There's More to Nursery Feeding than Diet Formulation
Steve Dritz, Mike Tokach, Joel DeRouchey, Bob Goodband and Jim Nelssen of Kansas State University describe common challenges that we encounter for feeding early-weaned pigs, and how to meet those challenges.

Be Careful with Oxytocin Use in Sows
S.K. Linneen, J.M. Benz, S.S. Dritz, J.M. DeRouchey, R.D. Goodband and M.D. Tokach of Kansas State University explain how best to use oxytocin for sows in order to decrease farrowing time and birth interval as an aid to prevent stillbirths.

Change for Success
This article is a collection of the presentations at Change for Success, the first national Knowledge Transfer event held by BPEX at Stamford in the UK on 18 March 2009.

Annual Pig Meat Industry Survey - 2009
Overall, a survey of over one hundred pig industry stakeholders in the UK conducted by BPEX in January 2009 gave rather more optimistic views than in similar results in 2007 and 2008. The industry was generally slightly more confident than last year but...

A Visit to a Modern Brazilian Swine Operation
Robert Chambers, swine and poultry structures and equipment engineer with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) describes his impressions of a visit to a new integrated pig operation in the mid-west of central Brazil.

Condition Scoring of Sows
Achieving an optimal average condition score of 3 throughout the breeding herd and minimising variation of condition scores should be the aims. Number 20 in the Action for Productivity series from BPEX is a practical guide on how to condition...

Pig Health Management in a Down Market
Health management needs a radical re-think and must be even more closely monitored when the market is tough, writes Ed Barrie, sow and weaner pig specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

Feed and Water Intake Checklist
Checklists for maximising feed intake and optimising water intake have been prepared by Katie Carr for the Prairie Swine Centre.

Practical Application of Science Reduces Health Costs
As a result of the findings reported, strict biosecurity measures have been implemented at the entry to all pig houses to reduce the risk of porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection, writes Janet Alsop, veterinary disease prevention...

High Productivity on a Breeding Farm in Belgium
Wouter Seynaeve, a young Belgian pig farmer, described his very successful breeding unit at the latest JSR Technical Conference. Editor of ThePigSite, Jackie Linden, reports on the secrets of his unit's success.

Lactation Feeding Strategies
The major objective is to maximise sow feed intake during lactation, writes Greg Simpson, swine nutritionist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Insurance-Based Risk Management for Swine Facilities
Randy Drysdale of Farm Mutual Reinsurance Plan Inc. offered some good practical advice to farmers on minimising the risks of pig house fires at the London Swine Conference 2008. Top of his safety list are the adequate provision of fire extinguishers,...

Using Carbon Dioxide to Euthanise Young Pigs
Carbon dioxide euthanasia offers a recognized option for terminating nursing and nursery-sized pigs that farm employees find acceptable, explains Jerry May, extension educator for Michigan State University.

Lower Sow Mortality in Small and Outdoor Herds
The latest NADIS BPEX Commentary by pig veterinarian, Mark White, analyses a survey of sow mortality on UK farms, and relates the rate to farm factors. The main findings, summarised by ThePigSite editor, Jackie Linden, indicate mortality rate is linked...

Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex
Number 19 of the BPEX series Action for Productivity covers porcine respiratory disease complex. The disease is described, as well as management tips to control the complex condition.

Structure of the UK Pig Industry
More than one quarter of British sows are now kept outdoors, according to a survey of producers of Assured British Pigs, and around 35 per cent no longer routinely clip the teeth or dock the tails of piglets. ThePigSite editor, Jackie Linden, summarises...

Influence of Hot-Humid Environment on Growth Performance and Reproduction of Swine
Professors Robert Myer and Ray Bucklin reviewed this topic for the University of Florida, IFAS Extension, published in 2001.

Efficient Feed Usage
Number 18 in the Action for Productivity series from BPEX offers practical advice on how to get the best from the feed - from design of the feeding system to hygiene tips.

Top Tips for 2009: Financial Fluency
Ten tips to provide a degree of stability in the current erratic economical environment from James Christian, Finance Director of JSR Farming Group.

Mission 2050 - Research and Industry Infrastructure in 2050
Mission 2050 is a project to replace outdated animal research facilities with a flexible new complex to study sustainable animal agriculture systems for the future. Vern R. Osborne of the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Guelph...

Large versus Small Pen Groups in Finishing Pigs
"Is pig performance the same?" asks Ronald O. Bates, swine specialist at Michigan State University. He compared pigs in groups of eight or 100, and found that reduced floor space allocation or crowding in finishing reduces not only average daily gain...

Gilt Management for Maximum Lifetime Productivity
By Hypor. Hypor gilts have the genetic potential for outstanding reproductive performance and careful attention to these key areas of gilt management will help to ensure a high first litter size and a long productive life. Correct management of the gilt...

Growing-Finishing Swine in Outdoor Lots
Housing, feeding and health of pigs kept outside are discussed by William G. Luce (extension swine specialist), Joseph E. Williams (Professor of Agricultural Economics) and Raymond L. Huhnke (extension agricultural engineer) at Oklahoma State University....