There are many options when choosing a loose sow housing system and the decision mostly depends on hog farmers’ confidence in husbandry and technology. Canadian hog farmers are gradually moving toward loose housing for gestating sows, but debate continues over which system is best. Why it matters: Making decisions on which sow housing system to […] Read more
Tag Archives sows
Deciding which type of sow housing works for your farm
A U.S. hog farm with 20 years of loose sow experience has tried four major systems with varying success
Olymel to idle multiple Prairie hog barns
Packer cites 'continued financial losses' in sector
Pork packer Olymel is preparing to dial back its hog production in Western Canada by shuttering six of its sow units in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Olymel, the agrifood arm of Quebec’s Sollio Cooperative Group, announced Friday it has served 80 employees with layoff notices at five sow units in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan. The […] Read more
U.S. Supreme Court upholds California’s pig confinement law
Dissent suggests 'substantial burden against interstate commerce'
Reuters — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday preserved a California law banning the sale of pork in America’s most-populous state from pigs kept in tightly confined spaces, rejecting an industry challenge claiming that the voter-backed animal welfare measure impermissibly regulates out-of-state farmers. The justices voted 5-4 to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a […] Read more
Maple Leaf hits sow stall phase out ahead of schedule
Company expects to have stalls removed by end of 2021
Glacier FarmMedia – Gestation stalls will be gone from Maple Leaf Foods’ barns by the end of December. Maple Leaf, which produces about 40 per cent of the pigs it uses in its company-branded meat, says its pregnant sows will all live in open housing systems it has been incorporating since the mid-2010s. Why it […] Read more
Maple Leaf to buy four Saskatchewan hog barns
Pork processor plans future upgrades
Two sow barns and two nursery hog barns in central Saskatchewan are set to become the property of meat processor Maple Leaf Foods. Toronto-based Maple Leaf announced Wednesday it plans to buy the four barns from Polar Pork, a group of farms spearheaded by members of the Possberg family — well known as the founding […] Read more
Male piglets less resilient to stress
When sows have significant illnesses during key stages of pregnancy, their immune response may negatively affect developing piglets, making them less productive on the farm. New research from the University of Illinois shows that when those piglets, especially males, experience a second stressor in early life, they are at higher risk of neurodevelopmental and other […] Read more
Group sow housing deadline could be pushed back
The National Farm Animal Council has recommended a new 2029 deadline
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 farmers continue to reduce antimicrobial use
Five-year study shows 57 per cent of participating farms decreased their antimicrobial use
An Ontario Pork Industry Council benchmarking study demonstrates that Ontario pork producers continue to lower antimicrobial use. The project, funded by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership Program, has been ongoing for five years, with surveys in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Why it matters: Antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance have become greater societal concerns, so being able […] Read more
Sow longevity impacts start before they are born
Gilts born as part of small litters are much more likely to develop into productive sows
Sows are leaving farms long before they reach the stage of profitability, says Dr. Billy Flowers, one of North America’s best-known sow reproduction experts. Flowers, a professor at North Carolina State University, says the situation isn’t conducive to long-term productivity for the pork sector. His research shows that farmers may need to select gilts based […] Read more
Sow reproductive issues may be traced to unexpected causes
Poor feet and legs is one of the major causes not always observed as a reproductive problem
Vitamin inadequacies are being ignored in swine management because of misunderstandings in sow-culling reports, some nutritional experts think. “Producers check (off) what they see last,” said Iowa State University nutritional researcher Ken Stalder at the World Pork Expo. “The primary reason often doesn’t get recorded in their reporting systems.” Many North American sow herds have […] Read more