Swine Grist
A PERIODIC NEWSLETTER PRODUCED BY GRAND VALLEY FORTIFIERS VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4 | WINTER 2021
Dear Friends, Living on a rural road with a grain elevator just east of our home, it has been wonderful to witness a steady stream of grain buggies, farm feed trucks and tractor trailer loads of freshly harvested corn going by the past couple of weeks. As Dr. Martin Clunies’ article indicates, not only has this year’s corn harvest been bountiful, early indications are that it is also of great quality. What a blessing Ontario producers have had this harvest year with high yielding, high quality soy bean and corn crops – especially as compared to yields and quality in other provinces across the country. Notwithstanding sporadic pork harvest and processing capacity challenges in this country, 2021 has been a year of strong pork prices albeit alongside more expensive feed costs, but when one reads Dr. John Carr’s article, providing an update on China and considers the current pork market in Europe, again Canadian pork producers have a great deal to be thankful for this year. As we near the end of 2021, all of us at Grand Valley Fortifiers are thankful as well. We are thankful for the opportunity to work so very closely with many of this province’s dedicated pork producers. I know that I speak for our entire team when I wish you and your family a very blessed Christmas and a new year in 2022 filled with good health, and success in your farming endeavors. Sincerely, Ian Ross, President & CEO
WHAT’S GOING ON IN CHINA?
by: DR. JOHN CARR BVSc PhD DPM DiplECPHM MRCVS
A
But do not underestimate, as the performance on well managed Chinese farms can be quite respectful. On the farms I look after (12,000 sows) we have a farrowing rate of 86%, total born of 14.5 and weaning 11.5 pigs at 7.2 kg weaning weight at 28 days for Yorkshire/Landrace pigs.
s a pig veterinarian my views on the planet and politics are skewed through the lens of pigs. There has been many major changes In the swine industry over the last 20 years. While the title is about China, a better title is What’s Going On in South East Asia! While China is at 1.5 billion people there is at least another 700 million people in the adjacent countries such as Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines – which is nearly the size of Europe. In many parts of Asia the pig is the favourite meat with China eating 36+ kg of pork per head of capita - which at one pig per 3 people, is a demand of 500,000,000 finishing pigs per year! The major issues which are impacting the Asian pig industry include three key areas which I think interest Canada.
Genetics
The ‘hyperprolific’ sow. Asian pig farms are fascinated by the idea of pigs per sow per year. While I personally encourage more of a ‘cost of production’ focus, the rise of hyperprolific sows with 17+ total born is very appealing. However, many Asian farms really do not have the infrastructure or training to manage these large litters. The average output of 15 pigs is obviously well below even the 24-26 psy which is achieved, in reality, on many farms in the West. But the increasing adoption of Canadian and European genetics allows the Asian herd to catch up. If they double their pigs per sow per year – they only need half the sows – this becomes relevant as they recover from African Swine Fever.
Great looking pigs 24 days old, Note the combined litter to enhance post-weaning feed intake and improve socialisation of the pigs
On the other hand, the Chinese genetics has taken a major toll with the advent of African Swine Fever which has wiped out many many farms. While there may be females on pig farms, I see many of these pigs being finishing pigs and not actual replacement gilts. These can act as a stop gap but will obviously need to be replaced and will slow down the recovery.
Building
The Asian industry is in flux with a lot of money being made in the
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last 3-4 years and tremendous amounts of money also being lost in the last 3-4 years. The recent collapse of the Chinese market has made many producers bankrupt or hesitate at least. But, the love of pork will keep the industry essential. But with massive flux comes innovation and new ideas. Some of the projects I have been working on include the use of batching for pathogen control and new building concepts.
Batching
If you wean a 250 sow batch unit once a week (5000 sows) you need 52 inputs of semen or 52 exports of trucks away from your farm each year. Each of these contacts with the farm increases the risk of introduction of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) or even African Swine Fever (ASF). But if you run the same farm once every 4 weeks – you have the same output – now a 1000 sow batch unit once every 4 weeks, but you only need 13 inputs of semen and 13 exports of trucks per year!
