What are the most common mistakes when using oral fluid? How to make the most of this diagnostic technique.

Management, timing, diet selection, and monitoring gut health all are factors to think about when considering probiotics for your operation.

In this first article of our series, we will compare and contrast the perspectives of four pig health experts from some of the most important pork producing countries (i.e. USA, Italy, Denmark and Spain) on antibiotic reduction strategies for pig farms.

The price of pork in Spain is the highest in Europe, both currently and in terms of the average so far this year (although the downward trend observed is irreversible in the short-term and will continue).

Total returns to estrus should not exceed 8%; if they do, we must ask ourselves when they occur.

The design of this DIY chute allows sows' claws to be trimmed quickly and comfortably.

Find the optimal number of pigs per feeder hole based on diet type and pig size in order to maximize performance and better animal welfare.

Spanish producers should make it a priority to be more efficient and should realize that growth cannot continue indefinitely.

Lots of things brewing out there with both supply and demand. Rarely do we get such action at the same time on both sides of the price determination.

The three most important things in respect to a PRRSV control program are: 1) planning; 2) planning and 3) planning; and the success of the program depends also on three important factors: 1) people; 2) people and 3) people!

Factors to consider when determining if probiotics will help achieve your farm's objectives in terms of growth, health, and animal well-being.

Traditional surveillance protocols for Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae should not become a tradition. In this article, the authors give us their field-based research approach for an updated surveillance protocol with increased diagnostic accuracy.

The traditional, local breed Schwäbisch-Hällisches Schwein, was developed about 200 years ago in the region of Hohenlohe in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

With the ever-present risk of further ASF spread, compartmentalization offers an attractive alternative to zoning as an option for swine producers to ensure business continuity and sustained trade in the face of ASF.

Put more piglets on than teats? When to start fostering? Am I cross fostering piglets too many times?

In this series of articles about internal biosecurity we will review McRebel and other strategies that we perform to control the movement of pathogens within the farm as we complete our daily work

Dr. Nauwynck reviews with us the main gaps in PRRSV research and how he envisions the future of this disease regarding diagnostic technologies and vaccination strategies.

Data sheet with nutritional values (table comparison), production, and most recent studies about fish meal.

In less than 48 hours German exports halted, so every week about 9,000 extra tonnes of pork need to be sold within the EU.

For several years now, post-cervical insemination has become common on most pig farms. In this article we review with Javier Gil, a specialist in swine reproduction and artificial insemination, what to keep in mind in order to do this technique correctly.

Sarda pig breed (a.k.a. Suino Sardo) is a local breed from Sardinia Island (Italy) with its ancestors dating back to to 2nd millennium BC.

How long this will last is anyone’s guess but here are a few things which combine to provide the briefest pause, for a moment of hope.

Will a faster diagnosis make a significant difference in the fight against African swine fever?

Feeding fermented oats to weanling pigs may have beneficial effects on their growth performance, nutrient digestibility and ileal microorganism balance.

M. hyopneumoniae is involved in most of the co-infections of the porcine respiratory system. How does it act and what effects does it have?

We are finding more evidence of the possible role PCV-3 plays in certain reproductive problems.

Spanish slaughterhouses are demonstrating extraordinary resilience. Pig prices in Spain are grossly higher than in any of the competing European countries.

The pig industry needs to counteract concerns about climate change and provide evidence we are making efforts to minimize our environmental footprint.

3D cameras placed above pig pens can automatically detect changes in tail posture, serving as an early warning system to alert farmers before tail biting outbreaks occur.

Origins of Nero Siciliano pig date to Carthaginian domination and its rearing, after a setback during the Arab period, was rather diffused throughout Sicily.

This second article analyzes data for the breedings done on weekday holidays in Spain in 2018, although the results can be extrapolated changing the dates for those holidays celebrated in each country.

In the best case, farrowing within a batch usually happens over the course of three days, and in the worst case can last longer than a week, creating different lactation lengths...

How can we boost sow feed intake during lactation under heat stress conditions?

Leaving tools on top of pen dividers is not always the best option...

Pig333 hosted a very interesting webinar with Denis DiPietre on the 17th of june 2020. To help you find the topics most relevant to you, please see the time stamps below marking the different parts of his presentation, as well as the questions from our users.

Sow feed intake pattern changes throughout the day depending on the season.

This article compares the results of the inseminations done one week before the holiday, on the holiday, and one day after the holiday.

For most of the month, our price in Spain has been 25 cents higher than in Holland and about 20 cents higher than Germany. What is the key?

The Casertana pig is a breed of domestic pig from Campania, in Southern Italy.

Flexibility is paramount now. How will pork production change in the coming years?

Thinking about successful monitoring, one should keep in mind the objectives, the production phase, and the type of animal to be tested.

I had many great examples where the results of a farm were really the product of one person pushing for excellence. Best people will implement the science we taught them, nonetheless, their day to day work and observations will bring it to a higher level.

We propose a 2.5-week batch management system with weaning on several consecutive days.

This second article on the assessment of truck cleaning and disinfection describes how to carry out and evaluate the results of microbiological validation and adenosine triphosphate detection.

Why is my farrowing rate less than ideal? Use this tool to discover the potential causes. Navigate using the flowchart or use the buttons within the text to access the different parts of the tool.

Pig 333 has interviewed Kristien Van Reeth, professor of virology and swine influenza virus expert. She believes these interesting research findings need much more nuance, and tries to put things in perspective.

How does the number of pigs per feeder hole and the group size influence growth performance and ear and tail lesions?

U.S. meatpackers have been extremely aggressive in identifying and adopting best practices to limit the transmission of SARS-CoV2 within their workforces.

This article describes the principal lesions that characterize the main bacterial pneumonias. Although most are opportunistic agents, there are two primary bacterial agents capable of causing lesions on their own.

Although the price of pork in Germany remains frozen, in Spain it continues to rise and is already three times higher than the United States...

Serious problems occurred much less frequently with genotype a than with genotype b. Why did the frequency of these genotypes change?

Making predictions is never easy, but making future projections in these times of COVID-19 proves difficult for even the best analysts.

What are the most important points to include when auditing the cleaning and disinfection of a truck that has transported pigs? In this article we focus on visual inspection.

Negre Mallorquí pig is a native breed from Mallorca, characterized by its high rusticity and adaptation to the Mediterranean climatic conditions.

Suicide in farmers is more than six times as high compared to all other workers. But stressful conditions do not have to end in suicide.

Heat stress is estimated to have a cost in the US pig industry alone of around $300 million.

The prevalence of Salmonella infection and shedding in 495 recently weaned piglets was investigated, and the results were surprising...

When hiring people, attitude is more important than experience. The desire to improve and learn is key.

This article will review the different PRRS diagnostic options based on the different scenarios for which we complete PRRS sampling in the field.

It seems that we have already hit the price bottom, although no one is ruling out the possibility of COVID-19 infections reappearing. We will worry in due time, not now, about what may happen when China regains its self-sufficiency.