The 2008 New Product Tour panel members included:

Joel DeRouchey, a Kansas State University Extension environmental management and swine nutrition specialist.

Jeff Feder, a veterinarian with Swine Vet Center, P.A., St. Peter, MN. Swine Vet Center focuses on herd health, conducting production research and helping producer clients manage their operations.

Jay Harmon, an Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineer, specializes in livestock production systems and air quality.

Matt Thome, a farrow-to-finish producer from Adams, MN, oversees the farrowing and nursery stages of the family-owned operation.

Summing up their thoughts on this year's tour, the panel made the following observations:

“We had the opportunity to learn more about a wide range of products that may provide timely benefits to swine producers,” DeRouchey notes. “I was particularly impressed with the advancements in technologies that may assist with more precise feed delivery, improved feed budgeting and in-barn feeding,” he adds.

“It is always interesting to attend the World Pork Expo and see the wide variety of new and existing products that are available to help make producers' operations more efficient,” Feder relates. “This year was no exception. Products and ideas designed to help producers make more efficient use of higher-priced inputs have more potential now to provide a good return on investment.”

“It was encouraging that many vendors were in tune with the needs of producers, especially paying close attention to issues related to rising feed costs and ways to provide opportunities to gain efficiencies,” Harmon says.

“Many of these products were developed around the goal of making producers more efficient,” Thome observes. “In these times of tight margins, small efficiencies add up to major advantages.”

The panel looked at new products that had been introduced to the industry within the last year. Following are more details about the products the panel considered “most promising.” Products are not ranked in any particular order.

World Pork Expo Producer's Choice

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. Ingelvac MycoFLEX

The Ingelvac MycoFLEX Mycoplasma vaccine from Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. received the most votes to claim the “Producer's Choice” honor as part of a new event featured at this year's World Pork Expo.

The National Hog Farmer New Product Review Room showcased 19 products that were nominated for the 2008 World Pork Expo New Product Tour. World Pork Expo attendees could learn about new, cutting-edge ideas, while having an opportunity to cast their own vote for their favorite new product or service. The Producer's Choice voting took place during all three days of the World Pork Expo trade show.

Ingelvac MycoFLEX is the first one-dose, 1-ml. Mycoplasma vaccine that provides a flexible and novel approach to the control of porcine enzootic pneumonia caused by Mycoplasmal pneumonia. The non-viscous, highly syringeable vaccine is intended for use in pigs 3 weeks of age or older. The vaccine provides immunity for a duration of at least 26 weeks.

Learn more at www.bi-vetmedica.com or call 800-325-9167.

Integra Pit Monitor

AP (Automated Production Systems)

The Integra Pit Monitor is used to monitor the effluent level in manure storage pits. “Think of it as an electronic dip stick,” explains AP's Tom Stuthman. The unit's digital display is mounted on a heavy-duty base designed to be in direct contact with pigs. The display gives a reading of the depth of effluent in inches or centimeters, captured by a sensor that extends into the pit. With pit dimensions entered into the unit's memory, the display also provides the volume in gallons or liters.

A programmable alarm closes a contact that can be wired to an alarm system to provide an alert when a set limit has been reached. The alarm includes a “snooze” feature to allow the producer to acknowledge the alarm and automatically resets to be activated again as the level increases further.

The Integra Pit Monitor's readings can be accessed by a remote PC equipped with proprietary software by using a dial-up connection to an on-site network collector unit.