As recently as five years ago, many in the U.S. pork industry felt the prospects of achieving 30 pigs/mated female/year (P/MF/Y) was a dream. Today, the 30-P/MF/Y goal can be and is being achieved on some select farms...More
Pork producers should be watchful this fall for pit foaming problems when working around deep-pit manure systems to make safety their number one priority...More
A serious injury of a person recently in a manure-pumping incident in central Iowa has prompted the University of Minnesota to remind pork producers, commercial pumpers and others to watch for a layer of foam on the surface when pumping barn manure pits...More
A rash of hog thefts in recent weeks has garnered a good deal of media attention in the heart of the hog belt. Two southern Minnesota producers lost 750 market-ready hogs – 150 from one site, nearly 600 from another...More
An Iowa State University (ISU) agricultural engineer and his staff have devised new technology that monitors weather patterns and odor emissions, overseen by a control system that engages only when needed, and pacifies the environmental concerns of rural citizens residing near hog operations...More
When it comes to selling manure, pork producers need to know their product and understand what their crop-producing customers are looking for. Good negotiating skills can come in handy, too, according to a panel of manure brokers who fielded questions at the recent North American Manure Expo...More
Manure management experts are telling producers to keep an eye on manure pit levels because they may fill up faster when distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) are fed...More
Electrostatic particle ionization (EPI) is the buzzword for an environmental technology. This technology works by emitting negative ions into the air. The ions go to work capturing and holding particles onto interior surfaces...More
As feed costs continue to climb, pork producers are redoubling efforts to maximize pig growth and efficiency. In some cases, that means updating or reconfiguring grow-finish facilities to match breed-to-wean pig flows, while older, ill-matched facilities are being razed and replaced...More
Foaming manure pits continue to perplex producers and researchers. As manure pit levels continue to fill this time of year, foam levels may reach the slats and reduce the air exchange in the building...More
Ohio Agriculture Director James Zehringer has announced that animal care rules developed by the Livestock Care Standards Board will become effective on Sept. 29, 2011...More
It could be a disgruntled former employee, a neighbor who’s jealous of your success as a pork producer, an animal activist or simply an intoxicated person out to have some fun at your expense...More
Pork is the meat of cultural choice for Han Chinese, regularly accounting for 70% or more of meat products consumed. Annual per-capita consumption of pork is approximately 84 lb....More
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Thursday expressed grave concerns over an announcement that the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States agreed to petition Congress for legislation requiring commercial egg producers to move from conventional caged housing to “enriched” colony housing...More
Summer months can trigger heat stress in livestock, especially in pigs, according to Mark Whitney, a swine specialist with the University of Minnesota Extension. Pigs are especially challenged because they lack functional sweat glands to help them efficiently reduce body heat...More
Pork producers who manage to produce pigs that test negative to the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus should be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor in the form of improved pig performance and better financial returns...More
There's a stark contrast between countries and regions that have turned their back on technology and those that have embraced it. Rob Aukerman notes that Brazil, which used to be a net importer of food, is now one of the world's leading exporters...More
Rob Aukerman says the world is at a cross-roads because of the growing food insecurity in many countries and in the United States. Aukerman and Elanco Animal Health have been working with farmers one-on-one to try to raise food productivity...More
A workshop to help pork producers understand proper use of swine building ventilation equipment has been set for July 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Borlaug Learning Center near Nashua, IA...More
The sixth year of the popular distance educational series, PorkBridge, resumes June 30. The 2011-2012 speakers feature a variety of industry experts discussing pig treatment, energy conservation, immune-castrated pigs, biosecurity, alternative ingredients and tailbiting...More
The Missouri House and Senate have overwhelmingly passed House Bill 209, the Agriculture Nuisance Reform Act, to end the stream of never-ending lawsuits that threaten the livelihood of the state’s farmers...More
