Welfare–Friendly Husbandry through Genetics: Animal Well-Being
Gene polymorphisms influencing stress reactivity open the way to marker-assisted selection to reduce stress and improve robustness of animals, contributing to animal well-being as well as improved product quality, according to the final scientific report...

Reducing Food-borne Illness: Gut Health
Genes and genetic pathways involved in the intestinal health of chickens and pigs are described and genome-wide prediction tools for intestinal health are defined in the final scientific report from the EU group, Sustainable Animal Breeding (SABRE) subtitled...

Reducing Boar Taint through Breeding: Pork Quality
The final scientific report from the EU group, Sustainable Animal Breeding (SABRE), subtitled 'Cutting Edge Genomics for Sustainable Animal Breeding', explains how the latest genomics tools are being used to reduce the problem of boar taint by breedi...

Big Impact of Pig Genome Sequence: A Pig's Tale
Research for improved genomic tools for pigs are reviewed in the final scientific report from the EU group, Sustainable Animal Breeding (SABRE) subtitled 'Cutting Edge Genomics for Sustainable Animal Breeding'.

Genomic Selection for Maternal Traits
According to Norwegian researchers, genomic selection increases genetic gain for traits that are measured on females, which includes several traits with economic importance in maternal pig breeds, and genotyping females is essential to obtain a high accuracy...

Linking Expressed Genome to Environment: Epigenetics
An overview of the importance of epigenetics in animal breeding and research to characterise epigentics from the final scientific report from the EU group, Sustainable Animal Breeding (SABRE) subtitled 'Cutting Edge Genomics for Sustainable Animal Br...

Tools for Science and Selection: Numerical Genomics
An overview of the reasons for genomic analysis and software tool development from the final scientific report from the EU group, Sustainable Animal Breeding (SABRE) subtitled 'Cutting Edge Genomics for Sustainable Animal Breeding'.

JSR Evaluates 2011 as Year of Agricultural Revolution
This year's Annual JSR Technical Conference proposed that this year was one of revolution in the agricultural industry. Jackie Linden, senior editor of ThePigSite, reports on the event.

Danish Pig Research Centre: Annual Report 2010: Breeding & Genetics
Progress in genetics, sales of breeding stock and R&D in genetics in Denmark are outlined in the latest annual report from the Danish Pig Research Centre.

Whole-Genome Association Analyses for Lifetime Reproductive Traits in the Pig
Genes associated with litter size were found to be expressed in reproductive tissues and those for fertility traits were found to be linked to fat deposition, according to researchers at Iowa State University.

Summer Breeding Tips
Pig breeding company PIC offers tips on how to be cool by being prepared for high summer temperatures.

Raporal Makes Tastier Pork
Every day, four trucks leave from the Raporal factory, on the outskirts of Montijo in Portugal to the warehouses of Jerónimo Martins (JM).

Meeting the Challenge of Feeding Just-Weaned Pigs
Feeding newly-weaned pigs can be a challenge, but remember, good care at the beginning translates into more profit in the end. PIC offers advice on how proper feed management for newly-weaned pigs can help to overcome these challenges.

Identification of Factors Linked to Age at First Farrowing
Selection of gilts based on a few selected characteristics would increase the proportion of gilts that farrow and reduce age at first farrowing, according to researchers from North Carolina State University and Newsham Choice Genetics.

Management Influences on Birth Weight, Phase 2
This is a report based on the field survey which has been performed on farms. This is not a scientific report in the sense that all kinds of literature has been included and so conclusions should be drawn with care, write Chris T. Opschoor, Saskia Bloemhof,...

TOPIGS Research: Flushing Sows Gives Higher Piglet Birthweight
In an extensive study on pig farms, TOPIGS investigated the most important management factors influencing piglet birthweight.

Splayleg in Piglets
Pig veterinarian, Mark White, describes the causes, prevention and treatment of the various types of splay-leg in a Health Bulletin from NADIS.

Kansas Swine Day 2010
Proceedings of the Kansas Swine Day 2010 conference, which focused on the nutrition and nursery pigs and finishers as well as feed management.

Genomic Testing for Better Selection
The Danish pig industry has developed a genomic test to select the best breeding animals to be able to ensure improve meat quality, better feed conversion and for sows, better maternal instincts, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

Genetic Basis for Dietary Phosphorus Requirement
Data developed at North Carolina State University may help to develop management strategies based on the interaction of a particular gene polymorphism and diet to improve sow longevity and gilt development.

Genetic Improvement of Behavioural Indicators of Oestrus
Length of oestrus and/or age at puberty were found by researchers at North Carolina State University to be the most promising traits to incorporate into selection schemes to increase the strength of oestrus behaviour and thus improve the reproductive...

Managing Boar Taint: Focus on Genetic Markers
E.J. Squires and F.S. Schenkel of the University of Guelph explain that significant progress has been made towards a genetic solution to boar taint in a paper presented at the London Swine Conference 2010.

Environment and Marketing Also Play a Role in Feeding the World
Following last week's report from the JSR Technical Conference 2010 covering the role of genetics in helping to feed a growing human population, editor Jackie Linden writes that other speakers focused on the roles of the environmental and marketing.