Benchmark Magazine Article Archive

While there have been many hurdles to overcome this past year, we know that those who have remained steadfast in the industry are Set for Success.

While producers rely on reports for sow records, task management, and performance summaries, many overlook a critical opportunity: harnessing advanced analytics to maximize reproductive efficiency, profitability, and sow longevity.

Osteochondrosis is a disease that is a major cause of lameness in pigs. Currently, osteochondrosis is scored by trained technicians based on visual observation of CT images.

A high stomach pH is concerning because it can lead to a myriad of issues, ranging from poor nutrient digestibility to increased pathogen proliferation, diarrhea, and mortality. Considering all the other stressors involved during the weaning period, it’s the last thing a piglet needs.

Natural choline sources occur at meaningful levels in most feed ingredients; which is the main reason why choline is not considered to be a vitamin in the classic sense.

From disease prevention to meeting compliance with animal confinement regulations, the latest set of challenges certainly continues the tradition of having serious repercussions on the industry.

Total number of farms = 174

To reach peak performance productivity, animals need a constant supply of feed. But when that flow of feed is interrupted, it can lead to growth delays, increased mortality, and other health issues - all of which impact feed conversion ratios (FCR).

Today’s modern hyper-prolific sow will often give birth to more piglets than the number of functional teats she possesses. For the farm business, it means that the producers are faced with the decision of having to either allow the sow to try and nurse the additional piglets above functional teat count or create more nurse sows.

Over the past decade, the modern sow has changed significantly. Increased productivity necessitates advancements in management strategies to support performance and longevity. Management improvements can also have a quicker impact than relying on genetics alone.

These are turbulent times for pork producers. Because of that, in addition to benchmarking data, this year our theme for Benchmark magazine is “Building Blocks for the Long Haul, Bringing Longevity to the Farm.”

Within the pork industry, heat stress poses a significant threat to overall pig production, impairing health, productivity, and well-being at all life stages.

As an industry, we have realized the steady increase in sow mortality throughout the past decade and employed various efforts to respond to this critical production issue.

Despite advancements in understanding the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and increased efforts to prevent, control, or eliminate it, the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) still causes significant issues for the pig farming industry worldwide.

Today’s pork producers know that biosecurity is essential in every aspect of pig production.