Swine Grist
WESTERN & PRAIRIE EDITION
A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS
SPRING 2024
Dear Swine Producing Friends,
This edition of the Swine Grist is chock full of interesting articles authored by our growing team of experts within the GVF group of companies. Over the past several years, we have been blessed to add numerous experts to our team including the authors of this edition’s articles - JP Thibault in commodities, Emily Miller PhD. in nursery research, on-farm data collection & analysis, Samuel Waititu PhD. Swine Nutritionist (impacts of enzymes in growth & FCR in swine diet), Saymore Ndou PhD. (impacts of fibre in swine diets) and Jan Huisman, Production Improvement Specialist (in barn technical support). We are also pleased to announce that another PhD. Poultry & Swine Nutritionist has joined our Fortified Nutrition Limited team. Following his initial on-boarding and training in Manitoba, João Ferreira PhD. will be moving to central Alberta to support the
Expectations Around Farrowing: Birth Weights
by: Samuel Waititu Monogastric NutritionistGestation is a long time in a sow's life. It is characterized by a restricted feed allowance, restricted movement (if housed in stalls), and fetal development. Sow nutrition has a profound influence on conception and fetal survival during early gestation, and in late gestation, sow nutrition can influence reproductive performance. In this series of articles (Expectations Around Farrowing), I desire to review and stimulate discussions on the nutritionbased variables within our control during late gestation until about four days post-farrow. To the commercial pork producer, the gestation period veils hope and expectations, which make it worth the cost, patience and laborious duties employed in caring for the gestating sows until farrowing. Many things can go wrong in the gestation period and thus shatter these expectations. Hence, we
Samuel Waititu | Saymore Ndou | João Ferreira, Monogastric Nutritionists
efforts of the Fortified Nutrition Team and our customers in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Montana.
With these and other experts on our expanding team, we continue to research, trial and innovate, ensuring that the producers that we are privileged to work with have the opportunity to optimize the performance and productivity of their herds, allowing their farming operations to be efficient, profitable and sustainable.
I trust that you will enjoy this edition of the Swine Grist. All of us at the GVF group of companies want to wish you a very smooth, and timely planting season and a very blessed Easter.
Sincerely,
Ian Ross President & CEO, GVF group of companies
need to discern the gestation-related challenges and take advantage of the nutritional opportunities that can eliminate or at least lessen their impact.
In this article, we will first explore low piglet birth weight. As we prepare to review these realities, I would like that we first demystify nutrition. Nutrition is not only about providing energy, water, and nutrients to the pigs, but it also entails aspects such as the source of the feed components, time of feeding and
Ian Ross, President & CEO
David Ross, VP of Customer Advocacy & Experiential Marketing
Tanka Khanal | Aline Pereira | Youngji Rho | Kayla Silva |
Adam Totafurno | Drew Woods, Monogastric Nutritionists |
Curtis Ebanks, Layout Editor
feed presentation design. Each of these factors complement each other, hence they must be purposely employed if our expectations are to be met.
Many producers do not weigh piglets at birth, instead they rely on what their eyes tell them when they walk the farrowing crates. Using eyes to determine optimum birth weight is not the best practice as it does not provide data that can estimate mortality risk and determine progress in the case of nutritional or management interventions. Nevertheless, no one likes to see small and low birth weight piglets because they have lower viability, growth, and survival to weaning. Feldpausch et al. (2019), postulated that the birth weight threshold for increased risk of preweaning mortality is ≤1.11 kg. Current research on highly prolific sows has provided convincing evidence that the increase in litter size is accompanied by a decrease in the average birth weight of piglets. For instance, Moreira et al (2020) demonstrated that an average increase of 4.8 piglets significantly reduced the average weight of total and born alive piglets by 9.67 and 12.4% respectively (Table 1).
This observation is convincing evidence that prolificacy is directly associated with reduction in piglet vitality, hence, increased risk of pre-weaning mortality. In conclusion, as many producers turn to highly prolific sows, we expect reduced piglet birth weights and increased intra-litter piglet birth weight variation. Piglets with low birth weights (≤1.11 kg) have low livability and survival rates, hence they contribute to higher pre-weaning mortality rates. There is convincing evidence that prolificacy as a genetic selection tool with too much pressure is directly associated with lower birth weights. In the next issue, we will explore the risks that low piglet birth weights pose to the performance and profitability of a herd and the available nutritional interventions that can mitigate those risks.
References:
01. Feldpausch, Julie A., et al. "Birth weight threshold for identifying piglets at risk for preweaning mortality." Translational Animal Science 3.2 (2019): 633-640.
