Meat Per Tonne of Feed - Become a Convert!
Respected pig consultant, John Gadd, explains why producers should adjust their future thinking to the amount of meat produced per tonne of feed, rather than a simple feed conversion ratio for JSR Genetics.

Global Import Demand for Meat and Poultry Forecast Higher in 2009
A one percent decline in pork imports is anticipated – the first fall since 1997 - largely due to China trimming back from its 2008 import surge. Published by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) in the series Livestock and Poultry: World Markets...

FluSure XP™: Research-Backed Swine Influenza Virus (SIV) Vaccine for Combating Rapidly Evolving SIV Viruses
Introduction of the H3N2 influenza virus into the US swine population in 1998 has resulted in the emergence of multiple reassortant swine influenza viruses (SIVs) in every geographic region of the country, writes Michael Kuhn, DVM, Pfizer Animal Heal...

Danish and Canadian Pig Herds Fall (November 2008)
By Chris Harris, Senior Editor, ThePigSite. Our snapshot of the ongoing global pig industry trends as reported in November 2008 Whole Hog Brief. To read the full detailed analysis including all the commentary and graphical data, subscribe to...

Brave New Farm: GE Food Animals in the USA
Imagine a new kind of food farm: animals that flourish on infertile lands, eat less but grow faster; there are no fears of disease or environmental side-effects on these farms and the animals produce meat that is lean, safe and nutritious. Think of all...

NADIS/BPEX Commentary - Vices
Pig veterinarian, Mark White, describes the results of a survey carried out by vets into the vices they come across on finisher pig farms. Tail-biting was the most widespread behavioural problem observed. Its prevalence was not particularly associated...

US Pork Outlook Report - November 2008
By USDA, Economic Research Service - This article is an extract from the November 2008 Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook Report by Richard Stillman.

Establishing the Weaned Piglet
Establishing piglets early to reduce pen variation is the key message from the BPEX Knowledge Transfer Farm Case Study 5. Successful changes were adjustments to the feeding regime, the addition of bite drinkers and additional lighting.

Prepare a Survival Kit for Difficult Economic Times
Some important tips to reduce feed costs and improve efficiencies are offered by David Meisinger, Executive Director of the US Pork Center of Excellence.

Nutrition of the Young Breeding Pig
Steve Jagger, Paul Toplis and Ian Wellock of AB Agri give their recommendations for feeding gilts during rearing, first pregnancy and first lactation for optimum performance. They focus particularly on new information relating to back fat, bodyweight...

NADIS Pig Health Bulletin - Rotaviral Diarrhoea
Pig veterinarian, Mark White, explains why rotavirus has become a common causes of scours in baby piglets. With antibiotic treatment ineffective, he recommends management techniques and support therapy to control and treat the condition. The article was...

Defining Sow Productivity
This provides links to a series of articles from Alpharma. Within each article listed is a direct link to each article in the series.

US Feed Outlook
All feed grains prices are lowered this month as financial and macroeconomic developments have combined with supply and demand fundamentals to reduce grain prices in 2008/09, reports the ERS USDA.

Scouting for Corn Mould
A useful guide to identifying common moulds in corn and the mycotoxins associated with each one by Albert Tenuta, pathologist for field crops and program lead at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Controlling Stillbirth Losses
Hypor offers solutions to this global problem, including tips on management and supervision at farrowing.

Heavier Pigs Born, Heavier Pigs Weaned
Heavier piglets at birth maintain their weight advantage to weaning and beyond. This article from Alpharma in the series Defining Sow Productivity explains why this is so and highlights ways to achieve it in a publication entitled Birth and...

Erysipelas: Why is it Still a Problem after 100 Years?
Mark White BVSc LLB DPM MRCVS of the Haven Veterinary Group explores the clinical picture, diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, control and prevention of this common disease.

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates
US meat production seems to be down all round this month, falling slightly behind expectations, says the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) from the USDA.

Pregnancy Housing Affects Offspring Performance
Sow stalls are much criticised by animal welfare groups although a 2004 review showed no evidence of any harm to sows in a well managed confined housing systems. New work from Virginia Tech, summarised for ThePigSite by editor Jackie Linden, shows that...

Timing Crucial for Circovirus Vaccination
The timing of vaccination against porcine circovirus (PCV) and the thoroughness of the vaccination programme are essential to ensure a reduction in death loss in the herd improved weight gain, writes ThePigSite Senior Editor, Chris Harris.

Proposition 2 - New Rules on Animal Welfare
Controversial animal welfare legislation was given the green light in California on 4 November at the same time that Barack Obama was voted into office as the President of the USA, writes ThePoultrySite Senior Editor, Chris Harris.

Solving Tail-Biting Problems
From Pork Information Gateway. Todd See gives an overview of the environmental, management and nutritional causes of tail-biting.

Defining Sow Productivity: Breeding Issues
This article is a transcript of a teleconference between five pig veterinary specialists organised by Alpharma. The topics covered include seasonal infertility, reducing sow mortality, gilt acclimation, segregation of parity 1 sows, better birth and weaning...