US pig industry unites to address sow mortality The United States swine industry has started an industry-wide research effort to identify specific factors...
Why build multi-storey pig houses? Chinese pig producer Yangxiang has chosen to construct sow houses with 7, 9 or even 13 levels. According to the...
Methionine in the spotlight at Adisseo pig event Adisseo zoomed in on the effect of methionine and selenium in sows, piglets and pork at a 2-day event in...
Pig Progress 2 analyses sow mortality issue The 2nd edition of Pig Progress in 2018 is fuller than ever, with a wide array of topics. The cover story this...
Trial on loose farrowing crates: More research needed Extensive comparative research to loose farrowing in Denmark has yielded for now that none of the 10...
Cooling pads for sows developed at Purdue University US-based Purdue University has developed personal pig cooling pads, to help them cool down while feeding the...
Which management practices maximise piglet survival? French researchers have established a list of do’s and don’ts on the basis of a survey amongst farrow-to-finish...
Alibaba: Artificial intelligence inside Chinese pig farms Chinese E-commerce giant Alibaba is introducing artificial intelligence technology for inside pig farms, like...
Freedom farrowing strategies put to the test Australian researchers have put ‘swing pens’ to the test – farrowing crates that can be opened on one side,...
Can sows estimate time? To a certain extent, yes It may not always be perfect, but sows have a certain capacity to estimate time intervals.
What is the long-term effect of zinc on sow claws? Dietary zinc supplementation minimally influences claw quality, unlike other variables like floor type and phase...
What is the maximum weight a sow can wean? Sows can wean litter weights of over 115 kg at 28 days of age and pigs with low birth weights can have feed...
Wrapping up December: What’s new in the world of pigs? Business-wise, the last month of 2017 brought another major take-over in the agribusiness as feed additives...
Northern Ireland pig herd shows ‘bounce back’ ability Using more prolific genetics as well as increasing the feed intake to lactating sows has helped boost the...
"Aiming for at least 850 g daily pig growth" Pig breeder Hypor Genetics is aiming for vital and uniform pigs. According to the company’s product manager...
4th parity sows yield most vital piglets Piglets from 4th parity sows have been shown to be the most vital in terms of reaching teats.
Implantation in sows – the wrap-up In 2 previous episodes, pig management expert John Gadd explained about implantation in sows and the role stress...
Striving for perfection in free farrowing pens Welfare and housing expert Vivi Aarestrup Moustsen has been involved in Danish trials to test 10 different...
More lessons about implantation in sows Last month, our pig management expert turned to a highly important but underestimated topic: implantation of...
Tri-State Sow Housing Conference (part II) Bit by bit, the US swine business is converting to group housing for gestating sows, as welfare expert Dr...
10 pig farms worth visiting across the globe From the United States to China and back again – that in short was the 2017 edition of Pig Progress’ farm tours....
Sows in the Champions League - how can we help? Playing in Champions League for sows is possible – but not without hard work from staff – and sows, writes...
Sow mortality - welfare or production issue? Of late, sow mortality in the United States has been a big issue. The question is: What could be behind this...
The high level zinc oxide ban (II) The European Commission opted for phasing out the usage of high-level zinc oxide. EU farmers have 5 years to...
World Pork Expo and the sustainability paradox In order to feed the world sustainably, what is needed is far more advanced production methods. What sometimes...
Dietary calcium – how to use it? In her last column on behalf of AB Vista, pig nutrition technology expert Casey Bradley wonders if it is...
Can we make a difference to pig welfare? Animal welfare organisations and the pig industry can make steps together, says pig welfare expert Vivi...
Loose house farrowing systems – where do we start? From an animal welfare standpoint, much focus has been placed on assessing how the sow’s environment during...
How do we know the nursing capacity of sows? Ideally, 90% of our sows should wean at least 15 piglets at each weaning – and do so again and again… They could...
Pig experts, remember forgotten relationships! Does every nutritionist think of the effects minerals may have – on the animal as well as on each other? It is...
Take a look inside 3 Chinese pig farms In Asia especially, Pig Progress travelled around to inform readers about the latest developments on pig farms....
Some sows are better mothers than others Neonatal piglet mortality is a challenge for all sow holders – but for some more than others. There is no doubt...
