The Next “Black Swan” Event for Hog Values Livestock

Home , Boston butt, Cut of pork, When pigs fly

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2021 SPRING EDITION

THE NEXT “BLACK SWAN” EVENT FOR HOG VALUES 26

LIVESTOCK DRIVES PRECISION TECHNOLOGY 35

SWINE ASSOCIATIONS GIVE BACK 8

Published By: Farms.com Media & Publishing & PigCHAMP, Inc. 1531 Airport Road, Suite 101 Ames, Iowa 50010 866-774-4242 Canadian Office: www.pigchamp.com | www.farms.com | www.farms.com/swine 90 Woodlawn Road West Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 888-248-4893 x293 PigCHAMP Leadership Team Welcome Donna Hover 4 [email protected] Jayne Jackson [email protected] 5 Belcampo’s Farm Martin Widdowson [email protected] State and National Swine Associations Editorial Co-ordinator 8 Donna Hover Give back during the pandemic [email protected] Assistant to the Co-ordinator Mikaela Hadaway 12 Pork with a Purpose [email protected] PigCHAMP Benchmarking Manager 14 Lemons to “Bacon” and Travelling Pigs Susan Olson [email protected] Farms.com Sales Manager 18 Piglet Potential Andrew Bawden [email protected] Farms.com Marketing 22 USA 2020 year summary & Operations Denise Faguy [email protected] 23 Canada 2020 year summary Postmaster Please send returns to: 90 Woodlawn Road West Benchmarking sow herds Guelph, ON N1H 1B2 24 Benchmark Resources Online These articles, along with articles from Will Chinese Demand or Soaring Feed past Benchmark magazines and addi- 26 tional expert information, can be found Costs be the next “Black Swan” Event on the PigCHAMP website: PigCHAMP. for Hog Values? com/news/benchmark-magazine If you have any additional information or suggestions for future articles please Finding the Silver Lining contact us at [email protected]. 29 We will post these articles on the Farms.com swine news pages, or include them in future issues of Benchmark. 32 The Bountiful Pig... To receive weekly swine newsletters (free of charge), email [email protected] with 35 Livestock Drives Precision Technology the title Swine Canada. Canadian Mail Publications Sales Agreement #42518524 All rights reserved. Editorial materials are 38 The Race Must Go on! copyrighted. Permission to reprint may be granted upon request. Cover: bazilfoto/iStock/Getty Images Plus, enjoynz/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images, 40 United States Pork Industry Research SvetaZi/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 3 BENCHMARK WELCOME By Donna Hover

The Bountiful Pig. When you think of pigs, what In this year’s Benchmark Magazine, “The Bounti- do you think of? Did you know that everyday pigs ful Pig”, we would like to share stories about how provide vital needs for humans? Pork products pigs enhance our lives; as well as stories on the range from safe high-quality delicious sources of swine industry giving back to help their communi- protein, lifesaving medical uses, and many oth- ties and those in need. er products that help improve the quality of our And last, but not least, we want to THANK lives. No other animal provides such a wide range pork producers and those in the swine industry of products for society as pigs. Through new tech- for all they endure. We are in gratitude for their nologies and innovative research, new by-prod- hard work and dedication which provide us with ucts from pigs continue to be developed every a large range of products that makes our lives day. Here is a small list of some essential contribu- better. tions from pigs and the swine industry:

• Quality protein, vitamin, and mineral source • Donations to Food Banks and those in need • Job opportunities • Financial and economic growth • Dog toys • Educational training at Institutions providing potential career paths • Biomedical Research

• Medical Uses – Skin, Heart Valves, and Tsekhmister/iStock/Getty Plus photo Images nearly 20 Drugs and Pharmaceuticals • By-products: Fertilizer, Antifreeze, Rubber, Crayons, Chalk, Adhesives, Leather, and Cosmetics

THE TEAM

DONNA HOVER JAYNE JACKSON MARTIN WIDDOWSON GRAHAM DYER

Director of Administration, Product and Sales Development President & CEO HR & Sales Manager Manager Farms.com Group www.pigchamp.com www.pigchamp.com www.pigchamp.com www.farms.com

4 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 BELCAMPO’S FARM Delivering meat today’s consumers can feel good about! By Donna Hover

