The Power of knowledge

Benchmark Magazine Article Archive

Benchmark Magazine is published each spring to highlight the annual results of PigCHAMP's Benchmarking program, and to feature news, commentary and articles of interest written by pork industry experts.

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2026

20 Years of Benchmarking

For more than 20 years, PigCHAMP benchmarking has provided producers, veterinarians, nutritionists, and industry partners with a trusted, consistent look at sow farm performance across North America.

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2026

Next Step in Precision Sow Management

By collecting data throughout the day, PLF systems can detect subtle changes in behavior, body shape, and physiological indicators that are difficult to observe during routine barn checks.

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2026

Understanding Postpartum Dysgalactia in Sows

Sow longevity is a crucial factor in the contribution towards efficiency and profitability of commercial swine operations, as the reproducing females represent the most valuable animals in the herd.

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2026

The Next Leap in Precision Livestock Farming

Precision livestock farming (PLF) has already transformed dairy and poultry systems, and swine is now entering its own era of data driven management across operations.

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2026

USA and Canada 2025 Year Summary

Total number of farms = 149

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2025

Factors Associated with Sow Efficiency

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.

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2025

Choline - An Essential Nutrient With New Perspectives

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.

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2025

USA and Canada 2024 Year Summary

Total number of farms = 174

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2025

How Many Pigs Should a Sow Nurse?

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.

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2025

Delivering Practical Improvements in Sow Robustness

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.

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2024

A Holistic Approach to Breeding for Enhanced Sow Longevity

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.


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2024

Solution-based Analysis for the Long-Haul

We’ve been using data to analyze past, current, and future hog producer productivity and profitability for some time.


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2024

USA 2023 Year Summary

Total number of farms = 167


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2024

Canada 2023 Year Summary

Total number of farms = 18


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2024

2024 Pork Industry Outlook

After more than a year of financial losses, the North American swine sector is finally turning a corner.


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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.

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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.

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