The Swine report
VIDEOS
Amanda Minton, Associate Director of Reproductive Technology at Acuity Swine and Karl Kerns, Assistant Professor at Iowa State University, discuss capturing relative phenotypes to help us understand and ultimately improve boar fertility.
Justin Fix, Director of Business Development and Genetic Improvement with Acuity and Caleb Shull, Director of Research at The Maschhoffs discuss how genetic evaluation varies from nucleus to commercial production and how that variation creates a bias in data analysis.
The Swine reportNews
More than 10,000 World Pork Expo attendees from 32 countries snacked on more than 5,000 pork lunches at the Big Grill. The World Pork Expo ran June 4-5 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. One month into a new campaign launched by the National Pork Board to tout pork’s tastiness among younger consumers, the board was at the expo promoting progress. The campaign, called “Taste What Pork Can Do,” uses highly focused digital content. The pork industry has not had a recognizable campaign since the tagline “Pork. The Other White Meat” was established decades ago. A seminar highlighted the research behind the campaign. “A good tagline has a call to action,” said Jose de Jesus, assistant vice president of consumer marketing at the National Pork Board. “This campaign was built on deep insights about what consumers want from their food, which is taste, balance and convenience. According to recent research from Datassentials, nearly two-thirds of consumers have purchased a food, beverage or relat
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Genetics, seasonality and human factors all play a role in getting a pork chop on a plate. And while there is no fail-safe playbook in raising hogs, three pork industry experts are sharing the production areas they would encourage producers to focus on most. 1. Health Biosecurity is big part of the swine industry culture. But even with all the efforts made to keep disease out of barns, it can still happen. Disease management is the No. 1 topic Cara Haden, Pipestone veterinarian, talks with producers about. One thing Haden is currently looking at is the rise of PRRS. She says even though monthly data reports aren’t showing a major increase in the disease, she’s hearing there’s a lot out there. “We used to think we only had to worry about it in the winter months. But the last several years, we’ve seen a second peak show up in June and July,” she says. “This year is going to be no different based on what I’m hearing from people.” As more workers and vaccinating crews are going between
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In pork production, the first few days of a piglet’s life set the tone for everything that comes next. If they are not strong at birth, you are already playing catch-up, and that costs time, labor, and money. That is why more producers are turning to the TN Duroc terminal sire. Topigs Norsvin’s TN Duroc delivers what matters most in the farrowing room: stronger piglets, better survival, and less time spent on weak ones. We call it Early Phase Vitality, a built-in advantage that sets TN Duroc apart from day one and pays dividends all the way through finishing. TN Duroc-sired piglets are born heavier, weighing up to 0.16 pounds more than their competitors, based on U.S. trials. That may not seem like much, but ask any producer who has farrowed both, and they will tell you they notice the difference right away. Heavier piglets are more vigorous and more likely to nurse on their own. That means less time warming, feeding, or fostering weak piglets, and more uniform litters from the star
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