Reducing Variation for Increased Profit
Increasing farrowing capacity and separate rearing of smaller pigs can help to reduce variation in growing pigs, according to Jaydee Smith, Production Systems Program Lead in the December Pork News and Views newsletter from OMAFRA.

Setting up an Effective Farm Trial
Lee Whittington and LeAnn Johnston of Prairie Swine Research Centre help to explain why farm trial results are not always what we expect and how to improve your odds of success in future trials.

Pork CRC Roadshow Reviews Weaning Meanings
Presentations with a 'weaning meaning' by Megan Edwards and Dr Jeff Downing were highlights of the Pork CRC/APL Roadshow at Technology Park, Western Australia in November, according to the Pork CRC Specials newsletter.

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.

Early Weaning May Have Lifetime Consequences for Intestinal Health
Weaning age was found by North Carolina State University to affect intestinal permeability in pigs and the differences were still apparent five weeks after weaning.

Lighting for Pig Units
A practical guide to lighting in pig houses from BPEX in the series, Research into Action.

Effect on Growing Pig Performance of Changes in Energy Intake Achieved Through Restriction of Feed Intake Versus Changes in Dietary Energy Concentration
The utilisation of net energy for body weight gain was unaffected by feeding level or by energy concentration of the diet, according to J.P. Marriott, A.D. Beaulieu and J.F. Patience in the Prairie Swine Research Centre Annual Report 2009.

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.

Breeding for Target 2TS
Breeding is the focus of the latest newsletter in the BPEX Target 2TS (two tonne sow) campaign, with advice on maintaining sow health and boar libido in the autumn as well as the importance of parity profiling.

Castration in the Swine Industry and the Impact on Growth Performance – Physical versus Vaccination
Frank Dunshea of the University of Melbourne, Australia, gave a thorough review of the impacts of castration (both physical and by vaccination) on the performance of male pigs at the London Swine Conference 2010. He also covered the important practical...

Group Size and Alley Width Affect the Movement of Market Pigs
When handling near-market weight hogs, group sizes of four or eight pigs are preferable for minimising stress based on handling and behavioural measures, according to L. Kavanagh, S. Goumon and H.W. Gonyou in the Prairie Swine Centre Annual Report 2009....

Advances in Sow and Gilt Management
Rudolf Wiedmann of the Centre for Education and Knowledge in Boxberg, Germany, describes the changes that can be made in feeding and husbandry to improve sow and gilt welfare and to reduce losses in a paper presented at this year's London Swine Confe...

Precision Management: What Top Managers Are Doing to be Profitable
The secrets of success, according to Hans Rotto of Innovative Agricultural Solutions LLC in Ames, Iowa, are setting the right goals, committing to clear expectations, using objective measures and making them a priority every day. He was speaking at this...

EU Study Does Not Recommend End to Castration in the Short Term
A report for the European Commission's DG SANCO concludes that there should be no ban on pig castration in the EU in the short-term but that a combination of different strategies is required to find a solution to balance aspects of animal welfare with...

Research Helps to Understand Variation between Pigs
The variable weight of pigs creates a major challenge for pig producers and research continues to investigate ways to both reduce and manage this variation, writes Elizabeth Magowan of AFBI Hillsborough.

London Swine Conference 2010
The London Swine Conference 2010 was held in London, Ontario, Canada on 31 March and 1 April 2010. The theme of the meeting was 'Focus on the Future'.

Developing an Emergency Response Plan for Your Livestock Facility
The best strategy for minimising the impact of emergencies may be prevention, according to Tom Guthrie (extension educator, Pork Team in Jackson, Michigan), writing in MSU Quarterly Pork Quarterly.

Risk Management for Pork Producers
Risk management is a structured approach to managing uncertainty, writes ThePigSite LatinAmerica Editor, Chris Wright.

Benchmarking: The Right Tool for the Times
Lee Whittington, president of the Prairie Swine Research Centre, explains the benenfits of benchmarking for the pig industry in the latest issue of the Centre's Centred on Swine.

Kansas Researchers Seek Best Option for Topping
Topping is the removal and marketing of the heaviest animals from a pen of finishing pigs. The practice improves growth performance of the remaining pigs, and topping two pigs once is the best option, according to a paper by Jacela and others presented...

Pig Farm Practices Survey 2009 - England
The main points of the latest Defra survey of pig farms in England are summarised by Jackie Linden, editor of ThePigSite.

Meat Quality Issues Discussed at Kansas Conference
Needle-free jet injection systems may increase the occurrence of injection site abscesses in pork carcasses that will need to be trimmed in pork processing plants, according to one paper presented at Kansas Swine Day 2009, and another revealed that glycerol...

Ractopamine Hydrochloride and the Environmental Sustainability of Pork Production
It is proven that Paylean can reduce the environmental impact of pork production because of the improvement in nitrogen and water utilisation, according to K.A. Ross and oc-authors in the 2008 Annual Research Report from the Prairie Swine Centre. ...