Yangxiang aims high with sows on many floors Chinese pig company Yangxiang go where few have gone before: with the construction of pig farms with 7, 9 or...
Probiotics in creep feed for piglets With sows being ever more prolific, there is also a growing number of relatively small piglets being born. The...
An easy farrowing enhances piglet health Sometimes, when humans feel bad, early help can help them to perform as usual, which in turn helps them to be...
12 questions to ask to avoid sow mortality Mortality of sows has become a hot topic in the US swine industry recently. Knowing what causes the problem is...
Qinglian Food, China’s pioneer for sow group housing Qinglian Food, a Chinese pork producer, announced last year to phase out sow stalls. What made the company...
Insemination in group housing – it works Pig producer Tim Kropp in Diepenau, Germany, chose to inseminate his sows without actually having them in sow...
Scaling back to fewer sows in bad times The pig market in Vietnam is often very volatile with demand and supply creating unpredictable losses or...
Heat stress series: Management tips to reduce heat stress In this series, every author looks at the problem of ‘heat stress’ from a different angle. In Pig Progress,...
Lectures and seminars in between the pigs The sows and pigs at Iowa Lakes Community College had better not got used to seeing only one face taking care of...
Research farm teams up with the world In a world that is increasingly connected, research has to reflect that. At Cargill’s Global Innovation Center...
Never forget M. hyo when introducing gilts For about 20 years, it has been known that M. hyo can stay around in a pig farm through the introduction of new...
Role of functional fibres in pre-weaning nutrition One just can’t start early enough with paying close attention to piglet feed. Ingredients present in pre-weaning...
Thai agribusiness Betagro to move away from sow crates Thailand-based agribusiness Betagro has announced it will phase out crates both in gestation and lactation...
Better piglet health by enhancing sow diets It is becoming increasingly clear that piglet performance can be increased through providing the right nutrients...
Group housing systems and their influence on sows Now that group housing for sows is fairly commonplace, a next question is: does it matter which type of group...
Eastern France: Fewer pigs, a better eye for details Think of ‘France’ and ‘pigs’, and the name of Britanny is not far off. Yet not all pigs are produced in this...
VIDEO: Sow insemination in group housing Lactation and gestation are increasingly being done without confining the sows – but so far for insemination it...
Photo Report: Swine Experimental Centre, Spain The Swine Experimental Centre near Segovia, Spain, is full of all kinds of measuring equipment – with only one...
Photo report: Dan Yu Breeding Farm, China The Danish pig industry is rapidly building up its presence on the shores of China. In recent years, a breeding...
Wens Group’s new sow complex, China One of the latest additions to the Wens Group’s growing pig empire in China was the construction of a 5,000 sow...
2 tips to create the right farrowing environment Mature sows perform best when room temperatures are between 18-21°C (65-70°F), while young piglets require a...
PHOTO REPORT: Krannestrup Farm, Denmark Danish pork producer Niels Aage Arve at Krannestrup Farm is happy to have new systems tested at his modern...
PHOTO REPORT: Agromek 2014 Only two weeks after the world of livestock met in Germany, now it’s the turn for Agromek in Herning, Denmark....
FARM VISIT: Fair Oaks Farms, Indiana, USA It’s a commonly heard remark: The general public have no clue what goes on inside a pig farm. Indiana’s Fair...
TRENDS IN SOW REPRODUCTION: Spain The first issue of the 'Trends in Sow Reproduction' conference, organised by animal health company Ceva,...
SMEENK FARM: The Netherlands Within less than two years, all breeding farms in the European Union have to keep their gestating sows in group...
HEDEGAARD FARMS: Denmark The fast growing Danish Hedegaard Farms, located in the West of Denmark, recently succesfully found a way to...
SOW NUTRITION TECHNICAL MEETING: Denmark Danish pig producers and representatives of the international feed industry met up on Wednesday near the city of...
Ontario Pork, group housing for sows III Part 3: Recently, Ontario Pork, Canada, released a video, introducing the concept of group housing for sows to...
Photo report: Baynesfield Estate - South Africa The pig farm at the South African Baynesfield Estate, in the country's South East, houses 1,250 sows. The farm...