Benchmark Magazine Article Archive

Numbers give us confidence. The ability to take a measurement provides a sense of security - a sense that we know how things really are - a sense that we know the 'truth.' To paraphrase W.E. Demming, if we measure something, we should expect improvement. It seems that the energy spent in the process of measurement can translate into improvement of the process as a whole.

In 2009, the hog industry was shocked with the outbreak of H1N1 virus, also commonly known and misconceived as "Swine Flu." Historically, diseases of this sort that seem to be tied to a commodity linger for 3 to 4 months but usually pass with time. That is exactly what happened. Last year, by the time the end of August rolled around, someone rang the bell at the bottom and the CME Lean hog futures never looked back.

Over the past 10 years, the average culling frequency of breeding herd females in U.S. commercial swine herds has been 45% and the average sow mortality rate has been 8% (PigCHAMP ™). The primary culling reasons reported for young sows are reproductive failure and leg problems. Therefore, the maintenance of acceptable reproduction rates in young females and the selection of structurally sound replacement females are important factors in increasing sow lifetime reproduction.

The production system commonly used in the swine industry involves a three-tiered genetic pyramid. The nucleus, where most genetic improvement occurs, is at the top of the pyramid and represents the smallest percentage of total animals in the production system. The second tier is called the multiplication level and is where the improvement occurring at the nucleus herd is multiplied or produced in mass.

Sow longevity is an important economic and animal well-being trait that can be improved by selection for more robust animals. Selection for sow longevity could be performed indirectly by selection for improved fertility, or directly by implementing a longevity trait. The longevity trait could be either longevity (e.g. days in herd), stayability (removal or not after a certain parity) or lifetime production (measured in number of piglets or piglet weight).

My partners and I at the Swine Vet Center work diligently with clients to maximize efficiency (i.e., produce the most pigs at the lowest cost), and strive to make them "best profit producers." In reality, these things should always be done but with the current financial crisis, producers must continually look for every way possible to achieve efficiency.

The ethanol industry has experienced rapid growth following the implementation of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The act states that U.S. domestic production of renewable fuels should reach 7.5 billion gallons in annual production by 2012. In Canada, different provincial standards have been created to ensure that all gasoline contain at least 5 to10% ethanol.

Long considered the pork industry leader in data management, PigCHAMP reinforces its position with new, advanced products designed to help business-minded pork producers make knowledge-based decisions. In this interview, PigCHAMP General Manager Bob Brcka provides an update on the company's vision for the future.

The swine industry has seen many changes in production systems over the last 15 years: the move to artificial insemination; split site production; and the increase in the average size of sow farms, to name a few. These changes have been driven by the need to keep up with consumer demands for uniform, high quality, safe pork products. The industry now requires skilled production workers, often with specific abilities within the farm production unit to meet this demand

Sow longevity represents the sow's ability to stay and remain productive at an acceptable level within commercial swine breeding herds. Inferior sow longevity is currently a problem with 50% or more of the sows removed in the US and other countries annually (Engblom et al., 2007; Rodriguez-Zas et al., 2003). Today, the majority of sows in the US commercial herds are removed in their early parities, mainly due to reproductive disorders.

The overall economy, H1N1, and perceptions of the swine industry have all had an impact on the view potential and current employees have about employment in the pork sector. Some would say that there is a dark cloud hanging over the industry at the moment. But, is it really as doom and gloom as some may think?

USA 2009 - Annual Summary

Canada 2009 - Annual summary

In North America, we have come to respect the Danes for their extremely disciplined approach to pig production but have at the same time tended to discount some of their outstanding production figures due to the fact that these were typically small farms. Regardless of geographical location, we all operate under the same constraints when it comes to reproductive efficiency. If “pigs weaned per female per year” is the measure we choose to employ, then the productivity tree has the same components.

The 2009 PigCHAMP summaries for the United States and Canada show another year of improved productivity overall. The availability of vaccines to control Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome (PRRS) has likely had a major impact on production results. While productivity as a whole is better, we still see a wide range of performance between the upper and lower percentile in various production parameters.