I was asked this morning for information on the labor needs of production facilities. While our facilities have become somewhat standardized (fully slatted, 1100-1250 hd/room), who provides the labor for daily pig care is not. Labor may be provided by … Continue reading
This week I’m getting a lesson in ‘fear’ that many of you have had when a key employee left for another opportunity. The research coordinator for our research barns last day of employment was last Friday. Until we are successful … Continue reading
Access to cost of production records for benchmarking purposes is difficult in the swine industry. As the industry has consolidated and specialized there is less sharing of cost data. In the 80’s and 90’s both Iowa State University and the … Continue reading
This week I participated in the Leman Swine Health Conference sponsored by the University of Minnesota. The obvious topic of discussion in the hallway and even for some of the sessions was the PED virus and its impact on the … Continue reading
COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is a progressive disease in humans that makes it hard to breath. In general, the airways to the lungs become congested, restricting air exchange. As I visit swine production facilities across the Midwest, I routinely … Continue reading
Fall harvest will begin in 3-4 weeks in the upper Midwest. With the expansion of the drought area, silage harvest is in full swing for dairies and feedlots, with some regions completed already. All of this activity means that pit … Continue reading
This week has been the hottest week for pigs in production facilities in the upper Midwest for this summer. While I wrote last week about the sale weight impacts of summer heat, I did not address many of the common … Continue reading
I missed writing last weeks blog because of all of the activities surrounding the wedding of my middle daughter last weekend in ONeill, NE. A wonderful wedding for this proud father with no thoughts of blog writing. Thus the writing … Continue reading
Last week I was asked by 2 different clients for data on the productivity of the US breeding herd. In reply to their question I went back and looked at data from the quarterly USDA Hogs and Pigs report. I … Continue reading
While this summer in southern Minnesota has not been anywhere close to having record heat, I’ve still had quite a few discussions with growers and managers about maximum ventilation rates for heat relief. The basic question has been – how … Continue reading