s hard to say where prices ultimately will land. Soybean meal prices face a similar fate. Higher and significantly more volatile feed prices, combined with a lean-hog market that’s traded mostly sideways in a whipsaw fashion in 2008, generated $40-per-head losses for many finishing operations
Developing Gilts for the Long Haul
(6/1/2008)
A long, productive life is important to the sow’s well-being and to a swine breeding operation’s profitability. In recent years, undesirably high sow wastage rates (deaths + culls) have caught the attention of pork producers, veterinarians and researchers.
Preventing DOA and Fatigued Pigs at Harvest
(5/1/2008)
Under today’s stressful economic conditions, it's wise to sharpen your focus on production efficiencies.
Getting Gilts Ready for the Breeding Herd
(4/1/2008)
Replacement gilts are the future of a sow herd.
Common Sense Biosecurity Primer
(3/1/2008)
Tips for keeping PRRS virus away from your growing pigs
Time to Review Feed Program Options
(2/1/2008)
Given the fact that feed prices have jumped about 20 percent in the last year, pork producers should carefully evaluate the competitiveness of their feeding programs.
Calculating DDGS Economics for Grow/Finish Diets
(1/1/2008)
Adding distillers’ grains with solubles to swine diets has gained momentum as a potential ingredient to reduce feed costs. Certainly with the increase in ethanol manufacturing, DDGS is much more readily available today.
Feed Efficiency: Time for a Check-up
(11/1/2007)
This year, a frequent question from producers was “How can I control feed costs?”
When it Comes to PRRS, What’s Your Risk?
(10/1/2007)
Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome costs the U.S. pork industry an estimated $560 million per year, according to a National Pork Board checkoff-funded study conducted in 2004.
Adopting New Technologies to Reduce Environmental Impact
(9/1/2007)
By the time a pig reaches 250 pounds, the animal will have generated 1.5 tons of waste.
PQA Plus: Social Responsibility, Safe Pork and Animal Care
(8/1/2007)
Pioneer Hi-Bred, Ford, John Deere, McDonald’s and Sears — what do they have in common? All are companies that have chosen to make themselves accountable to their customers, employees and communities.
Drinking Behavior Matters for Vaccination Success
(6/1/2007)
Water is an essential element to maintain life; for pigs it also can help improve life through administering medication and vaccines when needed.
Help in Hitting Breeding Targets
(5/1/2007)
Meeting breeding targets can be a challenge as you try to secure the right number of replacement gilts to breed at optimal maturity, which align with weaned sows. The good news is that there is a tool to help.
Gestation-Sow Housing: Which is Best?
(4/1/2007)
Today, most pregnant sows in the United States are housed in individual stalls. However, public sentiment has been pushing the industry to move away from individual housing and toward group housing.
The Heat is on: Prepare for Seasonal Infertility Now
(3/1/2007)
With the prospect of a March blizzard keeping you on your toes, it may be hard to think about the hot, humid summer days that will soon be upon us, contributing to seasonal infertility.
Breeding Herd Mortality - have we become complacent?
(2/1/2007)
As feed costs rise, pork producers need to examine areas to improve efficiencies. One area that has increased -- a negative increase -- during the past decade is breeding herd sow mortality.
Feed and environmental management: key questions to ask
(12/29/2006)
Today and in the future, you will confront increased environmental pressures and regulations to control water- and air-quality concerns.
You’ll pay for aggressive handling
(11/1/2006)
Beyond actually losing hogs, improper handling and transport can cause meat-quality problems. Understanding the relationship between handling and pork quality is critical.
