Reading Time: 2 minutes Feeding extruded products is the norm in the pet and aqua feed industries, yet it remains unusual for swine feed in the United States and in Canada. The technology can improve energy and protein digestibility in pigs, according to research from the University of Illinois. “We’re not doing this much in the U.S., partly because […] Read more
Tag Archives pigs
Extruded grains may be better for pigs
Science Notes: Fibre digestibility saw little change when feeding extruded grains
Sow exercise benefits found lacking
Researchers wanted to know if a middle ground solution between stalls and open housing was a reasonable option
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Pregnant sows have an intrinsic desire to leave their stalls, say swine health experts at the University of Saskatchewan. But giving sows periodic freedom to leave stalls and move about the barn doesn’t significantly improve the lives or welfare of the animals. Why it matters: Animal welfare is a key concern for […] Read more
Projects looks at hog gut health
Reading Time: < 1 minute Olymel, Canada’s largest pork producer and processor, is working with scientists from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Université Laval on research to better understand the links between pig gut health, food safety and product quality. The project is part of the Canadian Food Innovators (CFI-ICA) research cluster “Using science and innovation to strengthen Canada’s value-added […] Read more
Comment: Are livestock industries prepared for life after COVID?
Labour, consumer trends, accountability and cross-sector co-operation have to be managed
Reading Time: 3 minutes Are we there yet? Every parent has heard that phrase coming from the backseat. Now, as adults, we are asking that question relative to the pandemic. The end date is unknown, but what can we expect the Ontario livestock sector to look like post-COVID? I heard once that “life can only be understood backward; but […] Read more
Group sow housing deadline could be pushed back
The National Farm Animal Council has recommended a new 2029 deadline
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Pig producers in Canada may have another nine years to convert their barns to group sow housing. A report from the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) on the codes of practice for raising pigs in Canada has recommended pushing back the deadline from 2024 to 2029. A five-year review of the […] Read more
Hog producers look for swine fever investment
Arrival of African swine fever would be devastating to the Canadian sector
Reading Time: 2 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Canada’s hog producers are calling on the federal government to invest $50 million over three years to combat African swine fever. In an open letter released Sept. 11, the chair of the Canadian Pork Council Rick Bergmann spells out the impact an outbreak of the disease would have on the industry. The […] Read more
China’s hog herd recovery forecast questioned
Inventory levels aren’t expected to reach pre-ASF levels this year, and sow herd quality is likely to be lower than before
Reading Time: 3 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – Claims from China that hog production in that country will recover by next year to pre-2018 levels do not pass the smell test, says economic analyst Brett Stuart of Global AgriTrends. African swine fever forced the culling of an estimated 60 per cent of the Chinese herd after an outbreak began there […] Read more
Hog manure treatment could limit need for manure pits
Canadian technology separates manure into water, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus
Reading Time: 2 minutes Solugen, a Quebec-based company, is testing a manure separation technology on a hog farm. Widespread implementation of the technology could limit the need for manure pits. The technology was invented to assist in the treatment of liquid residual materials to help simplify wastewater management while enhancing the value of contaminants. It didn’t take long for […] Read more
COVID-19 forces Tyson to shutter two major U.S. pork plants
Reading Time: 2 minutes UPDATED — Reuters — Tyson Foods is shuttering two pork processing plants, including its largest in the United States, to contain the spread of the coronavirus, further tightening meat supplies after other major slaughterhouse shutdowns. The closures are limiting the amount of meat the U.S. can produce during the outbreak and adding stress on farmers […] Read more
China announces step forward on African swine fever vaccine
The pork sector has welcomed news that a viable ASF vaccine might be in the works out of China, but it’s early days yet
Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – The world may be one step closer to a workable vaccine for African swine fever (ASF), but one expert warns that a local debut is a long way off — if the vaccine makes it to Canada at all. According to a research article, recently published in a Chinese science journal, researchers […] Read more
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