The Belcampo Farm was started in 2012 and their delicious products. Due to COVID-19, founded with the mission “to deliver meat you when in-house dining restaurants were shut can feel good about”. Belcampo meat products down, Belcampo changed their focus from dining are a quality protein source for people; Belcampo restaurants and focused on curb-side meal pickup certifies humane treatment of its animals; and and direct meat sales to consumers. Ecommerce regenerative agriculture for the environment. now plays a large part of their business and will Belcampo is a multi-species niche business. It is continue. currently regrouping its business to focus pri- marily on pork and beef. Belcampo is the largest pork producer on the west coast and is working towards being the largest certified organic pork farm in the nation. Certifications they have obtained are for humane treatment, organic meat and soon to be GAP (Good Agricultural Practices). Once GAP status has been accomplished, the Belcampo team believes it will be the only pork business with all these certifications. Expansion has allowed Belcampo to have their own FDA approved processing facility, full-service butcher shops and authentic farm-to-table restaurants. Their GOAL is to have total transparency of their products from start to finish. Belcampo Butchery: By owning their own butchery, Belcampo has complete control over their supply chain. This butchery ownership allowed Belcampo to continue to provide a place to process its animals during 2020, only being closed for 2 weeks during the pandemic. This kept them from being impacted during the COVID-19 surge last spring when packers were shut down for weeks or running at low production capacity. Belcampo Restaurants: Farm-to-Table restaurants are another avenue for Belcampo to retail

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 5 Belcampo Pork Products: Preferred cuts of meat have not changed from the past, with bacon still being the most requested cut of pork by consumers. The high demand for bacon keeps their meat inventory low not allowing them to have product for sale of pork bellies. Belcampo pork chops are another highly requested cut. Their pork chops have a covering of fat that maintains juiciness in the meat during preparation, as well as adds flavor. Belcampo Animals: The 2020 pandemic did not affect the way Belcampo cared for its animals. Pigs were raised in a modified pasture environment and hoop buildings. The extreme changes of temperatures from winter to summer can be a challenge when caring for livestock. During the extreme summer heat, Belcampo continued to take good care of their animals and made them comfortable by cooling them with sprinklers and providing shade. Sows are pen farrowed, but after farrowing, the sows and piglets will go to group lactation. This is a positive experience for the piglets. This new environment is not so scary because they

6 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 still have the comfort of being with their mother. Here pigs play and socialize with other piglets that will continue to be in their group during their life cycle. Also, another advantage is that piglets have more opportunities for mealtime, as now all the moms in the group can provide piglets needed milk supply. Piglets are weaned somewhere around 28 to 30 days which is a week or so longer than most swine producers today. When piglets are finally weaned, they will stay with the same group of pigs, thus lowering piglet stress. Belcampo continues research and imple- ments best process practices ensuring what is best for their animals and the market. Belcampo Outreach: Belcampo gives back to their community in many ways, such as sup- porting its local elementary schools by donating proceeds from their pumpkin revenue. Another is by attending more local Farmer Markets. At Farmer Markets people can buy quality products at an economical price. Belcampo feels this is important for their community, even though their product could be sold in San Francisco at a much higher price. Belcampo Resources: Belcampo has a great group of employees that allows them to maintain their high standards in production as well as quality products. Finding team members for this type of operation, combined with the fact the employment opportunities are in a rural location, makes it challenging to recruit talent that meets Belcampo’s expectations. Belcampo feels very lucky to be blessed with great staff that truly cares for their animals. PigCHAMP has been a great support for managing Belcampo’s swine operation. PigCHAMP has helped Belcampo develop its pork business with production knowledge and is becoming more and more essential as Belcampo uses PigCHAMP to monitor disease management more deeply. Niche markets continue to provide opportunities to local farms that differentiate themselves with unique quality products, as well as being a company that meets today’s expectations of so- cial responsibility. Belcampo continues growing to include a network of carefully vetted, certified producers that are committed to expand the impact of its mission.

