Todd See North Carolina State University

Publish Date: May 9, 2012

To conduct an effective farm evaluation, production and financial records must be used in combination with observation, diagnostic and analytical information and questioning people involved in different areas of production. Accurate records are essential and an understanding of both animal and human behavior is valuable. Remember that pork production is a biological process, be aware of natural variation that occurs and don’t overlook the obvious. Before changes are recommended they should be evaluated by weighing additional costs against expected benefits.

Publish Date: April 17, 2012

Feed accounts for 60 to 70% of the cost of pork production. If a feeder adjustment is too open, feed wastage can increase and reduce overall building feed efficiency resulting in increased cost of production and the addition of excess nutrients to the manure handling system. When feeders are closed to tightly, feed intake and growth rate can be reduced and fighting may occur. Optimal feed intake and minimal feed wastage are important and occur when feeders are properly adjusted.

Publish Date: July 18, 2006

North Carolina State University Swine Nutrition Research from 2001. Diets high in unsaturated fat result in soft carcass fat depots, which may be sub-optimal for subsequent pork processing, especially in lean genotype pigs. Increasing the saturated fatty acid content of added dietary fat can improve pork quality, provided the fat is adequately digestible. In North Carolina, saturated fats are not currently available in large volumes or at competitive prices. Rendered lard (iodine value 80) tends to be recycled in the North Carolina swine industry by inclusion in the diets of finishing pigs. This does benefit the state by reducing costs related to grain importation by providing an alternate energy source. However, it has a negative impact on pork quality. Lean genotype pigs fed diets high in unsaturated fat may result in thinner, lower quality bellies with a soft fat composition. Because the fatty acid content of pork carcasses is reflective of the relative contribution of each dietary fat source, increasing the saturated fatty acid content of the diet can improve the saturated fatty acid content of the carcass. If the digestibility of that supplemented fat source were improved by emulsifier addition, further improvements in pork quality may lead to reduced loss during the slaughter and processing procedures.

Publish Date: June 26, 2006

Intensive animal agriculture has lead to public and legislative concern about environmental and health risks from manure (Meyer and Mullinax, 1999). Solutions to nutrient management issues require an understanding of the flow of nutrients on livestock farms (Koelsch and Lesoing, 1999). Of the nutrients present in manure, nitrogen, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, copper and zinc cause the greatest concern (NRC, 1998). Nutrient inputs to the farm are purchased feed, fertilizer, purchased animals, nitrogen fixed by crops and nitrogen in irrigation water. Nutrients may exit the farm as managed outputs such as animals, milk, or crops. The difference between nutrient inputs and managed nutrient outputs is the imbalance and is an indication of environmental risk. A systems effort that incorporates all components of the farming enterprise is needed to minimize environmental risk. Engineering solutions for the handling, treatment and application of manure and systems of cropping and soils management have received most of the scientific attention (NCSU, 1999). Improving the efficiency of nutrient utilization by animals is also a feasible approach. Feeding programs that influence nutrient excretion have also been extensively studied and described (Prince et al., 2000; Galyean, 2001; Satter et al., 2002). Genetic selection is another method that can be utilized to improve efficiency of nutrient utilization by animals thereby decreasing amount of nutrients excreted in urine and feces and reducing total nutrient output from the farming enterprise and increasing efficiency of production. The objective of this article is to review genetic opportunities to influence nutrient efficiency for concentrated animal feeding operations.

Publish Date: July 19, 2006

Strategies to identify and correct production situations that limit animal performance in a given environment and/or limit profit for the operation can be developed through the routine evaluation of the enterprise.

Publish Date: May 9, 2012

As an owner or manager time is one of the most valuable commodities you have so you need to make the most of each minute. Planning and conducting an efficient meeting is one of the duties that you need to be prepared for in advance. Planning is a major priority for an effective and efficient meeting. This begins with planning and developing an agenda and sticking to it.

Publish Date: April 19, 2012

This factsheet lists data sources and associated hyperlinks to relevant livestock slaughter information websites. The websites contain data for cattle, calves, sheep, lambs and hogs at federally inspected plants. It also includes comparative weekly hog, sow and gilt slaughter numbers. To go to the desired website click on the internet link provided in the third column of the references.

Publish Date: April 17, 2012

Biosecurity is the set of preventative measures taken to reduce the risk of disease introduction or transmission. You are a part of the swine industry even if you only have one pig. Having biosecurity protocols in place for your project will help to make sure that not only your pigs stay healthy, but that the pigs in your area and the U.S. also stay healthy.

Publish Date: April 17, 2012

You have the perfect pig, you have walked it, brushed it, fed it, and are ready to go to the show or are you? Packing the showbox is just as important as packing your suitcase. You want to make sure you have everything you need, yet don't want to haul a lot of unnecessary items and weight. Here is a checklist to make sure you have everything you need to present your champion.

Publish Date: April 17, 2012

An effective job description establishes a base so that an employee can clearly understand what they need to develop personally, and contribute within your operation. The well-written job description provides employees with clear expectations.