Animal Science
April 2009

2009 Animal Science Update

Animal Science Committee Examining Infrastructure Needs for the Pork Industry Sow Productivity Research

The National Pork Board Animal Science Committee is utilizing some of the best minds in both academia and in the industry to review and make recommendations for future needs in production research – particularly relating to sow lifetime production. This group met initially on April 7, 2009 and will continue to work as needed to develop a roadmap for the industry going forward. Specifically, the group will make recommendations for infrastructure and facility needs, funding requirements, opportunities to collaborate and leverage funds with academia and industry, and empower existing programs in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and at land grant universities across the USA to continue swine research. This effort is being facilitated by Dr. Dwight Armstrong and will also be reviewing and touring existing programs around the world as potential models for a USA program and possibly as international collaborators. For more information please contact Dr. Mark Boggess, mboggess@pork.org, at the NPB.

Genomics Projects Funded for 2009

The National Pork Board Animal Science Committee has approved funding of two studies to determine the genetic effects of sow lifetime productivity. These studies to be conducted at the University of Nebraska and at the USDA Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska will associate sow lifetime productivity with production traits such as litter size, farrowing and conception rate, and feet and leg soundness. These studies are some of the first to capitalize on new genomic technologies developed from the swine genome sequence and promise to provide valuable information to the swine industry for application in sow breeding and management programs in the future. For producers this research will lead to better management practices and selection programs to enhance the lifetime productivity of replacement females. It will identify females and genetics lines best suited and adaptable to specific production environments. This research will also identify areas where additional research is needed. For more information please contact Dr. Mark Boggess, mboggess@pork.org, at the NPB.

Sow Productivity Projects Funded for 2009

The National Pork Board Animal Science Committee has approved funding of three studies focused on sow lifetime productivity. These studies will focus on gilt development and estrus determination using electronic estrus detection in an integrated production unit; a study of embryonic mortality focused on novel treatments; and a large scale feet and leg soundness and lameness study designed to identify intervention strategies for producers. Each of these studies is unique to the industry and will add valuable information for application in management programs. For producers, this research will lead to improved, and more labor efficient, estrus detection methods. Additional research will provide basic information about the embryo size and survivability in utero which will lead to improved piglet survivability and less pre-weaning mortality. The sow lameness research will lead to better management practices for producers which will prevent feet and legs issues and provide diagnostic tools to treat and prevent lameness in sows. For more information please contact Dr. Mark Boggess, mboggess@pork.org, at the NPB.

Nutritional Efficiency Projects Funded for 2009

The National Pork Board Animal Science Committee, in cooperation with the NPB Nutritional Efficiency Consortium and the Illinois Corn Marketing Board has approved funding of 10 studies focused on several unique aspects of nutritional efficiency. Topics to be researched include fiber in pig diets; feed efficiency in sows; and nutrient digestibility, particle size and pork quality related to distillers grains. This research program will add valuable information to pork production. For producers, this research will lead to improved practices and technologies for utilization of feed ingredients high in fiber such as dried distillers grains and other by-product feeds. Additional research will provide information regarding nutrient digestibility and pork quality leading to more efficient feed utilization and better pork quality for pigs fed distillers grains. Specifically research on particle size and feeding techniques will provide immediate recommendations for producer utilizing distillers grains that will improve feed efficiency. The NEC was founded in 2006 and has funded in excess of $1.8 million to date for nutritional research in the pork industry. For more information please contact Dr. Mark Boggess, mboggess@pork.org, at the NPB.

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