2023

A Benchmark Welcome

A Benchmark Welcome

For the 2023 issue of Benchmark magazine, we have gone back to basics. Big data is a trendy term today, even though the value of the data has never been in doubt going back to the 1980s when PigCHAMP was first developed at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.


2023

SoundTalks Barn Technology

Respiratory disease in pigs is arguably the most important health concern for swine producers today. In 1995, the National Animal Health Monitoring System reported respiratory disease as the leading cause of mortality in nursery and grow-to-finish operations.


2023

Enhancing passive surveillance will help producers protect their pigs from ASF and other diseases

African Swine Fever (ASF) is not yet present in the US, but this deadly porcine virus has been spreading globally since 2007.


2023

Training within the Industry

As the industry continues to adapt to changing HR trends and challenges, retention remains a top priority for employers across the agriculture and food industries.


2023

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

As human beings, one of our most basic needs is the ability to connect with each other. If we look back at the past 15 to 20 years, we can see that there has been a big vision goal to connect with people and communities across the globe.


2023

Supplementary Lysine to Late-Pregnant Gilts Stimulates their Mammary Development

It is a known fact that sows currently do not produce enough milk to sustain the optimal growth of their litters. This is an area that is particularly important and challenging for pig researchers nowadays because the hyper-prolific genetic lines that were developed led to an even greater demand for sows’ milk.


2023

Transforming Research into Reality

I recall during my graduate studies, that there was a somewhat heated exchange between my professors who were debating the economic value and practicality of my primary research project.


2023

USA 2022 Year Summary

Total number of farms = 259

2023

Canada 2022 Year Summary

Total number of farms = 24

2023

Early vs. Late Maturing Sire Lines

Imagine if in the same barn you had two groups with opposing genetic selection goals. The first group is modern genotype pigs with growth peaking late in finishing, and the second group of pigs are selected for earlier maturation.


2023

Improving Pig Livability by Understanding Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Throughout the last decade, rising sow mortality has become a major concern within the US swine industry, with a substantial proportion of it due to pelvic organ prolapse (POP) incidence.

2023

Sow Retention and Productivity

Sow retention is a complex trait that influences sow lifetime productivity -the quality pigs weaned per sow per year - and the efficiency and profitability of a swine operation.

2023

The importance of integrating multiple data streams in the swine industry

Despite the large amount of data collected from sow farms daily, there are significant gaps in utilizing production data for real-time surveillance.

2023

2023 Hog Outlook is Encouraging

Despite continued (and growing) concerns about a recession, the outlook is positive for North American hog producers in 2023.

2023

When pigs fly

Inflation is everyone’s favourite boogeyman at present. It is being blamed for everything from economic hardship to marital difficulties to childbirth pain. Okay, maybe not the last two but you get my gist.

2022

A Benchmark Welcome

A Benchmark Welcome

The past two years have been challenging to say the least. But being in the pork sector has always required facing challenges with innovation and intelligence. The latest round of challenges-from the risk of disease to war in Europe, to regulations that don’t match with the day-to-day life of swine farming-are no different.


2022

Are You Ready for Foreign Animal Disease?

If you’re a pork producer in 2022, you’re well aware of ongoing issues and challenges that face your operation and your industry. Unfortunately, one of these is the constant threat of foreign animal diseases (FADs) such as African Swine Fever (ASF).


2022

Oink, eh-S-F

Even as the world slogs through the pandemic of Covid-19, and the poultry sector sees surges of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus, the global pig industry in many countries has already faced the onslaught of the deadly African Swine Fever (ASF), as most of the western hemisphere prepares to keep it out.


2022

Job Trends in Agriculture

After staggering high unemployment rates in 2020, it dropped in 2021. The vital global agricultural industry experienced strong hiring in 2021, with a 30% increase in jobs posted on AgCareers.com. Globally, job postings in the swine industry on AgCareers.com increased by 6% in the past year. Looking at jobs by country, US swine jobs remained consistent, while Canadian swine jobs increased.


2022

Proposition 12 Update

With disruptions caused by the pandemic and mounting uncertainty surrounding the crisis in Ukraine, ensuring a consistent, safe, and affordable food supply has never been more important.