June, 1997 . Volume 20, Number 5
June, 1997 . Volume 20, Number 5
It is once again time to
make plans for the annual N.C. Performance Market Hog Show. This
annual event combines fun and fellowship at the N.C. State Fair
with an excellent educational opportunity. Pigs that are nominated,
ear-tagged and weighed on-test by July 24th can be exhibited in
the performance market hog classes at the fair, where they will
be evaluated both live and on the rail. For the live competition,
the judge is provided with the average daily gain of each animal,
which he uses along with visual appraisal, to determine a ranking.
On the rail, the pork carcasses are evaluated for fat depth,
loin muscle area, carcass length, loin muscle color, loin muscle
marbling, loin firmness and carcass weight. These measures are
combined to predict the pounds of lean gain per day on-test, which
is used for the final ranking. In today's competitive pork industry,
the amount and quality of carcass information collected on the
pigs in this program can be quite valuable. Anyone interested
in nominating pigs for the 1997 event should contact their County
Extension Livestock Agent on or before July 10, 1997.
Todd See
Report dated 30 March 1997 from Director of the Animal Industry Department, Council of Agriculture, Taipei.
Total number of outbreaks
since epidemic began in March 1997: 1,106 pig farms.
Number of pigs on affected
farms: 938,507
Number of pigs affected: 199,126
Deaths: 46,050
Number of pigs destroyed:
177,627
Latest details of outbreaks:
To date, no suspected cases of foot and mouth disease have been found in species other than
pigs. Due to the central mountain range running lengthwise through
the main island, the disease has not spread to the eastern part
of Taiwan; neither have offshore islands been infected.
Nature of diagnoses:
Most cases tentatively diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs.
Source of infection:
Still under investigation. The first farm reported infected was run by the owner and his wife. No animal had been introduced into the farm in the preceding month. No other personnel entered the farrowing house during the week prior to the outbreak. The farm is well managed. However, large flocks of sparrows fly in and out freely. A fishing harbor located 10 km west of the farm is notorious for smuggling activities - animal products and the other agricultural products are often involved!
Control measures taken:
Stock vaccines, 40,000 doses (O1, A24, Asia 1), were released for initial nation-wide vaccination on 21 March 1997. The first shipment of a bivalent (O1, Asia 1) FMD vaccine, comprising a total of 526,000 doses, arrived on 26 and 27 March 1997 and was immediately distributed throughout the island.
A "stamping-out" policy (destruction of all susceptible animals) is applied to infected farms.
International Office of Epizootics, Paris.
Morgan Morrow
A resource management tool for farmers is now available on the World Wide Web. The Resource Management Planning Guide was put together by an advisory group of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. The information was reviewed by agricultural commodity groups, including NPPC. The document includes a planning process and the information and materials necessary for a producer to develop a personal resource management plan. The Resource Management Planning guide may be found on the Web at http://www.nasda-hq.org/nasda1/Foundation/foundation_main.htm . From the main screen click on the Conservation and Environmental Programs button.
Pork Leader
Vol. 16, No. 2
A PORK QUALITY ASSURANCESM video is now available that describes a checkoff-funded needle strength research project and its applications to livestock production. The agricultural engineering department of Iowa State University tested needles of different hub types, lengths and gauges to see if construction characteristics affected the ways needles hold up to use. The research showed that needles will not break under normal use conditions, but are very likely to break if a bent needle is restraightened and reused. The recommendation for producers is to never try to use a needle that has been bent and restraightened. The video is available for $25 by calling NPPC's Ordering Department at 515-223-2621.
Pork Leader
Vol. 16, No. 2
Although liquid feeding may seem revolutionary for many swine producers and university researchers in the United States, liquid feeding of swine has been in use throughout European countries for nearly twenty years. Recent advances in computer technology and the increased understanding of nutritional requirements of swine at all stages of development, as well as the improved mechanical systems for feed mixing and delivery, have all been integrated into the computer-driven swine feeding programs that have the capability of revolutionizing swine production.
In order for the swine industry to be competitive for production of quality lean meat for the consumers of the future, it will be necessary to feed animals carefully controlled dietary regimens that meet the daily digestible energy requirements as dictated by the weight of the animals. Nutritionists now accept "HOW THE PIG IS FED IN THE ACCELERATION PHASE OF LEAN MEAT DEPOSITION CAN MARKEDLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF DAYS TO SLAUGHTER." This simply means that we must change our methods of feeding swine from weaning to 9 weeks of age and from 9 weeks to slaughter weight in order to maximize the genetic potential for growth and lean meat production. As the body weight changes daily, subtle changes in dietary composition must take place daily. This can only be accomplished with an "on-the-farm" computerized liquid/dry-feed mixing system.
These changes in daily dietary composition are not only beneficial for production of a quality carcass, the dietary changes also can reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorous, heavy metals, and total fecal output. The impact of animal production on the environment will become a serious matter in the immediate future. Computerized liquid/dry feeding systems can and will be the future of swine production and environmental protection.
From the standpoint of profitability, several records from Europe and swine farms in the United States indicate a saving of $5-7 per head in feed costs during the grower-finisher stages (last 100 days) of growth. The time required to reach market weight is reduced as much as 2 weeks and the health status of the animals during the finishing period is markedly improved because of the reduction of ammonia and dust in the air of the building.
Swine producers who are thinking of building new feeding buildings or gestation facilities should be aware of the existence of the computerized feeding systems and consider their use in the future of their swine production programs.
Evan "Swede" Jones
Northeast Regional Pork Conference
February 11, 1997