Pork Congress 2012 - Iowa Pork Producers Association

Specifically, the research trials showed that groups of
pigs headed to market can experience lower mortality
rates in warm weather and overall improved well-being
year-round when less bedding is used in transport
trailers. According to McGlone, the current standard in
the industry is to use four bales of bedding per semitrailer.
“During the study we found that the surface temperature
of the pigs changed with the air temperature and that
increased surface temperature actually caused a negative
effect on the pigs’ welfare,” McGlone said. “In cold
weather, we found that there is no added effect to using
more than six bales of bedding per trailer.”
“We concluded that if the industry changed to using
only three bales per trailer, it would create a big savings
with no change in welfare,” McGlone said. “So it’s
something the industry will need to consider carefully.”
The National Pork Board has responsibility
for Checkoff-funded research, promotion
and consumer information projects and for
communicating with pork producers and
the public. Through a legislative national
Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40
for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork
Checkoff funds national and state programs
in advertising, consumer information, retail
and foodservice marketing, export market
promotion, production improvement,
technology, swine health, pork safety
and environmental management. For
information on Checkoff-funded programs,
pork producers can call the Pork Checkoff
Service Center at (800) 456-7675 or check
the Internet at www.pork.org.
Task force outlines “road map” to
Improve sow lifetime productivity
How productive sows are during their lifetimes has
sizeable economic and animal welfare implications for
the U.S. pork industry. That’s why the Pork Checkoff
created the Sow Lifetime Productivity Task Force to
chart a “road map” of research tactics to improve sow
retention rates and pig survival.
The task force, made up of leading industry experts,
has set a goal of improving sow lifetime productivity
by 30 percent over the next seven years, according to
Chris Hostetler, director of animal science for the Pork
Checkoff.
The task force recommends research priorities be
concentrated on three main areas:
1. Increasing sow life in the herd through focused
research on increasing average number of parities per
sow and decreasing herd fall-out in the early parities.
2. Increasing the number of pigs weaned per litter
through improved litter size at birth and decreased
pre-wean mortality.
3. Optimizing gilt development and retention to
increase lifetime productivity.
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