New Commentary on the March 2012 Hogs & Pigs Report
Robert Thaler – 4/23/2012
The latest commentary from Dr. Mike Brumm on the quarterly USDA’s Hogs and Pigs Report is now available in iGrow Resources.
Pork
What Do the Labels on Your Easter Ham Mean?
Dr. Rosie Nold – 3/12/2012
Hams – they can be lean, extra-lean, ready-to-eat, honey-cured, spiral-cut, water-added, with natural juices, and so much more. How do you know what all the words on the label mean? Below is a little background on the ever popular Easter dinner meat, along with a key to some of the most common words you’ll find on those ham labels.
Meat Labeling
Keith Underwood – 3/12/2012
The savory aroma of a backyard barbecue on a summer afternoon, the flavor of a juicy flame-kissed pork chop, or the great feeling you get from making a delicious ham for dinner. These all begin with the selection of your favorite pork cut at the grocery store or local meat market. When you are standing there deciding which pork product you are going have for your next meal, you can be faced with over 10 different options. With so many options available to us at our favorite store making a decision may not be an easy task. Many labeling claims exist which can lead to confusion when you are making your decision at the meat case. Therefore, we are providing some points to help you as a consumer make a more educated decision about the pork products that you are purchasing.
BE INSPIRED to be Site Assessed
Robert Thaler – 2/21/2012
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.
Disaster Preparations for Livestock Producers
Warren Rusche – 4/24/2012
What you would do if a weather disaster struck your ranch or feed lot? I remember thinking that following the tornado that destroyed Manchester, SD. I think we’re all guilty of focusing so much on the day-to-day issues that we ignore potentially serious possibilities. While there is nothing that we can do to prevent a severe weather outbreak, some time spent thinking about our response could prove very valuable.
iGrow Solutions: Air Quality Regulations and South Dakota Livestock
Erin Cortus – 3/19/2012
A new factsheet has been developed to provide background on the current air quality regulations and why they were implemented, the agricultural operations affected, and how to comply, when necessary.
Quick Estimate of Ammonia Emissions
Erin Cortus – 3/12/2012
Ammonia emission measurements from livestock production systems are difficult, time-consuming and expensive. However, there are different calculators available for estimating ammonia emissions from swine facilities. There are reporting requirements for large CAFOs that have the potential to emit more than 100 lb/d (see iGrow Solution).
Hauling Manure Over State Lines
Erin Cortus – 3/12/2012
Can manure be brought in from another state and land-applied in South Dakota? Can manure produced in South Dakota be land-applied in another state? The short answer is “it depends!” The longer answer…If you are considering buying or taking manure from an out-of-state livestock facility, be aware there are some rules in place.
The effects of transport time and floor space on market weight pigs
Jazmine De Bruin – 5/07/2012
Stress and incidences of transport losses are two economically important considerations for US swine producers when transporting market-weight pigs to the packing plant. Transport loss is described as both deaths and injuries that lead to the inability of the animal to walk.
SDSU’s Role in Discovering and Studying PRRS Virus
Dr. Russ Daly – 3/12/2012
In 1990, investigators at the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Department at South Dakota State University received some tissues from a pig that died of a syndrome then known as “Mystery Swine Disease.” As the name implies, the cause of the disease was unknown, but consisted of respiratory distress in young pigs and late-term abortions in sows.
Cephalosporins in Swine Production: What are the Implications of New Rules?
Dr. Russ Daly – 1/11/2012
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.
Vaccinating Sows for Circovirus (PCV-2) Affects Piglet Health and Performance
Dr. Russ Daly – 1/06/2012
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.
Dealing with Mycotoxin-Contaminated Grain in Swine Diets
Robert Thaler – 9/29/2011
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.
Pigs provide an alternate market for frost-damaged soybeans
Robert Thaler – 9/19/2011
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.
Alternative Feedstuffs for Swine
Robert Thaler – 8/15/2011
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.
Little Things That Add Up to Some Big Things
Robert Thaler – 3/12/2012
With current feed and hog prices, everyone is looking for ways to fine-tune their operation to improve their profitability. Things like pigs/sow/year, herd health programs, feeder type, and genetics immediately come to mind. However, some of the very basic things like feed processing are often overlooked. Since feed cost represents 75-80% of the cost of pork production, it is certainly an area that should never be overlooked.
BE INSPIRED to be Site Assessed
Robert Thaler – 2/21/2012
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.
Comment Period Now Open for New CAFO Reporting Rule
Erin Cortus – 10/28/2011
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.
How Do You Measure Up?
Lori Jacobson – 10/16/2011
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.