Ron Plain, Ag Economist with the University of Missouri, will present a detailed Market Outlook as well as the facts and fallacies of Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). Limited seats are available in Mankato, Minnesota or join the presentation online for this live Swine Industry Update.

RSVP's are needed by April 14th to swine@agstar.com or call 1-877-424-7827. For additional information and requirements for the online viewing, please follow the “Click to read more” link below.

Source: AgStar Financial Services, March 25, 2003
Source URL: http://www.agstar.com/swine/ronplain.shtml

Evaluation of H1N1 serology from herds vaccinated with two influenza strains has been a problem. Field studies have been conducted to support timing of vaccination of growing pigs by evaluating the serologic response to both H1N1 and H3N2 strains post vaccination. In a three-part study, 10 pigs each from 36 finisher groups were tagged and blood sampled before SIV vaccination at about 11 weeks of age. Serum was sent to a state diagnostic laboratory for hemagglutination inhibition (HI) testing. Pigs in the study came from sows that received a booster dose of H1N1 and H3N2 vaccine six weeks before farrowing.

A poor response to H1 on the HI prompted researchers to look at the response by the ELISA test in part three. These results were encouraging, as they demonstrated population sero-conversion post vaccination. Similar results have been seen with several of the bivalent commercial vaccines. There is mounting anecdotal evidence that variation among H1N1 strains may influence serologic results. As a result, investigating refractory situations that are not resolved by typical trouble shooting interventions may benefit from assuring that laboratory reference strains are similar to vaccine strains and/or typing field isolates of H1N1 beyond simply confirming the H and N protein types.

Source: Proceedings, American Association of Swine Veterinarians, “Challenges in diagnosis and control of swine influenza virus.” Authors: C. Scanlon Daniels, Angela Daniels and Locke Karriker, Seaboard Farms, Inc. March 8-11, 2003, pp 381-386.

The study looked at two trials to determine the effects of weaning age on growing pig biologic and economic performance in a three-site production system.  Trial 1 included weaning litters at 12, 15, 18, and 21 days of age, trial 2 had three treatments 15.5, 18.5, or 21.5 days of age.  Trial 2 also evaluated the effects of modifying nursery feed budgets according to weaning age.   

Increasing weaning age improved (linear, P<0.03) wean-to-finish ADG, mortality rate, weight sold per pig weaned, income over costs, and cost per hundred lb sold.  The improvements in growth and mortality largely occurred in the initial 42 days after weaning, with smaller growth improvements in finishing. These studies indicate that increasing weaning age up to 21.5 days predictably improves grow-finish throughput (3.97 ± 0.26 lb sold/pig/d increase in weaning age) and profitability ($0.89 ± 0.05/pig/d increase in weaning age) within this three-site production system.

In trial 2 pigs were fed varying complex diets.  Feed budget did not affect performance (P<0.27) so only weaning age effects are presented. These studies indicate that increasing weaning age up to 21.5 days predictably improves grow-finish throughput (3.97 ± 0.26 lb sold/pig/d increase in weaning age) and profitability ($0.89 ± 0.05/pig/d increase in weaning age) within this three-site production.

SVC Comments

1. Increasing wean age can have some large advantages in the nursery on production parameters which may be much more profitable for the grower.
2. We lowered wean age initially to eradicate certain diseases (e.g. PRV) and to increase throughout from a fixed number of farrowing crates.  However, the disease pressures have changed in the last 10 years (e.g. PRRS), therefore the wean age question needs to be revisited.  The effect of wean age and disease coming through needs to be evaluated.  PRRS and Myco will come through even at an early age.
3. This analysis does not look at the implications on the sow farm.  Increasing wean age can lead to higher total born and increased farrow rates, but will decrease the number of litters weaned per sow per year.  The net affect may be less pigs out the door.
4. In our experience, the improved performance in weaning older pigs is driven by the obvious reduction in the proportion of lightweight pigs (<8lb) weaned.  These pigs are very hard to restart on feed, requiring exceptional management and high cost rations.
5. Having extra farrowing crates does not always ensure you get more lactation length.  Farrow crate utilization is key to accomplish these goals.  You cannot let the crates sit without a litter too many days.  You can measure your non-productive farrowing crate days and monitor your performance.  This data says we need to manage this closely.

Source: “Increasing weaning age improves pig growth performance and profitability in a three-site production system” Main RG, et al. Kansas State University, Proc. of AASV annual meeting 2003, p. 459/Swine Vet Center Staff

Veterinarians should seek continuing education opportunities outside of "normal veterinary programs" in order to better understand core food safety issues encountered in the food industry because the food industry will increasingly require controls on raw materials back to the farm level in order to ensure food safety, quality and consumer satisfaction, said Dr. Scott Brooks to attendees of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Brooks, a veterinarian with Yum! Brands Inc., said veterinarians are "ideally suited" to fill the role of broadly trained and experienced scientific professionals to deal with current and emerging food safety challenges. As part of the skills a veterinarian possesses, he said, there must be an understanding of the potential for human impacts of actions on the farm or at the feedlot. These human impacts can be science based, political science based or a combination of both, Brooks said.