02. König, Nicola Lea, et al. "An investigation into uterine capacity based on litter and placental characteristics in two sow lines with different prolificacy (Danish Landrace x Danish Yorkshire versus German Saddleback)." Reproduction in Domestic Animals 56.1 (2021): 34-45.
03. Moreira, Rennan Herculano Rufino, et al. "Variability of piglet birth weights: A systematic review and meta‐analysis." Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition 104.2 (2020): 657-666.
Understanding the Role of Dietary Fiber
by: Saymore Ndou Monogastric NutritionistUnderstanding the Role of Dietary Fiber in Swine
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Table 1: Effect of litter size on the variability of piglet birth weights
The reduction of birth weights due to increased litter size cannot be fully eliminated by nutritional interventions because it is associated with uterine capacity. As litter size increases, more space is taken up by additional fetal placentas, hence, the reduced uterine space becomes a growth limiting resource that results in smaller piglets.
Konig et al. (2021) determined the effect of prolificacy on the vitality of piglets immediately after birth using a vitality score system from Baxter et al. (2008; Table 2).
Today swine feed manufacturers are becoming more conscious about the levels of fiber in swine diets than they ever have before. The increasing attention has been triggered by several factors, including availability of agro-industrial co-products in swine feeds, increases in ingredient costs, and occurrences of stereotypic behaviours in intensively raised pigs. These co-products are usually cheaper but are inevitably rich in dietary fiber. This allows swine producers and nutritionists to introduce lower cost feeding strategies that promote gut health and animal welfare, but they must ensure performance is not compromised. As production levels on swine farms are increasing, nutritionists are also challenged to create feeding programs to meet these increased requirements in a costeffective way. The addition of high-fiber feedstuffs in swine diets provides a solution to many of these challenges. However, dietary fiber has not been clearly defined, nor has its optimum inclusion level been clearly outlined for pigs in any phase of production. Dietary fiber still requires further research since there are several types and levels of fiber sources that are not yet fully understood. There is also a need to classify fiber sources in relation to their behaviour during transit in the gastrointestinal tract of pigs.
Table 2: Vitality score according to Baxter et al. (2008)
In their study, Konig et al. (2021) used 14 Danish genetic sows and 12 German Saddleback sows, which gave birth to 265 and 154 piglets, respectively. Table 3 summarizes the litter traits of the two groups of sows.
How can we define fiber?
The piglet vitality scores 1 and 2 clearly show that the highly prolific Danish genetic sows had significantly more piglets that were less viable compared to German Saddleback sows (Table 4).
Dietary fiber is defined as the dietary components resistant to digestion in the upper gut segment, but partially or entirely degraded by microbes in the large intestine. It is composed of non-digestible plant carbohydrates (NDC) and lignin. Depending on the physiological and analytical methods, fiber has been categorized into crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and total dietary fiber (TDF). Crude fiber has traditionally been used, but it underestimates the dietary fiber levels by 70-80%. Although NDF was introduced later to give a more accurate measure of fiber, its use is limited because it overestimates fiber by measuring other insoluble non-fiber components and fails to capture the soluble fiber fractions. Today the TDF methodology provides the most accurate estimation of fiber, as it includes soluble and insoluble nonstarch polysaccharides including lignin. Thus, we need to adopt the TDF system to measure fiber in swine diets. The main physicochemical properties of fiber include water holding and binding capacity, bulk density, swelling capacity, and
oil holding capacity. In addition, the solubility of dietary fiber determines not only its fermentability in pig intestines, but also its functionality and/or its usefulness in distinct phases of production. Soluble sources of fiber in the midwestern Prairies of Canada include beet pulp and citrus pectin, while insoluble sources of fiber include soy hulls, oat hulls, and pea hulls.
How is fiber used by the pig?
Dietary fiber can be fermented by gastrointestinal microbes and contributes 5-28% of metabolizable energy in pigs. However, inclusion in diets for young pigs must carefully be considered, as it may impair nutrient digestibility. On the other hand, mature sows and finisher pigs have a better fermentation capacity compared to nursery and grower pigs. A highly insoluble fiber is beneficial in the upper gut segment, while fermentable fiber is beneficial at the lower gut segment, the large intestine. The more soluble the fiber sources, the more fermentable the fiber components. For instance, a highly soluble and fermentable fiber source, such as pectin and beet pulp, will play a key role in reducing constipation in transition and early lactation sows, but may induce diarrhea in weaner pigs, due to fermentation of nitrogenous diet components. High swelling and water holding capacity of moderately fermentable and soluble fiber sources, like wheat bran and soy hulls, are useful to provide satiety, reduce stereotypic behaviours, and control back fat in gestating sows, as well as improve carcass characteristics in finisher pigs. Conversely, the supplementation of fiber sources beyond their optimum levels in grower pigs and lactating sow's rations is not advised, as it may limit voluntary intake of nutrients and energy required for performance and milk production.