Building design
The situation in China has become more complex recently with the development of modified ASF type 2 strains which are clearly vaccine candidates and the introduction of a ASF type 1 strain. So in China we now have a highly virulent ASF type 2 virus. Which can kill 70% of all stock on the farm and all age groups. This modified ASF type 2 virus has multiple gene deletions which kills 10-20% of the stock. This is much better than 70% but still horrible. This form produces little fever – complicating the diagnosis. This modified virus still moved between pigs and the mortality was unacceptable. Thankfully, in my own experience, we were still able to eliminate the virus from the farm. But now we have a whole new virus a ASF type 1 virus. This virus type (there are 24 different ASF types) was responsible for a major outbreak in Europe in the 1970-1990’s. It can still be found today in Africa and in Sardinia where they are still trying to eliminate the virus from the 1970’s. The type found in China is very similar to a strain from Portugal in 1988 and I believe this is another attempt at a ‘vaccine’ strain. The disappointment is that the immunity offered between different ASF type is poor at best. But this latest news from China is extremely disappointing as it makes the goal of ASF control further into the future.
While not ‘new’ the Asian market is seriously looking into multistorey farming. Currently these are 5-8 floors with farrowing sows on the top floor moving to finishing pigs on the lower floors, possibly even with a slaughter plant on the lowest floors. These designs will greatly increase the biosecurity and thus enhance the pathogen control programme on the farm. The vertical rise takes the pigs off the ground removing them from any contact with wild pigs and casual human contact both major ASF risks. Having one door in and out will increase security of staff movement. Having a 3D farm rather than the current 2D farm model obviously means that less ‘land’ is used to farm the pigs. This land can then be released for crop production or wildlife. This might become more appealing as the world moves towards more sustainable farming ideas.
Biosecurity signs in Sardinia airport where you cannot take pig meat out!!!
The other pathogen of major concern is PED, as it is for the Canadian pig industry. This is another serious constraint and is forcing re thinking in biosecurity and pig flow on many farms.
Summary Health
Multistorey pig farms in China. Pigs move by lifts.
Asia has a serious issue with pathogen control. This is not just African Swine Fever which continues to destroy the Asian pig sector and will not go away. But, even before ASF exploded on the scene, Asia has had serious health issues. Often associated with the high pig density and poor biosecurity concept.
Asia is a fantastic part of the planet and full of wonderful people and great pigs, including some really unusual local species of pigs – not just our domestic pig! The pig in Asia is under threat and as a major source of food, this threat is also impacting people and the way of life. Canada can assist Asia as an exporter of food, genetics and technological ideas. There are current serious impacts of economics, but as this demonstrates we are all part of the global pig industry and what impacts on farm impacts us all. n
African Swine Fever
The move of ASF across Russia and then down into South-East Asia has held our gaze for several years. The disease has progressively moved South, all the way to Papua New Guinea and threatens the Australian pig industry. Power houses of pork production from China to the Philippines have been seriously destroyed and this continues. Asia is desperately trying new ideas to save their pigs. I still rely on depopulation and cleaning, but a recent outbreak in Myanmar I have had to ‘farm’ the ASF outbreak by having to use the surviving 30% of sows and a partial depopulation because there aren’t any local or international breeding stock available.
ELECTRONIC SOW FEEDER & PRECISION FEEDING
by: YOUNGJI RHO, PH.D. Monogastric Nutritionist, Grand Valley Fortifiers
A
lthough the deadline to convert sow stall housing to open sow housing has been extended to 2029, the decision to eliminate sow stall housing is concrete. Therefore, types of open housing systems (mainly feeding systems) are of increasing interest and importance.
Swine Grist across parities are not adequately met by feeding a single diet for the entire gestation. Figure 1. Predicted energy requirement during gestation of gilts and 4th parity sows according to NRC (2012). Figure adapted from Solà-Oriol, D, and J. Gasa. (2017). 1st parity Normal 10000 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0
4th parity Normal Energy requirement, Kcal EM/day
Energy requirement, Kcal EM/day
One unique system that allows precision feeding of individual gestating sows housed in group is called an electronic sow feeder (ESF). The ESF system is a computer-controlled feeding system that detects each sow by its radio-frequency-identification (RFID) ear tags. The RFID tag can record how many times each sow has visited the feeder, how much feed was dispensed and their body weights. By monitoring these recordings, it helps identify sows that are not eating, so they could be checked for health or other issues. Not only that, a unique tool of the ESF system is the boar pen with openings for boar to sow contact. With the RFID tag, the number of contacts made signals a sow in heat.