Source: Feedstuffs Daily Update, March 25, 2003
Source URL: http://www.feedstuffs.com

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Farm Animal Care Training and Auditing, LLC (FACTA) has announced that it has joined forces with Dr. Temple Grandin to develop a series of uniform animal welfare training and audit standards for farm animal producers seeking to affirm their compliance with animal welfare guidelines.

Under the terms of their agreement, Grandin, associate professor of animal science at Colorado State University, will serve as an advisor to FACTA, helping to establish and oversee training programs for the company’s animal welfare auditors.  She and McGlone, professor of animal science and director of the Pork Industry Institute at Texas Tech University, are widely recognized as the leading authorities in the field of animal science and farm animal behavior.

Source: Farm Animal Care Training and Auditing, LLC (FACTA), March 24, 2003
Source URL: http://www.factallc.com

Boxed pork values are down and packer margins are not in good shape as we have seen some increase in cash hog prices across the past few weeks. We have had, in early week trade, substantially lower lean hog futures, and we are seeing the lowest prices that we have seen since October 2002. July lean hog futures were down nearly $1 in Tuesday's session, closing at $58.95. The nearby and active April was down only slightly, closing at $51.42. The nearby April has a chance to build a short-term bottom around the $50 level, picking up some support from the lows from last October, and the pattern I see on this chart in recent trading days looks like the market is trying to form a bottom. You can hook a downtrend line across the late February and mid-March highs and catch this market in a triangle with a flat support plane near $50. Looking out a bit beyond the April time period, we should expect to see better prices in this complex, and I believe we will see rallies. If you do anything, look at buying back short hedges down here. Users of these slaughter hogs ought to be placing long hedges because, fundamentally speaking, I don't see any reason for the April to break sharply below that $50 level.  To read the full Purcell Ag Commodity Market Report, follow the “Click to read more” link below.

Source: Virginia Tech/ Wayne D. Purcell, March 25, 2003
Source URL: http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/periodicals/purcell/

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Technology is improving to reduce the number of sperm cells needed to impregnate a sow, which can help to reduce the cost of breeding. The purpose of this paper is to help understand the differences in artificial insemination (AI) technologies and the advantages they will bring to the industry.  With conventional AI, semen is deposited in the proximal cervix and the peristaltic contractions of the females genital track pulls the semen from the cervix into the uterine body and through the uterine horns until it arrives at the utero-tubal junction (UTJ). Large numbers of sperm cells are needed since the semen is deposited in the cervix and diminish in number during transport.

Intra-uterine insemination deposits the semen into the uterine body. Since the semen is placed past the cervix, concentration and volume can be reduced. Using the IMV, Deep Goldenpig, Watson and Behan conducted a study in 2001 that showed respectable production when the sperm concentration was reduced to 1 billion sperm cells.

Deep intra-uterine insemination (DIUI) deposits the semen in the upper one-third of the uterine horn. Monsanto Choice Genetics, the University of Missouri and the University of Murcia have designed a catheter that will deposit the semen in the upper one-third of the uterine horn and it is done in a non-surgical manner. Semen is deposited closer to the UTJ, reducing the number of sperm cells needed for insemination.

Natural mating uses 20 sows per boar, traditional AI uses about 200 sows per boar and DIUI can potentially get to 2000 to 4000 sows per boar.

Source: Proceedings, American Association of Swine Practitioners, “Understanding the differences between artificial insemination, intra-uterine insemination and deep intra-uterine insemination,” Ken Mathias, Monsanto Choice Genetics. March 8-11, 2003, pp.293-294.

The US Department of Agriculture Inspector General accuses the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of not adequately protecting the United States from importation of exotic diseases.

A just-released audit report entitled "Food Safety and Inspection Service Imported Meat and Poultry Re-inspection Process Phase II" identified over 7.7 million lb of products that entered U.S. commerce between January 1999 and March 2001 from 37 foreign establishments that were not eligible to import food. This included 66,299 lb of the meat from plants that were banned from trading because they didn't comply with US food safety laws or had animal disease outbreaks. Some of the importing establishments were in Argentina, Uruguay, United Kingdom and Italy - countries that had outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in 2001.

Source: American Association of Swine Veterinarians/ Michael Meredith, March 18, 2003
Source URL: http://www.aasv.org/news/story.php?id=514

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is preparing to launch a survey designed to paint a picture of Canada's swine industry in preparation for the development of a national tracability system.  The project, 'Spread of Disease with Trade and Movement of Animals' is being coordinated by CFIA's Animal Health Network Support Group in cooperation with the Canadian Pork Council and the various provincial pork organizations.

Epidemiologist Jette Christensen with CFIA says the project is intended to gather information that will help determine how to zone Canada in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak, such as foot and mouth disease or swine fever, and to develop a national traceability system. The project will address issues such as the type of movement that should be monitored, how quickly a foreign animal disease outbreak could spread and how much damage it might do before being detected and emergency plans implemented.

Source: SaskPork Farmscape Episode 1207/Bruce Cochrane, March 26, 2003
Source URL: http://www3.saskpork.com/farmscape-saskpork-showarchive.asp?id=1597