Seasonally, insect bites on market swine can cause skin lesions that can result in as much as $6-$15/head trim loss in packing plants in the upper Midwest. It is important to understand which insect(s) you are dealing with and seek professional help to determine the proper mitigation response. This publication offers considerations and best practices for managing insect populations near swine sites.

Having a daily feed supply available for sows, piglets, and market pigs is important for their growth and general well-being. Unexpected incidents can derail your plan to have a timely feed supply. While some incidents are unforeseeable, all events can be minimized through contingency planning.

This publication contains estimates of production costs for common livestock enterprises in Iowa. Estimates are intended to reflect average or above-average levels of management using common types of technology. Input prices reflect expected average price levels during the year.

Decisions around sow barn remodeling, reducing sow herd inventory, and adjusting gilt flow are some of the challenges U.S. pork producers face as they explore options to make farms compliant with California’s Proposition 12 requirements. This publication provides considerations for producers who plan to transition their production to Proposition 12 housing, including how existing management practices may change.

This publication offers considerations for swine vaccinations based on disease, stage of production, and time of administration. These are general guidelines and not one-size-fits-all protocols for swine vaccinations. Producers should work with their veterinarians in a valid veterinary client patient relationship (VSPR) to create a final protocol for their operation.

Properly functioning ventilation systems are vital to today’s pork production facilities, and following a regular process for maintaining their operation can pay big economic dividends. This publication is a summer ventilation checklist to facilitate maintenance and ensure timely inspection of proper equipment and barn components. Typically, this checklist would be used around April to prepare for summer cooling and ventilation needs.

Properly functioning ventilation systems are vital to today’s pork production facilities, and following a regular process for maintaining their operation can pay big economic dividends. This publication is a winter ventilation checklist to facilitate maintenance and ensure timely inspection of proper equipment and barn components. Typically, this checklist would be used around October to prepare for winter heating and ventilation needs.

Clear plastic grid for quick measurement of loin eye (Pork) with envelope; approximately 6-1/2" x 9-1/2"

Ordering 1 unit, you will receive 5 grids with envelopes.

Improving the sustainability of the United States' (US) pork supply chain requires a better understanding of the relationship between the environment and production practices. Pork producers play a crucial role in environmental stewardship, however, the impact of production efficiency on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission has not been well-established. Interpreting the influence of specific production metrics on GHG emission is essential for benchmarking and improving the environmental sustainability of the pork industry.

If concern arises about a possible nutritional deficiency or toxicity in a swine diet, a feed or biological sample can help identify the issue. Since neither feed nor biological tissues are fully homogenous in character, the source of the sample must be accurately portrayed. This means it is imperative to take a suitable and representative sample that accurately represents the parameter of interest and its source.

Collecting a blood sample is a minimally invasive procedure. However, a basic understanding of blood components and sampling equipment can help ensure accurate and appropriate sampling. Certain factors should be considered prior to submitting a blood sample for analysis.

When there is a nutritionally relevant issue on a farm and biological samples need to be sent to the diagnostic laboratory, it is common to send the samples in the mail overnight.

The importance of water in swine production cannot be overstated, as it is essential for normal metabolic function and is the nutrient consumed in the largest quantity by pigs. Water also is critical for regulating body temperature, excreting waste, and is required to maximize feed consumption. Therefore, insuring pigs have access to water adequate in both quality and quantity is paramount.

The introduction of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) in 2013 into the US swine industry pointed toward feed ingredients as the likely route of introduction. Subsequent research trials have documented viruses can survive in feed ingredients and complete feed for transoceanic shipping (30 and 37 days) and transcontinental shipping (23 days.)

Authors of the transoceanic trial concluded:
1. Viruses can survive in feed, but survival is variable and depends on specific properties of each virus
2. Certain feed ingredients or feed products present a better matrix for virus survival than others
3. Select ingredient matrices seemed to enhance the survival of multiple viruses.

The overarching goal of the swine industry is to provide high-quality protein to feed the world’s growing population. Improvements in production efficiency are continually being made to create a better and more sustainable product. Sustainability in the swine industry can be calculated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). An LCA is a holistic approach to analyze the cumulative environmental impacts of the different phases of swine production. Swine production LCAs can inform producers and consumers how certain production practices impact the environment.

The 2020 growing season brought challenges to Iowa corn growers. Drought and the August derecho wind damage are the two primary events that may have impacted corn quality and feed value. Grain that does not reach maturity or is stressed during the growing season (weather, nutrients, disease, weed competition) may be more prone to quality issues, and thus require different considerations for handling and storage.

This publication is intended for swine producers who grow corn and manufacture feed on-farm, feed mills, and nutritionists.

Concrete is a significant financial cost in every modern swine building. The concrete pit, foundation, columns, beams, and slats are structural parts that should last 25-100 years, but if structural failures occur, they can be catastrophic to livestock and their caretakers. This publication discusses inspection and maintenance for the major components of a swine building, including visual references.

This publication provides best practices for composting swine carcasses.

Proper maintenance of swine facilities can enhance the lifespan of building components and improve the health and safety of both livestock and workers. Such maintenance should be carefully planned and budgeted. This publication discusses design, installation, and maintenance recommendations for common components of swine facilities, including curtains, insulation, and electrical systems.