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 7 STATE AND NATIONAL SWINE ASSOCIATIONS GIVE BACK DURING THE PANDEMIC Spotlight on Iowa Pass the Pork Program By Mikaela Hadaway

Back in February 2021, the PigCHAMP team had hogs for communities in need. Toward the last the pleasure of sitting down over Zoom with Joyce half of 2020, they also received help from the Iowa Hoppes from the Iowa Pork Producers Associa- State University Meat Lab. There, donated pigs tion (IPPA). As the Consumer Information Direc- were processed and some of the donated dollars tor, Joyce works closely with retailers, educators, were used to purchase raw pork product and and healthcare workers on the consumer side of grind it. All of this was then donated to the 6 food programs and activities. Other than this past year, banks in Iowa and distributed. you can usually find her at events like the Iowa With over 122,150 lbs. of processed pork do- State Fair or putting programs together like Pass nated, the Pass the Pork Program has been able to the Pork. provide 488,500 protein servings to families across Around mid-March 2020, the IPPA received Iowa. But the Iowa Pork Producers didn’t stop many messages from farmers that they were hav- there, they also held several different events and ing issues marketing their hogs, due to the effects activities including, but not limited to: of COVID. Thinking quickly and with the help of • Allamakee County: Grilled 261 meals for the Iowa Food Bank Association, Iowa Department first responders. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the • Bremer & Chickasaw Counties: Distributed Governor’s Feeding Iowa Taskforce, they were able 854 pork sticks to three school districts in to team up with producers to donate and process their counties.

Story County Pork Producers donating a portion of Washington Pork Producers grilling for food workers. their ground pork to Food at First in Ames, Iowa.

8 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 • Carroll County: Daughter of pork producer left snacks and notes to lift the spirits of truckers delivering feed to her family’s farm. • Clay County: “Spencer Cares”, a community led effort in Clay county, distributed 1,500- 2,000 loins to those in need. They repeated the effort in December. • Chickasaw & Howard Counties: Provided 500 pork snack sticks to Turkey Valley Schools to add to their bag lunches for local children. • Grundy County: Provided care packages for care facilities throughout Grundy County. Pork stick donations for New Hampton, Iowa • Humboldt County: Lisa Rasmussen and her used for bag lunches for local children. daughter made headbands with buttons for frontline workers to use with their masks. • Scott County: Rachel Ehlers (daughter of The headbands helped relieve chafing Brian & Angie Ehlers) made 125 t-shirt bags around the ears. to be filled with food at the Buffalo Food • Jones County: Delivered pork snack sticks Pantry. to frontline workers at clinics, EMS, and at • Sioux County: Donated 2,000 pounds of an electric cooperative. Jones County also pork for a drive-thru food distribution in grilled for derecho relief workers in Cedar Sioux City. Rapids. • Story County: Aligned with allied industry • Lyon County: Donated 250 pork snack sticks leaders to fund the donation of 4,000 pounds for sack lunches to both George-Little Rock of pork to 30 locations that support schools, Community School District and West Lyon families, and military personnel. They also Community School District. donated ground pork and pork sticks to a • Mitchell County: Thanks to Brad Farmer local food pantry and to Mary Greeley Para- and others in Mitchell County, 32 different medics. families in the area each received a quarter • Washington County: Gave pork cash to of a hog. frontline workers for pork meals. • Plymouth County: Delivered pig cookies in • Washington County: Grilled 78 pork loins May for mental health month to thank pro- for 1,500 Tyson Foods workers in Columbus ducers for their hard work through tough Junction. times. • Webster County: Donated 2,000 pork sticks • Plymouth County: Helped with a multi-state to the Dayton and Gowrie Buddies Back BBQ for Smithfield in Sioux Falls. pack Program for after-school snacks.

Washington Pork Producers grilling for food workers. Joyce Hoppes & Ethan Bubeck loading donations. Pork donations being loaded on Iowa Food Bank truck.