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
Day of gestation
10000 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0
Fetal, placenta, fluids & mammary Matternal gain Maintenance 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
Day of gestation
Some of the available ESF systems in the market have the capability to blend two diets, which allows sows to be fed closer to their requirement throughout gestation. The ESF has two feed lines feeding the hopper above the feeders. This gives the producer two ration options for the sows. Typically, the 1st feed is a lower energy, protein, and higher fiber diet. The 2nd diet is a higher energy and protein diet. The blended diets are dispensed by the computer, which is connected to the ESF that can be manipulated by the producer. The diet blend can be tailored to specific sows’ nutrient and energy needs. It should be noted that group-housed sows with greater activity levels require greater energy than stall-housed sows and it should be accounted for when diets are formulated and blends are inputted into the system. Most ESF barns follow a similar barn pattern or design, with a number of choices following the initial layout. One sow feeding station will service approximately 50 sows. In general, two groups are established; 1) gilts and first litter sows and 2) older, multiparous sows. As aggression related to establishing a social hierarchy is inevitable, grouping sows into these groups allows for more fair competition and less fighting. In order to utilize the ESF to its fullest, it is important to train the gilts in the gilt development unit (GDU) before they enter group pens. Due to the stressful nature of training, farmers should train the gilts prior to entry and not after they are bred. It is suggested that gilts should be in the GDU for 2-3 weeks, however, longer training time can be beneficial. One of the values of ESF training is when farmers spend time with the gilts. By walking amongst them, fighting sows, injured sows and any sow needing treatments can be identified quickly. Not only that, sows trained to use the ESF are much easier to move from stall to group pens and out to the farrowing rooms. Calmer sows mean a calmer farrowing. The importance of precision feeding has been well documented as both nutrient and energy requirements change dramatically during gestation and between parities. However, it is very common to see farms feeding one diet to sows throughout the entire gestation, with some modification by increasing or decreasing the feed allowance based on sows’ body condition. Providing a single diet throughout gestation does not meet the dynamic changes in energy and nutrient requirements throughout gestation, which can result in health and reproduction issues. Gilts require more energy towards maternal growth compared to higher parity sows, as they have not reached their mature body weight while also providing energy and nutrients for the growth of conceptus. Conversely, in older parity sows, although the energy requirement is lower towards maternal growth, a significant amount of energy is needed for maintenance due to their increased body size while developing their litter (Figure 1). Therefore, gilts and older parity sows should not be fed the same. But, regardless of parity, there is an exponential increase in amino acid requirements in the last trimester of gestation due to exponential fetal growth as shown in Figure 2. Therefore, it is clear that the changes in energy and nutrient requirements for sows throughout gestation and
Figure 2. Predicted protein deposition in 6 distinct pools throughout gestation according to NRC (2012). Figure adapted from Goodband et al. (2013).
Meeting the energy and nutrient requirements of individual sows can increase longevity, as sows stay in the herd longer without reproductive complications. However, monitoring sows and their body condition is critical, in order to make changes to feed allowances and composition to correct for under or oversupplying. Adjustment should be made to aim for body condition score of 3 by mid to late gestation. To ensure proper feeding level, body condition should be scored post-weaning, mid (between d 50-60 of gestation) and late gestation (around d 90). Although the ESF can aid with healthier and more productive herd, to achieve full potential, accurate herd record keeping and monitoring is essential! n Goodband, R. D., Tokach, M. D., Goncalves, M. A. D., Woodworth, J. C., Dritz, S. S., & DeRouchey, J. M. (2013). Nutritional enhancement during pregnancy and its effects on reproduction in swine. Animal Frontiers, 3(4), 68-75. NRC. 2012. Nutrient requirements of swine. 11th revision ed. National Academy of Sciences Press, Washington D.C. Solà-Oriol, D., & Gasa, J. (2017). Feeding strategies in pig production: Sows and their piglets. Animal feed Science and technology, 233, 34-52.
