feed – Swine in Minnesota

Re-examining lameness

When you think about a sow with lameness, what image leaps to your mind? The classic view is of a sow that is limping as it walks. I would argue that a more accurate portrayal of the lame sow is one that is not walking and is reluctant to get up and walk. Examining the gait of a sow can still predict real problems, but sows are also capable of hiding their lameness or showing different levels of lameness over time.

The role of feed in sustainable pork production: How feeding programs affect environmental impacts of pork production – Part 1

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

This and next week’s science pages are brought us by researchers in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Animal Science: Zhaohui Yang, Pedro Urriola, Lee Johnston, and Gerald Shurson.

Analyzing Swine Feed Ingredients and Pork Products from ASF Affected Countries

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

This week, Dr. Gil Patterson, Chief Medical Officer at VetNOW shares a summary of his publication in Transboundary and emerging Diseases, focusing on swine feed ingredients and pork products imported from countries affected by African Swine Fever.

Key Points

Feed and feed ingredients can act as an introduction pathway for African swine fever into the US that needs to be considered
Analysis focusing on high-risk products from ASF positive countries can help identify entry pathways into the US and assess risk
The ability to focus in on different products, entry pathways, and country of origin provides flexibility to address a range of questions

Addition of antioxidants controls and delays lipid oxidation, but does not affect growth performance and oxidative status of pigs fed oxidized oils

This week, the swine nutrition group from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota share the impact of antioxidants on feed quality and growth performances in pigs.

Key points

The addition of synthetic antioxidants can improve lipid stability, but does not completely prevent further oxidation in both fresh (unoxidized) and oxidized lipids.
The addition of synthetic antioxidants did not affect growth performance of pigs fed oxidized oil, but improved signs of oxidative stress.

Can vitamins play a role in feed biosecurity?

In an effort to examine the role of ingredients, especially vitamins, in feed biosecurity, the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) and the University of Minnesota organized a vitamin manufacturing sector-wide workshop. Representatives from pork industry organizations including National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, American Association of Swine Veterinarians, vitamin manufacturers and blenders, and feed industry associations joined SHIC and the University of Minnesota for the workshop in late April in St. Paul, Minnesota. Participants focused on vitamins and the processes involved prior to delivery to a producer’s farm, with special focus on African swine fever transport and transmission risk.