Should Emotional And Societal Values Be Included In Breeding Programmes?
By Lucy Campbell, Animal Scientist, ACMC - This article looks at the concept of including those traits that have no economic importance into a breeding programme. Modern pig production is no longer focused on just economically efficient pork production;...

Nebraska Swine Report 2006 : The Case Against Evening-Up Litters Until Weaning
By Duane E. Reese, extension swine specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Barbara E. Straw, extension veterinarian, Michigan State University - A literature review on the effect of fostering or moving individual piglets from one litter to another...

Prospects for Agricultural Markets and income 2005 - 2012 for EU-25
By the European Commission - Concrete measures to improve the protection and welfare of animals over the next five years are outlined in a new Action Plan on the protection and welfare of animals, adopted by the Commission today. The Action Plan aims...

Pork Central Hog Market Thoughts for April 1st 2006
By Al Prosch, Nebraska University Pork Central Coordinator - Expectations that the March Hogs and Pigs Report show modest expansion of the US sow herd (average expectation was about 101%) left the April futures markets trading in a narrow range from $57.00...

Novel approach to reduce pre-weaning mortality
By Dr Jens N. Jørgensen and Peter Kürti, DVM, Chr. Hansen - Supplementing sow feed with a probiotic from two weeks before farrowing and during lactation has reduced pre-weaning mortality rate and thereby increased number of piglets weaned per litter.

Impact of Repeated Out-Of-Feed Events and Fineness of Grind on Grow-Finish Performance
By Michael C. Brumm, Extension Swine Specialist and Sheryl L. Colgan, Research Technologist - Out-of-feed events are a growing problem in nursery and grow-finish facilities due to issues associated with feed delivery to bulk bins and bridging of feed...

Variation in Feed Quality: What To Do When It Declines
By Ruurd T. Zijlstra, Augustine Owusu-Asiedu, Emma J. Clowes, and John F. Patience and published by the Prairie Swine Center - Feed ingredients, such as barley and wheat, vary substantially in quality. If the variation in ingredient quality is ignored,...

OUTLOOK: Ethanol, Animals and Animal Feed
By Amanda Barth, University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences - The growth of ethanol production would seem to have positive benefits for cattle feeders, and perhaps the dairy industry, said a Purdue University Extension...

Use of Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (DDGS) in Swine Diets
By Bob Thaler, extension swine specialist - More and more ethanol co-products are available for livestock feed because of the rapid growth of the ethanol industry in South Dakota. The three main co-products are Distillers Grains, Solubles, and Distillers...

Value and use of ‘new generation’ distiller’s dried grains with solubles in swine diets
By Jerry Shurson, Mindy Spiehs, Jennifer Wilson and Mark Whitney, Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota - Corn distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is a co-product produced by dry mill ethanol plants as a result of fermenting...

Microbial balance and optimal digestion in pigs
By Peter Kürti DVM, Chr. Hansen Compared to the total number of microorganism species inhabiting the intestinal ecosystem, only a few are able to cause an upset of the microbial balance that can result in disease. In the healthy pig the intestinal balance...

Feeding pigs in the tropics
Feeding pigs in the tropics - By Rena Pérez and published by the FAO - Pork is the largest source of meat at the world level, and considering that, due to religious beliefs, pork is not produced and consumed in many countries, its relative importance...

Organic Acids as Potential Alternatives to Antibiotic Growth Promoters for Pigs
By Zdzislaw Mroz, Wageningen University and presented at the 2005 Banff Pork Seminar - In the context of phasing-out antibiotics for growth promotion and prophylactics against enteric diseases in pigs within the EU, a particular interest is now paid...

Micro-Organisms as Feed Additives - Probiotics
By Ortwin Simon and presented at the 2005 Banff Pork Seminar - For many decades antibiotics (so called growth promoters) have been used as feed additives in various species of farm animals, to reduce the frequency of diarrhoea under certain condition...

Assessing The Results Of The EU Ban On Antibiotic Feed Additives
By Hector Cervantes, DVM, MS, Dip. ACPV, Manager, Poultry Technical Services, Phibro Animal Health Corp. - The European Union (EU) banned the use of avoparcin, a widely used antibiotic feed additive in food-producing animals in 1997. The ban was carried...