grandvalley.com
by: STEVE MCGUFFIN Commodity Desk Manager Manager, Direct Source Commodities
T
he Ontario SBM market has tightened up this fall due to poor performance at Ontario soybean crushers during a time period when the Ontario truck SBM market is usually shorted due to export SBM business on ships. Processors have been restricting weekly scheduling of SBM to fairly spread the pain over all of their customers. The end of December and into January will give us some relief when the seaway closes providing the crushers are able to keep their plants running. Also, the SBM futures market was supported as there’s uncertainty with the future direction of the US administrations biofuel policy and speculators were unwinding their soy oil and SBM futures spreads adding strength to the meal market and pressuring oil. Going forward we recommend forecasting when you’ll need your next delivery as soon as you have the tonnage on your recent deliveries. Also, this time of year the wheat shorts market usually strengthens as the demand is fairly constant, but the supply is reduced from this holiday period including the Canadian and US Thanksgivings, Christmas and New Year’s. We are seeing DDGS values decline as plants have come off their end of crop year maintenance shutdowns and are now grinding new corn. Not every plant has given us an indication of recent composite VOM test results, but this year’s OMAFRA survey showed most areas corn sample VOM results under 2 ppm which would give DDGS VOM levels in the 3.5 to 5 range and with some areas where corn tested over 2 ppm which should bring up the average result. As always, the key to determining the level of DDGS that you can feed is knowing the vomitoxin level of your own grain. n
PRELIMINARY MYCOTOXIN REPORT
by: DR. MARTIN CLUNIES, PH.D. and ADAM TOTAFURNO, M.SC. Monogastric Nutrition, Grand Valley Fortifiers
W
ith most of the 2021 Ontario grain crop harvest almost complete, we have to be thankful for a bountiful harvest. The summer harvest of small grains barley and mostly wheat was uneventful, with almost ideal growing and conditions minus rain in some parts right before harvest which presented challenges. While Soybeans were about average for most farms the corn crop has exceeded expectations. Most farms reported corn harvests of 20 to 35 bushels per acre above average, with many record yields for their respective farm; 2021 will go down as a year of almost perfect growing conditions with lots of heat and rains when needed. This year’s ideal growing conditions resulted with little if any stress to corn plants. The only challenge has been the late fall rains which slowed farmers from getting into fields to harvest this big crop. While most of these rains came too late to result in much mould/fungi infestation of the cobs, there are a few farms that report some black tipped cobs and lowgrade mycotoxin contamination of late harvest grain. The saving grace this fall has been that, for the most part, the corn cob had turned down and the grain kernels had dried down before the fall rains arrived, reducing the risk of fungi infestation, growth and mycotoxin production.
While it remains too early to predict the mycotoxin contamination of the late harvested corn, with a number of corn acres yet to be harvested, early predictions from 58 corn samples (Table 1) from the 2021 crop suggests an average of 0.925 ppm of deoxynivalenol (DON), up to a maximum of 2.75 ppm. Thus far, the corn crop appears to be mostly free of Zearalenone, with an average low-grade contamination of less than 0.2 ppm. It is interesting to note that the sample that had 2.32 ppm DON had no Zearalenone, while the sample reported as having 2.12 ppm of zearalenone also had 1.5 ppm of DON. In the coming months we will be analysing more corn samples from different regions (counties) for a more complete nutrient analysis for energy, protein and mycotoxins. Figure 1 provides a preliminary look of corn mycotoxin for a number of counties. For more information on on-going analysis of 2021 grains please contact adamtortafurno@grandvalley.com. Table 1. Mycotoxin analysis of corn described as from 2021 crop. DON
Zearalenone
T-2 Toxin
Fumonosins
Aflatoxin
58
58
58
58
58
Average, ppm
0.925
0.118
0.013
0.047
0.128
Maximum, ppm
2.75
2.12
0.410
1.40
1.70
# All Samples (Oct 15, 2021 - Present)
If swine and poultry farmers suspect the risk of mycotoxin contamination of corn, the prudent approach would be to then submit samples to your Grand Valley Fortifiers representative for complete analysis and accurate results. Then based on those results a strategy can be devised with a Grand Valley Fortifiers’ Swine Specialist to minimize the impact of mycotoxicosis on your animals. n
Thought for the Day Christmas Reflection: Mary’s Magnificat “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” (Luke 1:46–55) Mary, the soon the be mother of Jesus, shares this special song we now know as “The Magnificat”. In it she reveals a very remarkable thing about God: He is about to change the course of all human history; the most important three decades in all of time are about to begin. The birth, 33-year life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will transform the relationship mankind can have with Creator God for all eternity. This Christmas I invite us all not to forget the significance of the season we love to celebrate. — Adapted from John Piper’s Daily Devotionals