Most people have completed the first component of the Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) PLUS program, which is the Certification segment. Certification is simply attending a 1.5 hr session on the 10 Critical Control Points that make up PQA PLUS, and it is good for a 3-year period. Since most packers require producers to be PQA PLUS certified, almost all US pork producers are certified.
Preparing a safe meal for ourselves and our families is important to everyone. Pork and all other meat products can be contaminated with harmful bacteria which can make you sick or lead to food borne illness. We can prevent food borne illnesses by proper handling and cooking of our meats products. This includes, but is not limited to cooking meat to the correct temperature. In order to ensure that the pork we prepare is safe some food safety basics are extremely important.
The United States Department of Agriculture has made a new recommendation for the cooking temperature of fresh pork chops, tenderloin, country style ribs, and pork roasts.
October marks National Pork Month, a special celebration that began in 1962 when the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s Board of Directors passed a resolution declaring October as Iowa Pork Month. Today state pork associations still play a key role in promoting pork, both now and throughout the year.
The National Air Emissions Monitoring Study was a producer-driven study to assess emissions from modern U.S. livestock operations and compile a database for estimation of emission rates.
When dealing with winter and cold weather operation a number of problems can occur if proper maintenance and understanding of the ventilation system is ignored. These may include higher than normal energy bills, poor air quality, too high or low humidity levels, cold air drafts, disease outbreaks, and ultimately poor pig performance.
The U.S. EPA has proposed a new rule, referred to as the concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) 308 rule, under a settlement with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Waterkeeper Alliance, and the Sierra Club. The rule was published October 21 in the Federal Register, and we are now in a comment period that will last until January 19, 2012. Kent Woodmansey, from the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, summarized the key points of the new proposed rule as follows.
With fall manure application season approaching, take some steps now to further develop a manure pit safety plan, and reduce your workload later in the season. Two types of signs are easy to obtain or prepare. This information pertains to pork producers, farm managers and manure applicators – help keep everyone safe!
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) new rules tightening the use of cephalosporins in food animals may end up affecting how swine veterinarians and producers use these drugs to treat illness in their animals.
Postweaning Multisystemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS) is a set of clinical signs that is often associated with Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) infection. Typically affecting pigs that are 5-8 weeks of age, PMWS results in wasting, diarrhea, jaundice, and increased respiratory rate. Most of the affected pigs will either die from the disease or require euthanasia.
Swine producers certainly remember the moniker placed on the pandemic H1N1 strain of influenza that swept across the world in 2009: “Swine Flu”. Even though there was no evidence whatsoever that any of the people initially affected had any contact with pigs, the name stuck. The reason for this was that genetic analysis of the virus revealed that it contained genetic material of the influenza viruses commonly associated with pigs.
The main methods of influenza prevention in swine populations are vaccination and biosecurity. Since swine influenza is a viral, not bacterial disease, antibiotics are not effective, except when used to treat secondary bacterial infections that coexist with influenza.
Depending on your location, producers may have ended up with moldy corn, and in some cases, that mold has produced mycotoxins that are problem for livestock. Pork producers have several options when dealing with this situation.
Due to a wet spring, late plantings, and a cooler growing season, the recent frost in the northern half of the region has resulted in some frost-damaged or green soybeans. Green beans are often severely docked at the elevator because the higher levels of chlorophyll in the bean will also end up in the soybean oil and soybean meal after they are processed, which will then be discounted in the market.
Feed cost make up 75% of the cost of raising hogs, and traditionally pork producers have used corn and soybean meal (SBM) as the basis of their feeding programs. However, with high corn and soybean prices, pork producers are looking at alternate ingredients to lower their cost of production.
Most people have completed the first component of the Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) PLUS program, which is the Certification segment. Certification is simply attending a 1.5 hr session on the 10 Critical Control Points that make up PQA PLUS, and it is good for a 3-year period. Since most packers require producers to be PQA PLUS certified, almost all US pork producers are certified.
The U.S. EPA has proposed a new rule, referred to as the concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) 308 rule, under a settlement with the Natural Resources Defense Council, Waterkeeper Alliance, and the Sierra Club. The rule was published October 21 in the Federal Register, and we are now in a comment period that will last until January 19, 2012. Kent Woodmansey, from the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources, summarized the key points of the new proposed rule as follows.
Producers monitor trends in their herds all the time. Have you ever informally asked your employees how things are working? Have you ever compared your numbers with other producers? Or maybe you keep records and analyze data with a standardized method. Any way you look at it, you have been benchmarking your own data. Benchmarking is inevitable, as we all want to know how we compare with others.
Management of manure and wastewater systems today may seem like a daunting task, especially with the ever vigilant society we live in, but proper planning can ease some of the stress felt by producers today. The application of manure and wastewater on fields has been a common practice for years. Producers have an opportunity to instill in our communities that “We Care” by implementing some Best Management Practices (BMP’s).