Time to start thinking about group sow housing

With a phase-out of sow stalls almost inevitable, producers need to start evaluating different systems

When the new Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs is published in draft form this summer, it will very likely include a requirement that sow stalls be phased out over a period of time. Producers will be able to house sows in stalls for a period after breeding, in order to

Montana hog plant envisioned near border

Montana pork producers are taking a wait-and-see approach in regard to a new pork-processing plant at Shelby that could draw large numbers of Canadian hogs. Governor Brian Schweitzer announced in February that Chinese investors were interested in developing a facility capable of processing 800,000 pigs. But additional details are scarce. “At this point there’s no


Meeting the challenge of heavier carcass weights

The demand from pork processors for heavier carcasses has created a number of challenges for hog producers which need to be addressed in order to ensure that increasing the weight at which pigs are marketed is profitable. This was the message to producers from Dr. Eduardo Beltranena, with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, at the



The economics of animal welfare

Back in the early 1990s, when University of Manitoba animal scientist Laurie Connor first oversaw local research into hoop-housing systems for hogs, animal welfare wasn’t really even on the public radar. The key questions of the day were whether keeping pigs outdoors through a Prairie winter compromised production efficiency. Connor told a seminar last week

Stall-free pork coming to McDonald’s menu

Amove by fast-food giant McDonald’s to have its U.S. pork suppliers phase out sow gestation stalls has drawn praise from animal rights groups, but questions remain about the impact it will have on Canadian producers. “This is huge. That a major corporation has made this move is really very significant,” said Winnipeg Humane Society CEO


Third-largest U.S. hogproducer accused of abuse

The humane society has accused two of the largest American pork producers of abuse by confining sows in cages during pregnancy. In a video on the humane society website, sows can be seen chewing the metal bars of their gestation crates and struggling to stand up. Some are scratched, bleeding or even dead. “When it

Functioning teats needed for successful piglet fostering

Cross-fostering is a common way of maximizing the number of piglets weaned in a sow farrowing operation. But like all livestock management techniques, there are no hard and fast rules, only guidelines that are based on the resources available to the barn manager, said Dennis Robles, a hog production expert with Swine Health Professionals. The


Supplementary rearing worth a second look

Genetic advances in litter size over the last 15 years have provided hog producers with the potential for 14 or more piglets born alive per litter and the ability to boost herd output to 30 pigs weaned per sow. But as I have pointed out in previous articles, this presents a number of challenges and

Simple Changes Can Reduce Hog Transport Losses

Bernie Peet Peet on Pigs Losses of pigs between the farm and the point of slaughter can be reduced significantly by relatively simple changes to facilities and handling, according to two speakers at the recent Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop. Dr. Jennifer Brown from the Prairie Swine Centre described an observational study of 10 commercial