The AASV is saddened to learn of the death of Janice Schultz, wife of AASV past-president and Heritage Award recipient Dr. Roy Schultz. Jan passed away Thursday, July 29 after battling a rare form of duodenal adenocarcinoma for the past three months. She was 74.
Monthly Archives: July 2010
University of Minnesota Seeks Farms to Enroll in PRRS Virus Breeding Herd Stabilization Study
We are conducting a study entitled “Comparison of whole herd exposure programs as an aid in eliminating PRRS virus from sow herds”, where the main goal is to compare methods of PRRS virus exposure following herd closure in regards to time needed to produce negative pigs (TTNP) at weaning.
Joint Strategy Forum on Animal Disease Traceability
The US Animal Health Association (USAHA) is partnering with the National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) host a forum on the future of the animal identification effort.
American Humane Certified approves FASS standards
The American Humane Association’s American Humane Certified farm animal care program and the Federation of Animal Science Societies (FASS) have announced that American Humane Certified has approved the FASS animal welfare standards.
NPPC Requests Congress to Restore NAIS Funding
Calling it vital to the ability of the United States to keep pace with its international competitors in pork markets around the world, the National Pork Producers Council is urging Congress to restore funding for a national animal identification system.
Impact of Piglet Birth Weight, Birth Order, and Litter Size on Subsequent Growth Performance, Carcass Quality, Muscle Composition, and Eating Quality of Pork
The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships among birth weight, birth order, or litter size on growth performance, carcass quality, and eating quality of the ultimate pork product. Data were collected from 98 pig litters and, with the addition of recording birth weight and birth order, farrowing and piglet management were according to normal barn practices. In the nursery and during growout, the pigs received the normal feeding program for the barn and, with the addition of individual tattooing, were marketed as per standard procedure. From 24 litters, selected because they had at least 12 pigs born alive and represented a range of birth weights, 4 piglets were chosen (for a total of 96 piglets) and sent to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada-Lacombe Research Centre (Lacombe, Alberta, Canada) when they reached 120 kg for extensive meat quality and sensory analysis. Individual BW was measured at birth, on the day of weaning, 5 wk after weaning, at nursery exit, at first pull, and at the time of marketing. Litter sizes were divided into 3 categories: small (3 to 10 piglets), medium (11 to 13 piglets), and large (14 to 19 piglets). There were 4 birth-weight quartiles: 0.80 to 1.20, 1.25 to 1.45, 1.50 to 1.70, and 1.75 to 2.50 kg. Increased litter size resulted in reduced mean birth weight (P < 0.05), but had no effect on within litter variability or carcass quality (P > 0.05) when slaughtered at the same endpoint. Lighter birth-weight pigs had reduced BW at weaning, 5 and 7 wk postweaning, and at first pull and had increased days to market (P < 0.05). Birth weight had limited effects on carcass quality, weight of primal cuts, objective quality, and overall palatability of the meat at the same slaughter weight (P > 0.05). In conclusion, increased litter size resulted in decreased mean birth weight but no change in days to market. Lighter birth-weight pigs took longer to reach market. Despite some differences in histological properties, birth weight had limited effects on carcass composition or final eating quality of the pork when slaughtered at the same BW and large litter size resulted in more pigs weaned and marketed compared with the smaller litters. We concluded that based on the conditions of this study, other than increased days to market, there is no reason based on pig performance or pork quality to slow down the goal of the pork industry to increase sow productivity as a means to increase efficiency.
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.
Have You Registered Your Golf Team Yet?
The AASV Foundation is returning to Fox Ridge Golf Club in Dike, Iowa for its 2010 Midwest Golf Outing on Wednesday, August 25. AASV members and industry supporters are invited to register a team (or individual) to golf in support of the AASV Foundation! The Foundation is pleased to recognize golf-hole sponsors DeWaay Capital Management, Elanco Animal Health, Newport Laboratories, and Pfizer Animal Health.
Position Announcement: Technical Sales Veterinarian – Swine
Phibro Animal Health, an industry leader in the Animal Health and Nutrition sector, seeks a DVM who has pride in his/her own abilities, passion for the industry, a desire to make difference, plus the personality and resourcefulness to build positive commercial relationships. This talented individual will call on and support swine industry accounts in the Western Corn Belt. The successful candidate will also be expected to interact frequently with veterinarians, nutritionists and other industry experts.
2010 National Swine Nutrition Guide Now Available
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.