August 12, 2004 Volume 1 - Number 5
Calendar
August 17-19 DakotaFest, Mitchell, SD
August 18 Swine Show at the Tuner Co Fair, Parker , SD
August 20 SD Master Pork Producer’s Pork Chop Open, Hartford, SD
September 5 SD State Fair: 4-H Market & Breeding Swine Shows (7 AM), Huron
September 6 SD State Fair: FFA Market Swine Show (7:30 AM), Huron
September 6 SD State Fair: SD Feeder Pig Derby Show (after FFA Show), Huron
September 11 SD State Fair: Open Class Swine Shows (8 AM), Huron
September 14 Deep Bedded Livestock Conference, Iowa State University
Watch for Mycotoxins in Small Grains
As small grain harvest continues in the Upper Midwest, there have been reports of mycotoxin problems. Ergot contamination has been reported in wheat from south central South Dakota, and some elevators in eastern South Dakota are testing wheat samples for Vomitoxin (or DON). Ergot appears on heads of wheat, barley, and rye as black, elongated structures that replace the kernel. Symptoms of ergotism include staggers, convulsions, temporary posterior paralysis, and loss of blood flow to the extremities. This loss of blood flow can result in gangrene and the actual sloughing off of the extremities. Vomitoxin is the most common mycotoxin in the Upper Midwest, and is caused by cool, damp weather, resulting in a white to pink to reddish fungus in the kernel. Vomitoxin’s symptoms are exactly what the name indicates: the pigs start vomiting when diets contain 10 ppm DON of more. At > 1 ppm DON, feed refusal begins, and at concentrations > 10 ppm DON, there is total feed refusal. Unfortunately, even though you will see them sold, there are no commercially available products that alleviate the effects of these 2 mycotoxins. Clays, pellet binders, etc. will help with aflatoxin, but it occurs mainly in the warmer, southern states. Management is the key when dealing with ergot and Vomitoxin. First, keep contaminated grains out of nursery and sow diets, and target them mainly for finishing diets where they will do the least amount of harm. Secondly, blend them down with “clean” grain so that the final diet does not contain more than 1 ppm of the mycotoxin. However, the best bet is to find another market for the contaminated grain, and buy/use clean grain for your pigs.
Source: Dr. Bob Thaler, SDSU Extension Swine Specialist
Costs of Raising “Antibiotic-Free” Pork
A study from Iowa State University has shown that it costs an extra $2.16/cwt or $5.39/pig to raise a pig to 250 lbs without antibiotics in a farrow-to-finish operation. Pigs fed subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics had lower feed costs ($.28/pig), labor costs ($.1.20/pig), breeding herd costs ($.49/pig), and fixed costs ($2.35/pig). The item having the largest impact was the difference in pigs finished per sow per year. Assumptions used in this study for animals not receiving subtherapeutic levels of antibiotics were based on data from Sweden and Denmark, and included: increased weaning age by 1 week; poorer feed efficiencies in the nursery (1.77 vs 1.163) and grow-finish phases (1.5% worse); increased mortality in the nursery (1.5%) and grow-finish phases (.4%); 3.6% animals culled due to therapeutic treatment; decrease in pigs/sow/year of 1 piglet; increased net veterinary cost of $.25/pig.
It should be kept in mind that these are the results from just one study, and results will vary from farm to farm. However, producers need to know the increased cost of raising pigs without the subtherapeutic use of antibiotics when negotiating the selling price of their pigs if they are to remain profitable.
Source: B. Larson and J. Kliebenstein. Cost of pork production with nonsubtherapeutic use of antibiotics. 2002 Iowa State University Swine Research Report (ASL-R1820).
Diagnosing Disinfectant Efficacy (Swine Vet Center Review)
An ideal disinfectant that is effective on all farms under all conditions unfortunately does not exist. Hot water and detergents have been used to enhance disinfectant efficacy. However, in laundry studies, 22 C (72 F) was just as effective as 71.1 C (160 F) in reducing bacterial counts. Power wasting with detergents did not enhance bacterial kill when compared to power washing with water alone. Moreover, detergent did not decrease cleaning time or improve cleanability. Insufficient cleaning is the primary reason for disinfectant failure. There are many tools to determine which disinfectants are likely to be most efficacious on specific farms.
1. Every barn could be cleaner. Inspection of the barn after cleaning is a
great way to ensure removal of organic matter and is a necessary step if ideal
cleaning is desired. It is rare for barn to pass inspection on the first try. It
is also very difficult to inspect a wet barn. All barns look clean when still
wet.
2. There is no perfect disinfectant. There are many good ones and the producer
needs to identify the proper placement.
3. Rotation of disinfectants is a good practice to keep them as effective as
possible. Make sure to rotate classes not just brand names (i.e. Tektrol,
Synergize, bleach)
4. Drying is the key along with contact time.
5. Develop a systematic method of washing barns, trailer, etc. that ensures all
areas get clean. The best way to speed up the process is not to have to wash
things a second time.
