The National Pork Board has named Patrick Bane, a pig farmer from Arrowsmith, Illinois, as America’s Pig Farmer of the Year for 2018. The award recognizes a pig farmer who excels at raising pigs using the We Care ethical principles and who connects with today’s consumers about how pork is produced. Raising pigs has been a life-long passion for Bane, …
Animal Ag Bites 9/10
Six dairy companies were recently selected to participate in the 2018 Land O’Lakes, Inc. Dairy Accelerator – a program supporting the dairy industry by providing tailored coursework and mentorship to dairy entrepreneurs. To qualify for consideration, each company was required to utilize dairy as a primary ingredient in their products. The International Production & Processing Expo is launching the seventh …
America’s Pig Farmer of the Year Announces Final Four
The public will once again help to choose the 2018 America’s Pig Farmer of the Year. The National Pork Board honors a U.S. pig farmer each year who excels at raising pigs follow the We Care ethical principals and who is committed to sharing the farming story with the American public. “The four finalists demonstrate how pig farmers embrace the …
USDA Quarterly Hogs & Pigs Report
As of June 1, there were 73.5 million hogs and pigs on U.S. farms, up three percent from June 2017, and up 1 percent from March 1, according to the USDA’s Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report out Thursday. The National Pork Board provided commentators to discuss the report via teleconference. The call featured three distinguished agricultural economists and their reactions …
Alltech’s Total Replacement Technology Boosts Performance
Research from Alltech shows that replacing inorganic trace minerals with the same minerals in an organic form can provide huge benefits for swine producers. Alltech’s Total Replacement Technology (TRT) includes feeding plant-based trace minerals like the company’s Bioplex product, according to Russell Gilliam, U.S. Swine Business Manager. “So that animal is able to absorb that mineral better, which leads to …
Hubbard’s Swine Research Facility a Valuable Asset
Hubbard‘s new Leavenworth Livestock Research Center in Minnesota gives the company an expanded opportunity to do meaningful research around swine nutrition. The facility is a 5,000-head barn designed to house pigs from wean to finish. Two rooms offer the possibility of side by side trials in a fully filtered barn that greatly decreases any possibility of disease. The feeding system …
Showing Swine is Show-Rite Specialty
The World Pork Expo Junior National competition set another record this year with nearly 1,200 youth from 32 states, up from 1,050 last year, and 2,800 live hogs exhibited, an increase of 300 from 2017. Helping many of those exhibitors breed the best animals they can is what Show-Rite feeds does best. Show-Rite Ambassador James Backman said it begins with …
Profitability Begins with Nutrition
Pork producers visiting the World Pork Expo each year are often looking for new innovations and technologies that can help them to be more profitable. “When they look at production, they want sows that have good litters, healthy litters,” said Lori Stevemer, species marketing manager with Hubbard Feeds. “They want pigs to get going in the nursery, to grow well, …
Analyzing Mycotoxin Levels in Swine Feed
The results of the 2017 harvest analysis with regard to mycotoxin levels show that the 2017 crop was similar to the 2016 crop, and levels were possibly a bit less than in 2015. Alltech‘s Dr. Max Hawkins said analysis is important as swine producers try to mitigate the risk of mycotoxin exposure in feed. “We need to get an idea …
Ibach Visits Pork Expo
USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach addressed pork producers at a World Pork Expo luncheon Wednesday. Topics Ibach addressed that are of particular interest to the pork industry included animal health, biotechnology, gene editing and trade issues. He also talked about farm bill negotiations and establishing a vaccine bank for livestock producers. Listen to or download …