Public Health Risk-Based Inspection System for Processing and Slaughter
By the USDA, FSIS. The US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is proposing a Public Health Risk-Based Inspection System (PHRBIS) for all processing and slaughter establishments.

Hog Operations Increasingly Large and More Specialized
By William D. McBride and Nigel Key. This finding is drawn from The Changing Economics of US Hog Production, by USDA Economic Research Service, December 2007. Structural change in U.S. hog production during the past two decades has had profound effects...

US Pork Outlook Report - February 2008
By U.S.D.A, Economic Research Service - This article is an extract from the February 2008: Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook Report.

Nebraska Swine Report 2008
By the University of Nebraska - This page links all of the Nebraska Swine Report 2008 articles.

Ins and Outs of Good Biosecurity
By Caroline Blaken, PIC UK. Biosecurity can be split into two main areas – external and internal. However, designing a practical routine or farm set-up that can optimise security and minimise potential risks is not often as simple as it sounds.

Catheter Considerations
This article was based on a peer reviewed paper that appeared in the Journal of Swine Health and Production 15 – Volume 16, Number 1. We have been advised that the authenticity of the aforementioned peer reviewed paper has become sub judice and as a...

Tips for Housing Gestating Sows in Group Pens
By Kathy Zurbrigg BSc. MSc. OMAFRA and Frank Kains, Waterloo, Ontario presented at the Shakespear Swine Conference in Ontario, Canada. In January 2007, Maple Leaf Foods made the decision to stop purchasing pigs in the future from farms using gestation...

Acreage Retirement May Induce Enduring Land-Use Changes
By Ruben N. Lubowski and Michael J. Roberts. A Report in Amber Waves, a publication produced five times a year by the US Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, discusses the implications of land use changes and the options now being presented...

Danish Herd Dives as High Costs Hit Sector (Feb 08)
By Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite. Our snapshot of the ongoing global pig industry trends as reported in February 2008 Whole Hog Brief. To read the full detailed analysis including all the commentary and graphical data, subscribe to the publ...

Modified Diet May Increase Swine Birthrate
By Stacy Kish, Cooperative State Research a, Education and Extension Service, United States Department of Agriculture. For more than 20 years, intensive genetic selection has led to an increase in both litter size and birth weight in swine. However, prenatal...

Revisit Management and Gain Bottom Line Benefits
From the Prairie Swine Centre in Saskatchewan. Ideally, all farms should be using many of the following ideas, but if not, now is the time to revisit and re-evaluate them to see if there are hidden profits waiting to be discovered. The changes can be...

Three Tricks to Improve Profits in Hog Production
By Steve Dritz, Kansas State University. The following paper is taken from a presentation to the Shakespeare Swine Conference in Ontario.

Corn Price Rises Could Hit Increasing US Pork Production
By Chris Harris, Senior Editor ThePigSite. The US pig meat industry is continuing to produce more and more meat with fewer and fewer livestock numbers.

Alberta Hog Market Commentary and Outlook - Winter 2008
By Kevin Grier, Senior Market Analyst, George Morris Centre, in Guelph and Calgary. Published by Alberta Pork. This is the latest Alberta Hog Market Commentary and Outlook which looks at the performance of the U.S. hog market.

Feeding Food Wastes to Livestock¹
By Robert Myer and Holly Johnson²- Many food wastes have a high nutritional value, and recycling them for animal feed can be a viable waste disposal option.

Castration of Pigs
By Dr. Allen Harper, Extension Animal Scientist – Swine, Tidewater AREC and published by Virginia Cooperative Extension, Livestock Update. Castration of male livestock intended for meat production is a long standing management practice.

Sow Herd Management
By Ed Barrie - Swine Sow-Nursery Specialist/OMAFRA. Individual sow nutrition is one of the aspects of maximizing sow herd performance in terms of pigs produced per litter, and in the quality of the pigs produced.

UK/EU Pig Populations - December 2007
By Defra - This article is extracted from Chapter 5. of the quarterly pig bulletin published by Defra and provides a brief overview of the latest statistics relating to pig populations in the UK and Europe.

UK/EU Pig Statistics - December 2007
By DEFRA - This article provides an overview of the latest statistics relating to pigs in the UK and Europe and includes Slaughter figures, Carcase weights, Pigmeat production, trade and supplies and UK and EU Prices and value of pigs.

Optimising Energy Efficiency in Pig Buildings
By pig specialists at the Prairie Swine Centre, Saskathchewan. Energy conservation and efficiency can be achieved by improving management techniques, making minor structural changes to buildings and prduction systems and adopting new technologies. Here,...

Netherlands Livestock and Product Opportunities on the EU Market
By USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. With a total domestic consumption of 21 million MT in 2007 (see Table III), the EU is the biggest pork market in the world after China.

Shoulder Sores in Sows
By Mark White BVSc DPM MRCVS, NADIS Health Buletin. Ulceration of the skin over the point of the shoulder producing a “shoulder sore” is a common finding in indoor sows.

Feeding Bioenergy Coproducts to Swine
By Brian J. Kerr, Research Leader, USDA-ARS, Ames, Iowa; Mark Honeyman, professor, and Peter Lammers, research assistant, Animal Science Department; and Sherry Hoyer, Iowa Pork Industry Center, Iowa State University. Biodiesel can be produced from...