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 9 There is no doubt the IPPA team has dedicated their time to giving back but Pass the Pork has been the largest of its type. So, the big question is, will Pass the Pork continue even after the pandemic is over? The answer is, hopefully yes! IPPA is still working with the Iowa State Meat lab processing donations. Hopefully before the end of 2021, they can develop a self-funding program that will allow farmers to donate hogs and provide ways for companies and groups to fund donations. In return, the funds can be used to process raw product. Another goal with this program is to potentially compensate farmers for the donations. The idea is like that of the Help Us Stop Hunger (HUSH) program, where Iowa deer hunters can donate their deer for lockers to pro- Nurse from Anamosa, Iowa receiving pork stick donations for frontline workers. cess. Those donations are also given to the Iowa Food Banks. their message. Iowa pig farmers are not alone when it comes If you take anything away from this article, to creating programs to get food on tables for know that there continues to be a need to help families hit with job losses and COVID-19 ex- those in communities and a farmer’s belief is penses. So many other state and pork organiza- to help. Even while facing their own personal tions dedicated their time to giving back. The Na- challenges, farmers put their heart and soul into tional Pork Board and National Pork Producers what they do. Across the country, region and Council had programs as well, like Give-a-Ham. globe, their goal is the same. Farmers want to be When asked if the IPPA would like to work with involved to help their communities grow anyway other states, Joyce responded, “It’s better. The they can. more groups you have involved the better and We hope that everyone will continue to stay stronger the program is.” active in state and national programs and know Of course, Joyce and her team couldn’t have that the families you help are thankful for your done this alone. Along with the help of those contributions. For more information about Pass that created Pass the Pork, they also give a huge the Pork and other programs, visit the Iowa thank you to all their sponsors, donors, lockers, Pork Producer Association website at: ISU Meat Lab, and news outlets that helped share https://www.iowapork.org/.

10 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 The PigCHAMP Grow-Finish PigCHAMP Farrow to Finish program gives you the broadest offers powerful reporting that range of options for managing allows you to: and improving your grow-finish • Make precise decisions for today with real-time information Nurse from Anamosa, Iowa receiving pork stick donations for frontline workers. operation. When used in tandem with PigCHAMP Reproductive, you have • Analyze results to improve all the tools you need to manage your profitability farrow-to-finish operation. • Plan for tomorrow with sophisticated planning tools PORK WITH A PURPOSE Family farmers drive the industry forward

The swine industry has changed greatly over the over 400 family farmers located in the Corn Belt. past few decades. Efficiencies in pork production Over the company’s 105-year history, Vande and the agriculture industry, have changed the Rose Farms has been dedicated to producing way we look at what and where our food comes quality NAE pork responsibly, humanely, and from. Consumer demand for increased animal with a manner of respect to the animal and our welfare and safe pork products has driven the environment. Not only do our farmers raise pigs industry to improve production and quality stan- in a crate free environment, but our production dards. Vande Rose Farms and the Lynch Family standards also go above and beyond the industry Foundation have done their part to lead the way requirements. by raising the standard for which we raise pork. Many factors have driven the expansion of Currently run by the 3rd and 4th generations the pork industry as well as the acceptance of of the Lynch Family, Vande Rose Farms employs pork products from the average consumer. The

Lynch and Golly Family

12 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 Covid-19 pandemic challenged the industry with believes that high welfare practices, regenerative an uncertainty for retail demand. However, the agriculture, charitable contributions, and the im- increase in at-home cooking opened the door to portance of the family farmer are what drives the new possibilities for pork to become a household industry forward. staple. Requests for clean label products, as well as widespread adoption of animal cruelty acts has provided challenges as well as opportunities. Vande Rose Farms has adopted these consumer sentiments for decades with high animal welfare and no use of antibiotics or growth promotants with an all-vegetarian diet. The next decade is projected to see a cumulated annual growth of 4% in the pork industry, and the outlook for products like those produced by Vande Rose is expected to exceed industry projections. Vande Rose’s “Pork with a Purpose” slogan was created to capture the company’s dedication to the industry. Beyond its commitment to raising Dustin Guy the best pigs they can, Vande Rose has pushed Dustin Guy is a marketing manager for Vande Rose to give back to the community as well as to the Farms, showing the public what “Pork With a Purpose” environment. The Lynch Family Foundation has means to the pork industry. He has a bachelors degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville. donated over $5 million to food banks, veterans’ Dustin also holds a Series 3 and Series 30 as a Commodity organizations, and various charities to provide a Broker and Hedge Specialist. platform and show support to its family farmers and their communities. The recent pandemic has left many in this country with the uncertainty of where their next meal will come from. The foundation has donated 250,000 lbs. of pork to the State of Iowa Food Bank as well as many food banks in their local communities. The Lynch Family Foun- dation continues to grow with a commitment to drive the industry forward, as well as show support for those that support Vande Rose Farms. The swine industry’s impact on the environment can be far reaching. Vande Rose Farms has taken the steps to reduce its environmental impact by implementing Regenerative Agriculture on their farms. Practices to reduce their impact on the environment include feeding grains raised on site at most of their farms, as well has placing nat- ural fertilizer produced on site by their animals back into the soil. These practices help sequester carbon dioxide, as well as limit erosion and chem- ical pollution. With the expected expansion of our industry, Vande Rose Farms and The Lynch Family Foun- dation will continue to work towards raising the standard of what pork can be. Vande Rose Farms