Source: “Diagnostic Notes: Diagnosing disinfectant efficacy”; Amass, SF; Journal of Swine Health and Production, March and April 2004; Vol. 12, No. 2 pp 82-83./ Swine Vet Center Staff. Courtesy of PorkNet Daily Update (http://www.porknet.com/)
Water As A Predictor of Tomorrow’s Pig Performance
Feed intake, monitored by feed disappearance, has been used as an indirect measure of pig growth performance. However, depending on stage of production, feed bridging or equipment malfunctions, or length of time the bulk bins are empty, there can be biases that make the feed disappearance data not very useful. Research from the University of Nebraska has shown that water disappearance is a better predictor and monitor of pig performance than feed disappearance. While feed intake is dependent on feed being delivered to the feeder and the feeder dispensing feed, water is generally under the direct control of the pigs. Also, water disappearance can be measured by simply putting a water meter in the drinking line going to each room. On one set of finishing barns, the researchers were able to document that water consumption started decreasing 4-5 days before the animals were recognized as being ill. Therefore, by monitoring water disappearance, producers can spot problems and begin corrective measures earlier, and improve herd performance. A general guide is that producers should pay close attention to pig behavior and health any time there are 3 consecutive days of decreased water disappearance, or a 30-40% decline in water disappearance from day to day. The researchers developed a spreadsheet to help producers record and graph daily water disappearance, and can be downloaded for free of charge at http://porkcentral.unl.edu.
Source: M. Brumm. Water as a predictor of tomorrow’s pig performance. 2004 George A. Young Swine Conference.
Gilt Development and Previous Lactation Length Influence on Subsequent Born Alive (Swine Vet Center Review)
Production records show herds historically at higher levels
of production will have born alive averages as high as 11.3 for parity 1
animals, 11.8 born alive for the total herd, and 26 pigs/sow/year. Average
herds are at or below 10.5 pigs born alive for parity 1 animals, 11.3 born alive
for total herd, and 24 pigs/sow/year. Upper level producers breed gilts older
than 220 days and over 300 lbs, while average producers breed gilts under 210
days of age, and at less than 270 lbs. Total herd born alive has a correlation
with expected gain of .10 subsequent born alive for each additional day of
previous lactation length. Parity 1 lactation length shows a lower correlation
to parity 2 born alive, however, the remaining parities show a strong
correlation here. Ways to increase lactation length include multiple wean days
per week, adding farrowing crates, better farrowing crate utilization, or
modifying sow inventory.
Swine Vet Center Take:
1) There are also benefits of better % bred by 7 days, shorter wean to first
service intervals, and better sow conception rates after longer lactation
lengths.
2) Every extra day of lactation not only affects future sow performance, but
perhaps even bigger gains are realized in nursery and finishing performance,
especially ADG and death loss.
3) Often these things can be done in the current system with little added cost.
Better farrowing crate utilization and modifying sow herd inventory can be done
with little added cost. Some producers have reduced the breeding inventory to
increase lactation length and used the extra gestation space to better manage
gilts.
4) You can skip P1’s – giving you better total born on P2’s and farrowing just a
few less sows. Studies need to be done on a full skip vs. a partial skip using
Matrix.
5) By getting gilt age correct and acclimatizing to gestation stalls and using
longer lactation lengths, farms may be able to produce the same number of pigs
on a smaller inventory.
Source: Himmelberg L., Rathje T. Gilt Development and Previous Lactation Length
Influence on Subsequent Born Alive. AASV Proceedings. 2004. p 218.
Courtesy of PorkNet Daily Update (http://www.porknet.com/)
McDonald’s Sets Beef Traceability Goal
In an effort to reassure its consumers about food safety in the wake of BSE, Reuters reports that McDonald’s aim is to have 10% of its US beef purchases traceable from farm to table by year-end. John Hayes, McDonald’s senior director of US supply, says the firm believes traceability “is an essential component of consumer confidence.” Hayes says McDonald’s will continue over the next few years to increase the amount of traceable animal ID products it buys. “At some point in the not-too-distant future, we’ll draw a line in the sand and say that after a certain date, all of our animal products will be from animals that are under an animal ID program,” Hayes says.
Source: News Closeout. BEEF Magazine, August 2004. www.beef-mag.com.
MN Report Details 5 Areas Needing Improvement to Help Animal Agriculture
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has announced a series of recommendations by the Livestock Advisory Task Force that will boost the competitiveness of Minnesota's challenged animal agriculture industry. The recommendations focus on stimulating producer investment in the industry by improving the uniformity, timeliness and predictability of permitting and local siting processes. They also call for improving farmers' access to capital and placing greater emphasis on academic research that supports farm profitability. The livestock advisory task force was created last November and charged with evaluating the sector's status and creating specific recommendations to support the retention and growth of animal agriculture in Minnesota. The task force responded with a 35-page report on the health of Minnesota's livestock sector, that groups recommendations into five general categories: local siting of livestock operations; permitting and environmental review; access to capital; research, technology and productivity; and preservation of investment. The task force's report can be found at http://www.governor.state.mn.us/documents/MNAgricultureReport.pdf.
Source URL: http://www.governor.state.mn.us/Tpaw_View_Article.asp?artid=1030. Courtesy of PorkNet Daily Update (http://www.porknet.com/)
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For comments or questions about this newsletter or if you want to subscribe, contact Dr. Bob Thaler, SDSU Extension Swine Specialist at 605-688-5011 or robert_thaler@sdstate.edu