Speaking at the annual general meeting of Manitoba Pork in Winnipeg, Richard Madan made one point clear: Manitoba must tell its story directly in Washington, especially at a time when trade faces growing uncertainty.Madan, Manitoba’s Senior Representative to the United States, said he took on the role at a critical moment for the province
The shift to group housing with electronic sow feeders may be an opportunity for producers to adjust late-stage diets to include diets with higher amino acid levels for improved sow performance, said a University of Alberta graduate student.Ashley Kok said by changing the diet at four weeks sows gained weight with no negative impacts.The
Animal nutritionists in the future will focus not just on the amount of protein or energy of a feed ingredient, but the micro-ingredients in the feed that have attributes that can positively impact the animal physiology and metabolism, especially gut health in pigs, said a University of Manitoba professor.“We always look at macro-contributions of
The Manitoba Pork Council’s annual general meeting drew a good turnout this year, with about 160 people attending the daytime sessions and roughly 400 gathering for the evening banquet. The numbers alone speak to the vitality of Manitoba’s hog sector – producers, processors, and industry partners coming together to take stock of where things
Pork producers should take a second look at lower-quality feed products, especially with the growing number of canola crushing and ethanol plants across western Canada, said a University of Alberta professor.The use of co-products, or products are secondary products have become an important way to “suppress feed costs,” said Dr. Ruurd Zijlstra during the
Speaking at the annual general meeting of Manitoba Pork in Winnipeg recently, Todd Thurman delivered a clear and thought-provoking message: the global pork industry is entering a fundamentally different era, and producers must begin preparing now.Thurman, founder and CEO of Swine Insights International, based in Weatherford, Texas, brought more than 25 years of global
Small piglets from modern sows with larger litters and low milk supply may benefit from creep feed before weaning, said a Prairie Swine Centre researcher.“These sows produce a lot of piglets and that is more pigs that need to nurse. There is a lot of competition between the piglets to get more milk,” said
Enrichment toys in pens are not only good for pigs, but also good for the bottom line, said a researcher with the Prairie Swine Centre.Despite years of breeding and pigs living indoors, pigs need to have stimulation to satisfy their desire to chew, nest, wallow, root and explore their environment.“The pigs that are on
After 35 years of innovative swine research, the Prairie Swine Centre plans to continue its research for another 35 years, said its chief executive officer.“Thank you for your support for the last 35 years and I hope we continue to support you in the next 35 years,” said Murray Pettitt during the Prairie Swine
Dr. James Hood
A new program using DNA to help find wild boar populations in Manitoba is being undertaken through Assiniboine and Squeal on Pigs.James Hood, an Assiniboine College instructor, said any effort to control and ultimately eradicate wild boars “means needing to know where they are.”In that regard efforts to scout out where wild