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 13 LEMONS TO “BACON” AND TRAVELLING PIGS By Donna Hover

At the beginning of 2020 most people started Throughout the last year we were inundated the year with a New Year’s resolution -- usually with news of hardships, business shutdowns, based on hopes of working towards improving and lost loved ones. But 2020 also provided some their health, business, friendships, or a person- positive avenues. We heard stories of parents, al goal. Then COVID-19 hit, resolutions were because they were working from home, were able replaced with other concerns such as business to engage in more quality family time by reading closures, many changes, and uncertainties. How stories, playing games, trying new recipes thus long will this last? What will be the short and creating closer family bonds. long-term impact? Will this affect my family and New and improved technologies were de- business? How will we survive? veloped to enhance continued communication

The Hofer Family

14 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 with family, friends, and fellow employees. This “What do you do when things don’t go as technology enabled many businesses to allow normal”, says Ferlyn, “look for other avenues”. employees to work from home with the goal to Ferlyn also remembers his dad’s advice, “To stay slow-down the spread and risk of COVID-19. in the game you are either ALL IN or you are New ideas and processes were implemented as ALL OUT”. So Ferlyn said he would tighten his people and businesses thought outside the “box” belt and learn to adapt. “You need to continue to to find a solution that would work for them. find a better way of doing things in order to stay The agriculture community also had many in the business” reflects Ferlyn. examples of innovative thinking during that time When the pandemic hit in 2020, Ferlyn faced to help them overcome the challenges they were the same challenges as other producers. Hogs facing. Pork producers worked through new scheduled for market started to be backed up due processes to keep staff safe and healthy, as well to lower processing plant production. On a Satur- as where to market their pigs during the time of day, Ferlyn heard that the governor announced decreased production and shutdown of packing the closing of the Smithfield processing plant. The plants. One pork producer family faced such a shutdown was to allow for disinfection and safety challenge and when they were dealt lemons, they measures to be put in place to combat COVID-19. made lemonade… maybe instead of lemonade, At this point, no one knew how long until the they made “Bacon”. This was the Ferlyn Hofer plant would reopen or how soon it would be back Family. at full capacity. Ferlyn called the Hofer family Ferlyn Hofer started his agricultural career together to discuss the plant shut down and op- in 1978 near Canistota, South Dakota when he tions on how to best care for their pigs. Little did purchased farm ground, now known as Fairview they know the door of opportunity would open Farms. Fairview Farms consists of crop farming for them. and hog production. Its swine operation consists On Tuesday, unknown to Ferlyn, Ryan created of a farrow to finish farm where they grind their a website. Ryan’s goal was to connect Fairview own corn to feed their livestock. Farms with consumers that would be interested Today, Ferlyn, along with his wife Karen, farm in purchasing hogs for processing. It did not take with their three sons, Nolan, Ryan, and Tyler. All long before Ferlyn’s cell phone began to ring. their sons are involved in the business either full Someone left a message that they were interest- or part time, utilizing each son’s specific skills ed in buying pigs. Ferlyn began to wonder what and talents as a vital part of what keeps their was going on and why were people calling him? farm going. Daughter in-laws also play an im- When Ferlyn arrived home, he learned about portant part of the business, stepping in to help Ryan’s website. when or where they are needed. Fairview Farms As the day progressed, Ferlyn continued to re- is truly a family farm where family ties continue ceive dozens of calls per hour. The rest of his day to grow. Because of this family’s leadership and was spent answering and returning calls until commitment to the pork industry, the Hofer fami- 10:00 pm that evening. The website proved to be ly was named the “2020 Family of the Year” at the a huge success in creating pork marketing oppor- South Dakota Master Pork Producer Banquet. tunities. Throughout the week interested parties Through the years Ferlyn has been able to continued to call for orders of hogs to a level that expand his farm to meet the needs of his family. made Ferlyn aware that he needed help. Ferlyn He has seen many good years, but there have also asked a daughter in-law to help coordinate the been hurdles along the way. In the 80s Ferlyn scheduling and tracking of orders. encountered 18% interest rates while expanding Many of these orders came from people who his hog operation. Then in the late 90s the hog had never purchased hogs direct or through a market crashed where prices averaged below locker. They were used to going to a grocery store $15/cwt. During that time questions arose for to buy prepackaged or over the counter pork Ferlyn on what direction his business should take. products. So Ferlyn and Karen stepped in to help

