Optimizing Cull Sow Value
When is the best time to market cull sows? Before pork producers can answer this seemingly easy question, some additional questions must be thought through:...
Sow Condition Scoring Guidelines
Sow herd culling and mortality rates have reached unacceptable levels in some herds. Reproductive failure is the most common reason sows are culled from...
Reducing Variation In Finishing
Kansas State University research details nutrition and management steps to bolster efficiency and producer returns. Over the last 15 years, pork producers...
Phase Feeding Affects Sow Productivity
When regulations in the Netherlands required that ammonia emissions be cut by 50%, animal scientists at Wageningen University looked at phase-feeding...
Spreadsheet Identifies Limiting Amino Acids
One of the best ways to reduce nitrogen excretion by pigs is to reduce the dietary protein level by supplementing with amino acids. This requires knowledge...
Cutting Gestation Feed Pays Clear Dividends
Typically in the Holden Farms' 30,000-sow production system, keeping sows slightly on the heavier side and with a slightly higher backfat of 3/4-in. (18-19...
DDGS Boosts Sow Nutrition
High-producing lactating sows can thrive using 15% distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) to help meet their nutritional needs. Equally important,...
Fine-Tuning Lactation
Sow studies evaluate the validity of National Research Council amino acid recommendations. Sows are different enough in feed intake and milk production...
Irradiating Spray-Dried Plasma Improves Nursery Pig Performance
Feeding irradiated, spray-dried animal plasma in the nursery may help get pigs off to a better start, compared to feeding them non-irradiated plasma in...
Boron Shows Promise In Curbing Lameness
Osteochondrosis a big word that has all but dropped out of the swine industry's vocabulary has resurfaced in a small study conducted by swine veterinary...
