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.

The latest commentary from Dr. Mike Brumm on the quarterly USDA’s Hogs and Pigs Report is now available in iGrow Resources.

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.

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.

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.  

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.

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). 

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.