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 15 answer many of their questions on cuts of pork and options for processing. Ferlyn also com- mends the lockers for being a BIG part of making this endeavor successful. Lockers and staff went out of their way by processing hogs on their days off and weekends. Over the next few weeks, all their market weight pigs were matched with consumers and future orders were being taken. “When pigs fly”, well maybe Fairview Farms’ pigs did not fly, but they certainly traveled to unexpected places! Some of the pigs went to local communities surrounding them, but what sur- prised Ferlyn were the inquiries he received from people long distances away. With so many new visitors coming to the farm, time was spent making sure Fairview Farms biosecurity protocol was Ferlyn Hofer and wife Karen followed by screening all the modes of transpor- tation. • Ferlyn began referring calls for pork to other Here’s a few locations Fairview Farms’ pigs producers closer to their area. traveled to: Fairview Farms felt lucky that they did not • Thirty pigs went to Glacier National Park, have to destroy any of their pigs during the crisis Montana. and has pigs marketed for many months to come. • Local communities purchased pigs for pro- As Ferlyn reflects on the past year about how cessing to give back to firefighters, respond- they overcame this hurdle he said, “When life ers, and local food banks. is easy, we sometimes take things for granted • A butchery in Wyoming came and picked (example, marketing your hogs), then life throws up a load of 15 pigs. Their customers were us a curve ball and we must decide how to react.” so happy with the quality and flavor of the Ferlyn believes he did not do anything different meat they came and purchased another 30 than other producers as they were only trying pigs. This has turned into an ongoing rela- to make the best decisions for their family and tionship with a handshake. animals. They all learned valuable lessons along • A group came from Arizona which is a the way and built lasting relationships. Then he 19-hour one-way trip. They picked up 30 emotionally commented, “I believe there was pigs for their butcher shop. This load divine intervention”. required health papers with information on So, in the future will this way of marketing the number of gilts, number of barrows, pigs continue for Fairview Farms and other pork confirmation that pigs did not have pseudo producers? It is hard to say, but right now lockers rabies, and that no garbage had been fed to are already fully booked for the next year. Ferlyn the pigs. has also heard from many of his customers that • A Rapid City’s buffalo processing locker they want to continue getting pork from him. Per was closed due to decline of restaurants Ferlyn, “It was a win-win situation. Consumers purchasing buffalo meat products. Ferlyn were provided a good source of pork and we visited with the owner of the locker concern- were able to sell our pigs.” Based on consumer ing pork processing at his location. The awareness to directly purchase pork from the owner decided that he would move forward farm may continue to open new doors of oppor- with processing pork. This enabled the tunity for pork producers. Rapid City locker to reopen allowing em- Remember when dealt lemons, swine farmers ployment again for his workers. make BACON!

16 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 PigCHAMP is proud to partner with these swine industry leaders:

Ferlyn Hofer and wife Karen

Our connectivity with these partners provides you with better, faster, and simpler information tools. PIGLET POTENTIAL Developmental Neuroscience & Nutrition Research