The supplementation of dietary fiber-rich feedstuffs in gestation diets may play a role in reducing farrowing time, which can reduce the number of stillborn piglets. The benefits carry into lactation, by influencing sow feed intake, which improves the number of pigs weaned and the litter weaning weight. Dietary fiber supplementation will also improve gut development, prevent gut torsions and sudden deaths, reduce pathogenic bacterial proliferation, and promote the growth of beneficial gastrointestinal microbiota. Therefore, identification of the optimum inclusion of fiber-rich feedstuffs will increase the economic benefits associated with reducing morbidity and mortality in swine barns.
Benefits of Fiber
• Control back fat provide satiety in gestating sows
• Reduce constipation in transition and early lactation sows
• Reduce farrowing time
• Reduce the number of stillborn
• Increase sow feed intake to improve number of pigs weaned and litter weaning weight
Reduce stereotypic behaviours
Improve carcass characteristics in finisher pigs
Improve gut development
Prevent gut torsions and sudden deaths
Reduce pathogenic bacteria proliferation
• Promote growth of beneficial gastrointestinal microbiota
The impact of including fibrous feedstuffs in swine diets can be further improved by the use of fiber-degrading enzymes in the feed. Considering the environmental sustainability of swine production, many studies have shown that supplementation with fiber-rich ingredients in swine diets reduces the excretion of odorous compounds. improves the. The incorporation of high fiber co-products in swine diets will reduce the cost of swine production and improve profitability, animal health and welfare, as well as the environmental impact of swine production. improve profitability. The benefits are clear and therefore, there is a need for future research to find other roles played by fiber sources and their inclusion levels for further benefit to the industry.
Introducing Grand Valley Fortifiers' Approach to Technical Support
by: Jan Huisman Production Improvement SpecialistWith today’s technology and the genetic potential of the animals being raised, it may seem that the possibilities to maximize production are endless. However, considering all these opportunities, it can be become difficult to keep an overview of the production on-farm. Swine producers today are running businesses with tight margins and in a lot of cases, require a new service approach. To be able to support our customers in the best way possible, Grand Valley Fortifiers is building a dedicated technical support team to assist our Livestock Business Consultants where needed.
Production improvement specialists work together with our colleagues Canada-
wide to offer technical support to our customers. As a livestock premix and feed supplier, we have a talented team of nutritionists to manage the feeding programs for our customers. But there is more to raising a pig than high quality nutrition and this is where technical support roles come into play. This team can help with all areas of production, including general technical support, troubleshooting, and training.
In general, looking at the production level at a farm, “there is always room for improvement” is a saying that is used often. By looking at the whole picture, we try to look for opportunities to improve. Production can be influenced in many ways, either positively or negatively. Below are a few examples:
• Management in the breeding or farrowing rooms
Feeding systems available
Farm layout (including pig flow) and ventilation systems
Health status of the herd
A combination of barn visits and data analyses from the sow management system, feed systems, and/or ventilation systems, can give great insights. Pig production is all about averages, however, to improve these numbers, it is important to know what the average consists of. Which group of animals is influencing the average in a good or bad way? Is it a few outlier animals, with a uniform group otherwise?
Keeping the overview is key and it needs to be quick and easy to see this whole picture for regular monitoring. This allows farm owners and managers to quickly determine the areas that need more attention and decide with their team how to move forward. At Grand Valley Fortifiers, we can assist with creating this overview, while utilizing the current systems in the barn, and provide timely advice if desired by the customer. Please reach out to your Livestock Business Consultant if you would like to learn more.
Another part of technical support is troubleshooting when there are changes in the production level, either suddenly or as a trend over time. It is not always obvious why the production level changes, and this is where the Grand Valley Fortifiers technical support team can be of assistance. These “fresh set of eyes” can be helpful in determining the cause of the issue. The strategy created to recover production levels is always a customized approach, considering the individual farm. Having a useful overview of your farm’s production is key to understanding what is going on at the farm. However, to improve your production level, having a dedicated team on-farm is the key to success. Given our exposure to many farms across the country, we are in a unique position to see more than one example of a well-run farm. If there are areas of production that you would like to improve, specific on-farm training for staff can be organized in cooperation with the farm owner or manager. This ensures a customized approach, given an individual farm’s production level and what is truly feasible on-farm.
With the creation of a technical support team, our aim is to provide our customers with an additional resource to help their businesses be more profitable. A tailored approach to provide a valuable and regular overview, troubleshoot production issues, and offer supplemental training is a step in the right direction. Despite the unique challenges that producers may face, we believe that by working together, we can go further.
