Page 4 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Roger over and out
AUSTRALIAN PORK LIMITED
ADVANCE NOTICE OF 2018 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of Australian Pork Limited (ABN 83 092 783 278) (APL) will be held on Thursday 15 November 2018 commencing at 12.30pm (Australian Eastern Daylight Savings Time) at the Melbourne Marriott Hotel, Corner E xhibition and Lonsdale Streets, Melbourne, Victoria , 30 0 0.
The business of the Annual General Meeting will include:
• 30 June 2018
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☛ from P3
the future of your indus-
try, which will emerge from the current situation stronger and more resil- ient than ever.
However, it will need to be, as globally things are getting tougher and this is unlikely to change.
One way or another I will get the relevant out- comes from the remain- ing Pork CRC projects to you and knowing what is happening, I expect a few gems to be discovered.
I also look forward to seeing the outcomes from the recently commis- sioned APRIL projects and I’m confident R&D will continue to remain active in Australia, with APRIL playing a leading role.
Eye on
1. To end on a similar note, I have listed what I think are the more prom- ising research outcomes and technologies you need tokeepaneyeoninthe next one to two years.
2. Fatty acids for lactat- ing sows – research sug- gests the omega 6 level and omega 6 to omega 3 ratio in Australian lacta- tion diets may be limit- ing reproduction. Dr Will van Wettere, University of Adelaide, is principal scientist on an APL pro- ject looking at the effect of different levels of each fatty acid in lactation on subsequent reproduction in summer and winter. He is working closely with
the nutritionist (Sally Trit- ton) and research staff at SunPork on what is an exciting project.
3. Essential oils in sow diets – Pork CRC research by Dr Eugeni Roura, Uni- versity of Queensland, has shown that including three essential oils in the diet fed sows just before and during lactation markedly and positively affected the performance of their pig- lets after weaning. The essential oils were added at very low levels and the effects on piglet per- formance were likely as- sociated with piglet health and/or changes to the gut microbiome. The strategy will be tested under com- mercial situations, but is definitely one to keep an eye on.
4. Strong evidence that reducing time between last feed and parturition reduces still birth rates in sows (less than six hours is the target). Pork CRC research suggests offering sows straw immediately until after farrowing has a similar effect. Might be a few logistical issues, but stillbirth rates can be quite high in older sows, so it’s worth considering.
5. Recent evidence from the US that increasing dietary phosphorus level above requirement and raising calcium level en- hances growth perform- ance and particularly improves feed efficiency in grower-finisher pigs. Never go below require-
ment. Discuss with your nutritionist.
6. Continuing work on particle size by Pork CRC researchers is showing significant effects on feed efficiency – it differs with grains, but target aver- age particle size of 0.6- 0.7mm. Given our high feed costs, this is some- thing you should keep an eye on.
7. Continue using Aus- Scan to analyse the value of your feed – there is money in it.
8. Consider set time and post-cervical AI – may reduce summer infertility and enhance genetic gain. PCAI is being adopted by more Australian pro- ducers and is something you should discuss with your semen provider or veterinarian. Set-time AI is about to be tested on large numbers by APRIL. Watch this space.
I’m happy to answer any questions on these watchlist items and can still be contacted on my Pork CRC email address roger.campbell@porkcrc. com.au or by phone on 08 8313 7683.
Otherwise, I’m out of here.
I will miss you all and wish you the best of luck for the future, but remind you that by carefully con- sidering and selectively adopting positive R&D outcomes, you can go a long way towards making your own luck.
www.porkcrc.com.au
www.primegro.com.au
Results are based on typical progeny growth performance achieved using Primegro Genetics grown under a high health environment and fed using the Rivalea Nutritional Program.
For pictures from Roger Campbell’s farewell dinner, turn to Page 19.
Pig Farm Perspective
by Bruce the brainy pig
I WOULD like you to once again look over the fence to another production system for some thoughts and ideas on female devel- opment programs.
The most important female selection criteria from the sheep industry is the three Ts.
The three Ts consist of teeth, toes and teats.
Teeth... we all know sows can and will bite, so I might modify this one slightly as a re- minder to ensure she is fed correctly on a cor- rect diet for a growing female.
If you manually feed, ensure the gilts are be- ing regularly assessed.
They should be on ad lib feeding until they reach the correct specifications (consult your particular genet- ics company for your herd’s optimal specifi- cations).
If you use a Nedap system, ensure gilts are trained correctly before mating.
Now we move onto toes and teats.
tinuously overlooking these two very impor- tant things when select- ing gilts.
Too frequently we seem to be selecting gilts based upon genetic lines and EBVs, rather than her physical traits.
If she is lame, it doesn’t matter what her PBA is, she will be culled.
And if she cannot feed the 16 pigs born alive and they die, what is the point in producing them?
If she is not structur- ally sound, do not breed from her.
If she does not have a minimum number of 12 teats, do not breed from her.
There are several ad- ditional aspects that are critically important that should also be dis- cussed.
You determine the future of the gilt the day, weight and age you breed her.
You can ultimately predict the productivity and age of culling of a sow by how you treat her as a gilt.
Is she old enough?
Studies have found gilts mated between 221 and 240 days have increased total born alive and greater litter sizes for their duration of time within the herd.
Is she heavy enough and has she been weighed?
Studies have found that joining weight can significantly influence total born piglets in subsequent litters and parities.
Gilts that were mated heavier were found to have a longer retention within the herd and have greater total born alive in subsequent litters.
Has she been on heat?
Delaying breeding from first to second es- trus has been found to give a 0.7 pig increase in first litter size.
The problem is how do we tell or get work- ers to tell?
I would recommend notching ear tags, and each time she is on heat she receives a notch.
This has been found to be an easy and visual way to determine num- ber of heats.
We seem to be con-
Page 4 – Australian Pork Newspaper, July 2018
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