Staff Training
Tips on efficient training solutions are offered in this Farm Case Study from BPEX.

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.

Danish Herd, Market Pigs Fall Back (November 2010)
By Jackie Linden, Editor, ThePigSite. Our snapshot of the ongoing global pig industry trends as reported in November 2010 Whole Hog Brief. To read the full detailed analysis, including all the commentary and graphical data, subscribe to the ...

Feed Outlook - November 2010
Lower yields have reduced the US corn crop but it is still predicted to be the third largest ever, according to Allen Baker, Edward Allen, Heather Lutman and Yonas Hamda in the latest report from the USDA Economic Research Service.

Bungee Serving
The use of the 'bungee system' can save up to four hours labour a week in a loose-housed serving environment, according to this Farm Case Study from BPEX.

Alternative Protein Source for Nursery Pigs
Researchers at North Carolina State University have found fermented soybean meal to have great potential in weaner pig feeds.

World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates - November 2010
The forecast of total US meat production is raised for 2010 and 2011, as is that for pork production, reflecting exceptional gains in carcass weights, according to the latest USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.

Costa Rica - Increase in Pork Consumption Encourages Producers' Sector
Pork consumption is increasing rapidly in Costa Rica, according to Illeana Ramirez in the latest GAIN report from USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

FAPRI 2010 Agricultural Outlook: World Meat
Pork trade and pork production will increase annually by 2.8 per cent and 1.9 per cent, respectively, over the next 10 years, according to the latest Agricultural Outlook from the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI).

Reducing Livestock Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Future growth in meat consumption is going to be driven by an expanding population, higher incomes and consumer preferences, writes ThePigSite senior editor, Chris Harris.

Effect of Different Feed Ingredients on Fermentation Metabolites and Nitrogen Excretion in Pigs
Peas and pea-fibres reduced nitrogen excretion and could possibly contribute to improving the gut health of pigs, report according to R. Jha, L. Johnston, J. Bindelle, A. Van Kessel and P. Leterme in the Prairie Swine Research Centre Annual Report 20...

United Kingdom Pig Meat Market Update - November 2010
James Park, 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.

High Prevalence of PCV2 Viraemia Found in Clinically Normal Breeding Herds
A high prevalence of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) viraemia has been found in newborn piglets in five clinically normal pig breeding herds in North America by resarchers at Iowa State University.

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

Pig Farmers Conferences 2010
Proceedings of the conference organised by Teagasc (The Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority), which took place in October 2010.

Genetic Improvement of Behavioural Indicators of Oestrus
Length of oestrus and/or age at puberty were found by researchers at North Carolina State University to be the most promising traits to incorporate into selection schemes to increase the strength of oestrus behaviour and thus improve the reproductive...

Prairie Swine Centre Annual Report 2009
The annual report from the Prairie Swine Research Centre in Canada.

Use of Antimicrobial Agents and Occurrence of Antimicrobial Resistance in Bacteria from Food Animals, Foods and Humans in Denmark
According to the latest report, DANMAP 2009, there was a 10 per cent increase in the consumption of antibiotics by Danish farm animals between 2008 and 2009, with most of the increase accounted for by a the pig industry and more antimicrobial agents commonly...

Guidelines for Group-Housing Pregnant Sows
The advantages and disadvantages of the different feed ing options for group-housed sows are outlined by Dr Trish Holyoake, Technical Specialist Pig Health, Wagga Wagga in a publication from the NSW government. She also offers tips on getting each system...

Canadian Hog Statistics - Third Quarter 2010
By Statistics Canada. There were just 0.8 per cent fewer pigs in Canada on 1 October 2010 than one year previously but the number of breeding females was down more than four per cent. Both domestic slaughter and hog exports were significantly lower in...

Feeding Strategies to Improve Carcass Quality When Using DDGS
While distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are a valuable feed ingredient, their inclusion needs to be managed in a feeding programme to avoid carcass quality issues, writes swine nutritionist, Greg Simpson in the latest Pork News and Views from...

In Vitro Fibre Fermentation Characteristics of Specialty Ingredients with Varying Non-Starch Polysaccharides Levels
Fermentable fibre modulates the gut environment, extends health-promoting properties and reduces ammonia excretion, according to R. Jha, L. Johnston, J. Bindelle, A. Van Kessel and P. Leterme in the Prairie Swine Research Centre Annual Report 2009. ...

PCV2: Genetic Variation and Newly Emerging Genotypes in China
Researchers at Harbin PCV2 have discovered that porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) found in China is constantly undergoing genetic variation. Furthermore, both the predominant strain and the Cap protein (the main structural protein of PCV2) have changed...