Assessing Nursery Additives
by: Emily Miller Monogastric On-Farm Technology and Product Performance SpecialistOffering exceptional nursery feeds for Canadian Swine producers requires constant evaluation. A recent example of this improvement process involved testing out an additive in nursery feeds we offer for piglets up to 9 kg. Early piglet nutrition is an area of great interest for several reasons. The first being that the weaning weight and subsequent weight at the end of the nursery period is predictive of lifetime performance. It is also important to investigate tools (like feed additives for improved gut health) that could be part
of the solution to replacement of in-feed antibiotics. If we can improve the feed intake, growth performance, and gut health and/or function of weaned pigs, we are setting the stage for weaning to market success.
In a recent trial, we compared our standard nursery program from weaning to 10 kg, using Initiate and Propel, compared to Initiate and Propel with Additive P included. The feed budget was the same during this time. After 10 kg of bodyweight, all pigs were put on the same feeds and budget for the rest of the nursery period. Additive P is designed to support and maintain digestive function and intestinal microflora. There is also evidence to suggest antioxidant capacity with this additive. These characteristics would be beneficial for newly weaned pigs, as they have a relatively underdeveloped digestive tract and need to adapt from a milk-based diet to a dry, pelleted diet.
The trial was conducted with 565 newly weaned piglets, split evenly among the two treatments. The feed budget was the same for both groups of pigs. The only difference was the Additive P included in the Initiate and Propel diets for the treatment pigs (Table 1).
Including an additive designed to help with digestive function in the first two phases of the nursery resulted in similar growth, feed consumption, and feed conversion compared to the Standard nursery program from 7.4 to 34 kg (Table 2). There was a $0.21 greater margin over feed cost with the inclusion of Additive P, which was calculated using the body weight gained and considering the cost to feed the pig. However, the bigger take home message would be the excellent nursery performance from both groups of pigs, achieving > 600 g/d growth and <1.5 feed conversion from 7.4-34 kg.
This trial is a great example of continuous evaluation of the nursery feeding programs at Grand Valley Fortifiers. Each trial gives us more insight and allows us to make improvements to our feeding programs, with the ultimate goal of improving the profitability of our customers. We do recognize that every farm is different, and conditions can even vary from batch to batch, highlighting the importance of continuous data generation and product evaluation. If you would like to learn more about running trials on your farm or sharing data with us, please reach out to support@onfarmbi.com or your Livestock Business Consultant!
Would you like more information about the nursery feeding programs available from Grand Valley Fortifiers?
Contact us today by calling: 1-877-625-4400 or 519-621-4400
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Commodity Outlook
by: JP Thibault Business Development Manager
We are looking at a vastly different story since the last time we shared an update. Adverse weather in South America is now an old story, and we are talking about a record crop. On top of this, USDA has increased corn and bean yields for the 2023 crop. World corn/bean supply is ample, and demand is low: the perfect mix to get low prices.
Also, Hedge Funds have sold their long positions in corn, bean, and meal. There is not a story that the Funds can get behind to cause them to want to go back long. Since mid-November, meal has dropped by 200$CDN/mt and corn by 20$CDN/mt. The meal market is volatile but still has room to go down, do not buy too much in advance.
Join us in Welcoming Our Newest Swine Specialist!
JOÃO FERREIRA
Monogastric Nutritionist
We are very excited to announce that Dr. João Ferreira joined Fortified Nutrition in the position of Monogastric Nutritionist on February 26th. Born and raised in Brazil, João holds a PhD in Animal Science from the University of Missouri, Columbia, USA. Before joining FNL, he completed his 3-year Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Manitoba. Before coming to Manitoba for his Postdoctoral Fellowship, João worked as Swine Nutritionist for ADM's Wisium and as a Technical Research Coordinator (focusing on both Poultry and Swine research) for Cargill.
João currently lives in Winnipeg but is planning to move and be based in Alberta. He will work closely together with Samuel Waititu and Saymore Ndou to assist in offering nutrition services to swine and poultry producers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Montana, USA. This is an exciting addition for our FNL team as we endeavor to better service our customers in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Montana.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. João Ferreira to the team.
If you have any questions for our team, please feel free to contact João at: joaoferreira@fortifiednutritionltd.ca | 204-698-3078
The inclusion of Additive P yielding similar growth performance with a numerically greater margin over feed cost, warrants further discussion. As part of our strategic partnership with AB Neo, utilizing the Primary Diets Nursery Feeds, we will review the results from Additive P together to determine our next course of action. Nevertheless, the nursery performance achieved by both groups of pigs in this trial is evidence of the high quality nursery feeding program offered by Grand Valley Fortifiers.
Thought of the Day!
“God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.”
– Dietrich Bonhoeffer