Building Better Gilt Management Systems
Successful placement of gilts into the breeding herd and their ability to remain there through at least three parities has three basic...
Trait Interactions Offer Clues to Sow Lifetime Performance
A 10-year snapshot of PigChamp data shows the average culling frequency of breeding females in U.S. commercial herds is 45%, while mortality rates stand at nearly 8%....
Track Age, Weight to Boost Sow Lifetime Performance
Gilt development programs are often complex and conflicting because the research does not conclusively reveal the impact of gilt growth on lifetime sow productivity....
Fetal Imprinting May Affect Pigs' Lifetime Performance
If the fetus is stressed during development, the pig may be programmed for a lifetime of unfavorable consequences, explains Lee Johnston...
Marker-Assisted Selection Could Boost Sow Performance
The length of a sow's productive life (SPL) in a breeding herd is impacted by reproductive performance, locomotion and structural soundness....
National Swine Improvement Federation Sets Annual Conference
The National Swine Improvement Federation (NSIF) has slated its Annual Meeting and Genetic Symposium for Dec. 4-5, 2008 in Nashville, TN...
Scientists Test MRI Device To Measure Pigs’ Composition
Scientists at USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are testing an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based device they say can accurately and precisely measure total body fat in piglets using the principles of quantitative magnetic resonance (QMR)...
Wayne Singleton
To be called a “pioneer” in any field or discipline requires high marks from many who are willing to make such a designation. The term seems suitable...
Focusing on Reproductive Efficiency
This quarter's benchmarking article will concentrate on two areas. We will begin by comparing production records from the previous quarter and previous...
The Waldo Family
“For better or worse, we're still here.” The proclamation — commonly reserved for marital occasions - comes from Max Waldo, vice president and manager of Waldo Farms, Inc...
