Introduction

The North Carolina Swine Evaluation Station, like many swine test stations across the country, has been an important extension program. The station has and continues to play a role in both performance testing and producer education. This testing facility was the site of progeny tests of 1,728 litters in the 1960s and nearly 7,000 performance tested boars were evaluated from 1973 to 1994. The traditional testing program was discontinued because selling boars was no longer feasible due to structural changes in the North Carolina swine industry, perceived health hazards, and declining numbers of seedstock producers.

Not only have swine farm demographics changed but the pork industry is also becoming more knowledge-based and consumer oriented. In addition, producers are trying to create high productivity, production systems with low variance that coordinate all facets of production so that overall production is optimized. This includes the coordination of throughput, health, genetics, facilities, nutrition, and management.

In order to meet the current and future demands for up-to-date technical information needed by these specialized and technically advanced pork producers the focus of the Swine Evaluation Station was changed. However, the goals of animal testing, producer education, source of unbiased information, and a program that can be a focal point for the industry have remained. The new program was designed to assist in the definition of production potential and goals, development of least-cost feeding and management strategies based on production economics, and to provide a rapid response to identified research needs.

Materials and Methods

Program funding comes from three sources. The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service and North Carolina Agricultural Research Service provide salaries for principal investigators and technicians who conduct the trials, analyze data, report results, and care for animals. For each trial a specific Memorandum of Agreement between NCSU and the sponsor is developed. Participation as a sponsor is open to any North Carolina Pork Producer or agribusiness that supports the North Carolina Pork Industry. The sponsor(s) typically provide the animals, animal hauling, feed, production costs beyond labor, and support for research protocols. Research protocols may include procedures like real-time ultrasound, chemical analysis, or minor surgery. Often the sponsor will retain ownership of the animals and receive all market receipts. Sponsors are provided with the data and a written report prior to public release.

The Swine Evaluation Station is ideally suited for testing animals that are representative of a particular commercial program, as well as, unique genotypes without compromising health security standards set forth in other NCSU operated swine facilities. This well isolated facility is operated on an all in - all out basis. The physical structure consists of 99 pens with solid concrete floors that measure 5’x12’. Modifications to the facility to conduct this program included individual stainless steel feeders for each pen, the addition of three electronic scales for the measurement of feed intake, eight additional bulk feed bins bringing the total number of diets that can be handled to ten, loading chutes to accommodate transfer trucks, and an expanded parking area (Figure 1).

Projects are proposed and scheduled based on pork industry needs, research priorities and funding availability. Individual trials are designed by NCSU specialists and researchers in cooperation with the producer(s) and/or agribusiness sponsor. A research protocol is developed that is part of the memorandum of agreement and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Of critical importance to the success of this program is the ability to measure and evaluate pigs beyond what can be done in commercial production. Of primary importance is the fact that this facility was designed to accurately measure feed intake on a pen basis (Figure 2). In addition, we are able to manufacture, handle, and feed multiple diets that are not of standard formulation. Access to NCSU resources and personnel also allows the application of intensive research protocols to monitor and evaluate animal growth (Figure 3).

Results