Feeding Working Boars on a Commercial AI Stud
AI boars can be fed to a set feeding level to achieve targeted weight gains to influence longevity without affecting semen production and quality, reported R.C. Sulabo of the College of Veterinary Medicine of Kansas State University at Kansas Swine Day...

Improve Your Marketing Return
This factsheet will help you review your contract, taking into account your location, pig production system and current grading. It is number 22 in the series Action for Productivity from BPEX.

National Swine Influenza Surveillance
John A. Korslund and Ellen Kasari, both DVMs at the USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services, explain the current situation with swine influenza virus (SIV), as well as the operation and value of the surveillance programme in the US. The article was published in...

Field Experiences with Air Filtration: Results and Costs
Air filtration systems have been in place for over three years, in a wide variety of farms, and are valuable in reducing the risks of PRRS, according to Darwin L. Reicks, DVM, of the Swine Vet Center in St Peter, Minnesota. His article was in the January...

Piglet Birth Weight Affects Future Growth, Composition and Mortality
Evidence that pigs with low birth weights grow slower, are fatter and are more likely to die before weaning, write Justin Fix and Todd See in the February 2009 issue of North Carolina State's Swine News.

Glycerol Has Potential Applications in Swine Diets
Supplementation of glycerol to corn-soybean-meal-based finisher diets improved flowability, production efficiency, and pellet durability. For starter and weaned pigs, performance was improved by the addition of five or 10 per cent glycerol. The results...

Alternatives to Antibiotics in Feed for Swine
A review of the potential and use of prebiotics, probiotics, bacteriophages and bacteriocins in feeds for pigs by Chad Stahl. Published in the April 2009 issue of North Carolina State's Swine News.

Action for Productivity
A series of guides on practical topics from BPEX.

Milk & Meat in Our Diet: Good or Bad for Health & Wealth?
Professor Ian Givens of the University of Reading outlined the evidence concerning the health benefits (and otherwise) of animal products in the human diet in the 21st century at this year's meeting of the British Society of Animal Science. Jackie Linden...

Animal Antibiotics, Resistance and Human Health
Antibiotics are a vital component to rearing healthy livestock, but many researchers argue that mismanaged use is having a detrimental effect on the industry, writes Adam Anson for ThePigSite.

Lameness as a Welfare Concern
This paper was presented by John Deen of the College of Veterinary Medicine in the University of Minnesota at the 28th Centralia Swine Research Update. He discusses the seriousness of lameness in sow herds and how lame sows are more likely to be culled....

The Best Invest
Future efficiency, expansion and success all relate directly to investment. In simple terms, the more you put in, the more you get out. In order to remain competitive, UK pig producers need to channel their investments. Glenn Dames, Managing Director...

Improve Digestibility of Feed by up to 10 Per Cent
A producer found his pigs less aggressive as well as better performance and less feed wastage after using a Bygholm Sieve to check the particle size of his home mill-and-mix feed. He describes his experience in BPEX KT Farm Case Study 9.

PCV2 and M-Hyo Vaccination Timing Affects Nursery Pig Growth
The timing of vaccination against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M-Hyo) can affect pig performance, particularly post-weaning, when diet changes are also imposed. E.M. Kanel and colleagues at the College of Veterinary...

Before Vaccinating against Respiratory Diseases, Calculate
Decisions to vaccinate growing pigs against respiratory disease is usually based on past experiences of clinical problems – or perhaps as a result of adverse British Pig Health Scheme (BPHS) reports – and therefore, the need to protect the next batch...

Piglet Survival: New Thinking on an Old Problem
There are a number of causes of mortality in piglets before weaning, and the best way to reduce losses will depend on the main causes on the particular farm. Dr Emma Baxter is a post-doctoral research scientist Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) whose...

US Pork Outlook Report - May 2009
By USDA, Economic Research Service - This article is an extract from the May 2009 issue of Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook Report.

Important Pen Features and Management in Farrowing Pens for Loose-Housed Sows
Among the topics covered are the provision of nesting material, floor heating, farrowing rails and space requirements of sows and their litters. Lene J. Pedersen of the University of Aarhus, Denmark, reviewed this topic at Housing of Farrowing and...

Housing of Farrowing and Lactating Sows in Non-Crate Systems
The proceedings of a conference that was held in Copenhagen, Denmark in June 2008. Edited by Lene Juul Pedersen and Vivi Aarestrup Moustsen, they were published at the end of last year.

Transport Losses in Finishing Pigs
This paper was prepared by Cate Dewey, Charles Haley, Zvonimir Poljak, Bob Friendship and Tina Widowski of the University of Guelph for the 2009 Centralia Swine Research Update. Their paper helps in understanding the main factors associated with in-transit...

United Kingdom Pig Meat Market Update - May 2009
Tony Fowler, senior economic analyst with AHDB Meat Services Economic and Policy Analysis Group, explains the latest trends in pig production in the UK and European Union.

Top Tips For 2009 - Financial Fluency
James Christian, Finance Director for JSR Farming Group offers his top ten tips for business survival in this difficult year.

Genetics Influence Growth Rate Response to Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) Vaccines
The data in this study suggest that genetic background affects either the expression of porcine circovirus disease (PCVD) or the response to the PCV2 vaccine, as measured by growth performance. This is the main finding from a study reported by M.L. Potter...