Maintenance of ventilation system components is often overlooked; however, keeping up with proper maintenance can lower operating costs, preserve mechanical efficiency, improve the animal and worker environment in the building, and reduce the risk of system failure.

Many modern farm buildings use wood trusses with metal connector plates (also known as truss plates) for their roof framing. These trusses are cost-efficient structural members if properly installed and maintained. Protection of trusses from damage and deterioration is critical to preserving their strength and life expectancy.

Fresh air intake and distribution in a swine ventilation system is critical to providing a good environment for animals, but can have a negative impact on building longevity with certain designs. Air generally will flow into the attic to supply fresh air to the production room ceiling air inlets. A typical design brings air into the attic through soffit intakes at the eave. However, this design can negatively impact the building by contributing to corrosion and deterioration of metal.

In 2017, Iowa State University, in collaboration with state pork producer associations, conducted a comprehensive survey of swine producers. The objectives of the survey were to document swine industry characteristics, biosecurity adoption, and how risks to swine health factor into producer decision making. Completed surveys from 371 anonymous producers from 19 U.S. states were received. This summary provides an overview of the survey results.

The learning objectives are as follows: Recognize how the swine industry is divided. Differentiate between management strategies at each stage of swine production. Explain different types of housing used for swine production. Explain different feeding practices for each life stage within the swine industry. Describe major diet components used for swine for each life stage. This grain module is brought to you by the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, and was produced by the former Crop Adviser Institute.

Click here to access the Swine Industry Module

Learning objective: Understand how the swine industry is organized. Differentiate between management strategies and housing types used in swine production.

Introduction: The swine industry is highly integrated and has found many non-meat uses for swine by-products. In order to protect animals and keep food and by-products safe, swine operations have high biosecurity measures in place.

Animal flow: There are two major animal flow processes utilized in the swine industry: continuous and all-in-all-out. Continuous operations constantly have pigs moving into, within, and off the operation. All-in-all-out operations will completely empty housing facilities for cleaning and disinfecting before the next group of pigs arrive.

Personnel: Personnel required on a grow/finish operation include a farm site manager and a stockperson. The personnel required for a farrowing operation includes a sow farm manager, a breeding and gestation lead, a farrowing lead, and a nursery lead with stockpersons working under each lead position. A farrow to finish site will have each of the employees required for grow/finish and farrowing operations.

Housing types: Pigs can be housed in confinements or outdoors. Confinement housing is in climate controlled buildings that have proper temperature, ventilation, and lighting. Outdoor housing for swine consists of outdoor pens and hoop buildings that provide shelter from harsh weather conditions. The labor input for outdoor facilities is much higher, and the growth and conception rates are lower than those in confinement operations.

Supporting information:

• An Introduction to Animal Husbandry and Nutrition

This educational document is a collaborative project between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH), Iowa State University to provide a brief introduction of basic animal husbandry and nutrition. This material is intended for readers with little background in livestock production. The information will focus on some customary management and husbandry practices in commercial production facilities for swine, cattle and poultry. In addition, information is included on horses, sheep and goats.

Swine producers have found that composting is a flexible and reasonably priced disposal method that can be used year round. Find out about facilities and equipment, procedures, and regulations.

Research indicates that summer heat stress on sows can be reduced by using a system that continually drips water on the sow's shoulder in hot weather.

Nipple waterers are popular because they do not foul as easily as cup or bowl waterers. The flow rate needs to be monitored to determine if it is within the flow need for satisfactory water intake.

Use this system to provide better air quality inside livestock buildings and minimize equipment deterioration.

Learn about Swedish deep-bedded group nursing systems for feeder pig production.

Barley, oats, rye, triticale, and wheat can be useful in swine feeding programs. This publication provides guidelines common to inclusion of these grains in swine diets, information specific to the feeding of each grain to the various swine classes, and summarized guidelines.

Details on minimizing antibiotic use in pork production such as reducing stress. Other issues to consider include biosecurity measures and increased costs of producing antibiotic-free pigs.

Swine Breeding and Gestation Facilities Handbook is a great resource where producers and builders can learn everything needed to plan, construct, and manage a swine breeding and gestation facility.

Contents

• Housing Management Options
• Building Layout and Equipment
• Manure Handling
• Environmental Control Systems
• Utilities

More than 90 figures, photographs, and tables plus 11 examples complement the text. Five breeding herd inventory worksheets and a boar usage chart complete the book.

Proper ventilation design helps ensure healthy and productive animals, healthy employees, and an efficient facility. This worksheet is intended to guide you through a simplified procedure for selecting the components of a ventilation system.

Poor ventilation in modified open-front buildings often causes pigs to give less than optimal performance. Read about and view figures of how to modify open-front buildings.

Topics include

• Housing and management options
• Building layout and equipment
• Manure handling systems
• Environmental control systems
• Utilities, and safety

More than 50 drawings and photographs of building layouts and equipment—including configurations for manure handling systems and designs for environmental control systems—tables and examples are included.

Planning, design factors, animal environment, manure management, utilities, construction, and remodeling are major topics of this work.

Concepts from nine MWPS farrowing building plans plus space use guidelines, layout alternatives, and construction techniques are featured.