Pork

Hazardous Occupations Safety Training In Agriculture (HOSTA) For Youth Farm/Ranch Workers

Hazardous Occupation Safety Training in Agriculture (HOSTA) sessions will be delivered across the state this spring (2013) by SDSU staff. HOSTA is a program which aims to educate South Dakota youth about the dangers associated with working on a farm or ranch. Currently, the law states that any individual who is 14 to 15 years old must be trained on the safe operation of tractors, farm machinery, and other hazardous activities in the agricultural industry.

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Agriculture: The Grand Challenge

Spring is a season of hope. It is appropriate that the first day of spring occurs during National Agriculture Week, March 17-23. It is a time to recognize the abundance provided by agriculture, and celebrate the opportunity it holds for South Dakota and humanity. As farmers once again move into the fields to plant crops, and also begin calving and lambing season, it's important to keep in mind the challenges ahead.

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2013 Master Pork Producer Winners: Matt & Jared Storm

The 2013 South Dakota Master Pork Producer winners were announced at the 44th annual South Dakota Pork Congress banquet held January 9th. Two of the winners introduced that night were brothers Matt and Jared Storm from Ethan, SD. Matt and Jared’s swine operation consists of a 700-head nursery that they use to flow into 3 finishing barns. They take pigs out of the nursery between 35-40 days to keep up with the flow.

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Make Your Voice Heard

Ag states throughout the nation, but especially across the Midwest, have been tagged “fly-over states.” Nationwide, people often consider this area someplace to cross as fast as possible, and many of us don’t think we have much in common with the states on the coasts either. Ag states do, however, have a huge impact on the economy and food production worldwide. Now is your chance to voice your opinions and to influence policy design.

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Meat Labeling

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.

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Disaster Preparations for Livestock Producers

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.

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Show Pigs and “MRSA” – What does it mean?

Recently the University of Iowa published a research report about show pigs and certain germs.  The researchers were looking for a germ called Staph aureus in the noses of pigs they tested at two different state fairs in 2008 and 2009. Why were they looking for this specific germ?  Staph aureus is a pretty common germ that you can find in healthy people and animals, usually in the nose or on the skin.

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Swine Influenza - Human Health Aspects

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.

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Understanding Influenza – What Influenza Does to Pigs and Swine Farms

Influenza is a viral disease that can affect a wide variety of animals.  “Swine influenza,” or influenza infections in pigs, has been recognized since as early as 1918 (right after the devastating “Spanish Flu” outbreak in people), when an H1N1 subtype affected pigs.  This subtype was the predominant subtype in pigs for years, until H3N2 strains emerged in swine in the late 1990’s.  Shortly thereafter, H1N2 strains emerged, and lately, pig populations have become infected with the pandemic H1N1 strain that swept across the human population in 2009.

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Swine Respiratory Issues Don’t Go Away During the Summer

For swine producers in the Dakotas and surrounding states, summertime means a chance to open up barns and ventilation systems for nursery and finisher pigs.  This provides a stark contrast to the days of late fall and winter, when buildings are closed up to retain heat for growing pigs.  The increased airflow that producers supply pigs in the warmer months is beneficial in ways besides comfort.  More airflow means a more rapid dispersal of infectious agents that cause respiratory disease, such as PRRS, swine influenza, and other agents.  It also means better air quality, where humidity and gases such as ammonia are less likely to accumulate in barns.  This results in less irritation to a pig’s nose, windpipe and lungs, along with a less favorable environment for infectious bacteria and viruses.

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Inventories for Operational Survival

As the drought continues across SD and the majority of the Corn Belt producers need to start looking at their operations more analytically than they have in the past. Analyze your inventories. Inventories of feed and livestock are very important. If producers know how much feed they have on hand and also the nutrient analysis of that feed, they can begin to determine how to best meet the requirements of the livestock they’re considering feeding this winter.

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Little Things That Add Up to Some Big Things

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.

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Comment Period Now Open for New CAFO Reporting Rule

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.

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Manure/Wastewater Application Management

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).

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