Hey there - Transitioning the gilt into a successful sow is not always a simple task. They require particular attention and we cant treat them just like any other finishing pig. Similarly, graduate students often need quality education and preparation for their next step in their career. In this episode I talk with Dr. Crystal Levesque about raising the developing gilt as well as how to best prep graduate students to enter the industry.
What you will learn:
1. How do we change the sow
...Managing a sow herd is arguably the most complex aspect of swine production to manage. Each sow needs individualized attention to maximize performance and rebreeding success. In today’s talk, Dr. Laura Greiner and Stephen Hall discuss different management strategies and practices that can help get the most out of our sows and our employees.
What you will learn:
1. Retention rates within sow herds
2. Gilt longevity
3. Tolerance in rebreeding failures
4. Key points
Meet the guest: Ste...
Sow longevity has been an issue the industry has tried to improve over the last several decades with not a lot of success. With the high turnover rate of sows, we need a steady influx of replacement gilts to maintain production goals. Today, Dr. Benny Mote talks with Dr. Greiner about different methods of identifying the best replacement gilts, and new technologies that can help us get the most out of the replacement gilts we have available.
What you will learn:
1. Changes or stan...
Piglet survivability is a very important factor for pig producers and those first few days can heavily influence your farm’s performance. Farrowing is also an extremely hectic period with a lot to do in a very short time frame. That is why we need to make sure we are using the best methods available to keep our piglets healthy and to maximize growth. In today’s episode with Dr. Katherine Vande Pol, she discusses some research findings that help to validate some of the most effective methods for ...
Gilt development has been a struggle in the industry for years. In a sow operation it is often regarded as one of the most important pieces, as the largest group of animals bred are typically gilts. In his talk with Dr. Greiner, Dr. Keith Aljets discusses some of the most difficult challenges with gilt development, and important factors we need to consider when trying to overcome these hurdles.
What you will learn:
1. Gilt development
2. Key points on gilt introduction
3. Wh...
As research continues to develop new ways to improve the swine industry, our farms have to find ways to feasibly implement these new developments. Some new technologies look good on paper, but are not feasible due to the cost of the extra labor. In today’s talk, Dr. Ken Stalder discusses different ways of defining sow productivity, the necessary training required to implement new technologies, and how to identify which technologies will be the most beneficial to implement on the farm:
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