The 2010 National Swine Nutrition Guide is a practical publication containing nutrient recommendations and feeding guidelines. The guide consists of nutrition factsheets and diet formulation and evaluation software. The guide was written as a collaboration between university swine nutritionists and swine industry specialists.
Monthly Archives: May 2010
Early Weaning Impacts Gut Enzyme in Piglets, Study Finds
University of Guelph researchers have uncovered one of the reasons why piglets often struggle with illness and sometimes die when they are weaned from their mothers.
Relationships between Colostrum Production by Primiparous Sows and Sow Physiology around Parturition
Relationships between hormonal and metabolic changes around parturition and colostrum yield and composition were investigated in 16 Landrace x Large White primiparous sows. Blood samples were taken daily from d 105 of pregnancy to d 2 postpartum (with d 0 being the day of parturition). Colostrum samples were taken at the onset of parturition (T0), and then 3, 6, and 24 h later (T3, T6, and T24, respectively). Colostrum yield was calculated from the beginning of parturition until 24 h later by adding colostrum intake of individual piglets, which was estimated from their BW gain. Colostrum yield averaged 3.22 ± 0.34 kg. Four sows had very low colostrum production (1.10 ± 0.12 kg; n = 4), whereas the others produced between 2.83 and 4.64 kg of colostrum (3.93 ± 0.16 kg; n = 12). Compared with the high-colostrum-producing sows, the low-colostrum-producing sows tended (P < 0.1) to have greater plasma concentrations of progesterone during the 20-h prepartum and tended (P < 0.1) to have smaller plasma concentrations of prolactin 40 and 30 h before parturition. Sows with a low colostrum yield had greater plasma concentrations of glucose than sows with a high colostrum yield from d -9 to -2 (P < 0.05). At the onset of parturition, colostrum from low-producing sows had greater percentages (P < 0.01) of DM, lipids, and GE, but less (P < 0.05) lactose, than that from high-producing sows. The Na:K ratio in colostrum during the 6 h postpartum was greater (P < 0.01) in low-producing sows than in high-producing sows, indicating that cellular junctions between epithelial mammary cells were less tightly closed. Concentrations of IgG in colostrum varied greatly between sows and decreased by approximately 80% between T0 and T24. Within high-producing sows, concentrations of IgG in colostrum at T0, T3, and T6 were negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with lactose concentrations in colostrum at the same times and were positively correlated (P < 0.05) with plasma concentrations of IGF-I measured from d -9 to 0. In contrast, no correlation (P > 0.1) was found between IgG concentrations in colostrum at any time and prolactin, estradiol-17ß, progesterone, or cortisol. In conclusion, sows that produced a low yield of colostrum were characterized by a leaky mammary epithelium and reduced synthesis of lactose, related to delayed hormonal changes before parturition.
Small Business Health Care Tax Credit
The IRS released guidance on the new Small Business Health Care Tax Credit which passed under the Affordable Care Act approved by Congress in March and signed into law by President Obama. The guidance is intended to make it easier for small businesses to determine whether they are eligible for the new health care tax credit and how large a credit they will receive. IRS Notice 2010-44 provides guidance on the credit, including guidance for determining eligibility for the credit, calculating the credit and claiming the credit.
AASV Invites Research Abstracts for 2011 Annual Meeting
Plans are underway for the 42nd annual meeting of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), to take place in Phoenix, Arizona on March 5-8, 2011. As part of the meeting, there will be a session highlighting research projects related to swine health and production. Abstracts are now being accepted for potential presentation during the Research Topics session.
Veterinary Accreditation Application Deadline August 2
The USDA has enacted sweeping changes of the veterinary accreditation program beginning February 1, 2010. The National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) will require all accredited veterinarians to select between two categories of accreditation and will require continuing education prior to renewal. Although accreditation is a voluntary program, the United States depends extensively on accredited veterinarians to carry out many of its animal health programs and services–including animal inspections, testing, and certifications. Accredited veterinarians serve as the first line of defense in ensuring the health of the Nation’s livestock.
Position Announcement: Director of Producer and Public Health
The National Pork Board, located in Clive, Iowa, is seeking a dynamic person to act as our Director of Producer and Public Health. The person in this position will be responsible for the development and implementation of research and programming related to zoonotic disease, antimicrobial use/resistance, occupational health and safety and other pork producer and public health issues related to pork production. This includes the development and delivery of educational material for producers and acting as liaison with veterinarians and technical experts with respect to regulatory oversight of these issues. Additionally, this person will work closely with the Director of Pork Safety to address pork-related, food-borne disease issues. As an expert in our Science and Technology department, this person will participate in long-range planning with regard to producer and public health research, and producer and public education and programs.
PQA Plus Advisor Recertification Training Offered Online
The University of Minnesota has developed an online package for existing PQA Plus Advisors to complete their recertification training at their convenience. This training is available only to those currently certified as PQA Plus Advisors. PQA Plus Advisors can go to http://www.cvm.umn.edu/vetmedce and select the “PQA PLUS” button under the Swine Programs heading to register for the course. Participants can select one of three testing dates: May 24, June 15, or July 20. Participants will need to pass the certification test that will be administered online.
Scholarship Funding Renewed for 2011
The AASV Foundation is pleased to announce that Alpharma Animal Health and the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation (on behalf of Elanco Animal Health) have renewed their financial support for the AASV Student Seminar and Veterinary Student Scholarships. For 2011 alone, the combined support totals $40,000.
Position Announcement: Director of Science and Technology
The Washington, D.C. office of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) seeks a Director of Science and Technology to develop and implement policies and programs for a broad cross-section of science and technology issues on behalf of U.S. pork producers.