Pigs and humans have remarkably similar brains PNCL can elucidate the complex interactions be- and digestive tracts. This affords the pig great tween our diet, the bacteria in our gastrointestinal potential as a preclinical model for biomedical tract, and their influence on cognitive develop- research. In particular, the neonatal piglet model ment in the host. provides a window into understanding how ear- PNCL uses multiple behavioral paradigms ly-life nutrition influences neural development. that are sensitive to different cognitive processes. Using the piglet model is advantageous because These paradigms include eye-blink conditioning its perinatal brain anatomy and growth trajectory (EBC), novel object recognition (NOR), and oper- translate well to human infants. Consequently, ant conditioning (OC). the Piglet Nutrition & Cognition Laboratory With EBC, pigs are connected to a system that (PNCL) is exploring how nutrient intake or sup- turns on a light before releasing a small puff of plementation affect brain structure and function air into the pig’s eye. Over repeated trials, the pig during this vulnerable stage of life. learns to close its eye upon seeing the light, as The Piglet Nutrition & Cognition Laboratory to avoid the puff of air. Using sensitive tracking (PNCL) was created by a group at the University equipment, we can analyze exactly when the pig of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) to study closes its eye (down to the millisecond) in rela- nutrition, brain health, and their interactions with tion to both the light and the air puff. A pig with the gut microbiota and immune system. PNCL well-developed cognitive processes will be more is a one-of-a-kind, high-throughput facility with successful at closing its eye before delivery of an artificial rearing system, capable of raising the air puff. How quickly the pig learns to close 48 newborn piglets simultaneously. Piglets are its eye in reaction to the light can also provide individually housed and receive unlimited access insight into the effects of dietary treatments. to milk replacer treatments using an automated The NOR paradigm starts with arena habitua- feeding system. tion, during which the pig is placed in the empty PNCL was also specifically created to monitor arena to acclimate to the new environment. In a pig behavior as a response to dietary interven- second phase, two identical objects are placed in tions. For example, each pig’s daily activity and the arena for the pig to investigate. In the final sleep patterns are monitored 24/7 via home-cage phase, two objects are placed in the arena, one cameras. Additionally, PNCL contains a dedicat- familiar object and one novel object. From the ed behavioral suite, equipped with state-of-the- final phase, PNCL measures the amount of time art technologies to assess the pig’s ability to learn spent investigating the novel object and com- and retain information. PNCL pig behavior tests pares it to the total time spent investigating either are designed to mimic the tests conducted with object, in order to identify whether the pig has human infants. The PNCL team seek to translate “recognized” the new object as novel. A pig with their findings from pigs to humans. In doing so, damaged or underdeveloped cognitive processes

18 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021

will not show novel object recognition. By obtaining a plethora of anatomical pig brain For the OC paradigm, pigs are trained to images, PNCL developed a brain map, called The perform a specific behavior to obtain a reward. Pig Brain Atlas. This atlas identifies 24 structural How quickly the pig learns the association be- regions of interest in the brain, such as the cer- tween performing the behavior and receiving ebellum (a controller of balance and voluntary the reward provides information about the pig’s body movements) and the hippocampus (the cognitive development. PNCL is currently de- memory and learning center of the brain). Using veloping touchscreen OC, in which the pig must this atlas and downstream statistical analyses, use its nose to touch a stimulus on the screen to we can estimate the volumes of each region and get a reward. Human infant testing often already make comparisons between experimental groups. includes touchscreens, so this will be an exciting This can then help us understand how environ- technological advancement for PNCL behavioral mental stimuli differentially affect the growth of testing that enhances the translatability of the pig individual brain regions. model. To evaluate microstructural aspects of the Studying behavior is an important step to- brain, PNCL uses techniques such as diffusion wards understanding brain development, but the tensor imaging and myelin water fraction im- PNCL laboratory takes it a step farther by pairing aging. Diffusion scans show how water moves these findings with structural assessments of the throughout the brain in various directions. By pig brain. tracking this movement, PNCL can gain insight Specifically, PNCL scans individual pig brains into how individual pathways form in the brain. using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tech- With myelin water fraction imaging, PNCL can niques through a partnership with the Beckman learn how the brain is myelinated. The myelin Imaging Center (BIC) at UIUC. Pigs housed at sheath is an insulating coating that forms around PNCL are brought to the BIC where they are nerves throughout the body. This coating is an anesthetized and monitored during all neu- important structure that allows signals to be roimaging procedures. Human brain imaging transmitted quickly and efficiently along neurons. sequences have been altered to work with pig Myelin development occurs rapidly during ear- brains in order to obtain anatomical images, as ly-life and can substantially influence cognitive well as other types of images, to assess the brain’s and behavioral development. This supports the microstructure (i.e., nerve fiber organization and value of pairing neuroimaging procedures with other characteristics). behavioral paradigms. PNCL aims to ask and answer intriguing questions at the intersection of nutrition, behavior, and brain development. PNCL approaches, tools, and infrastructure continue to evolve as they strive to design interdisciplinary projects that facilitate collaborations with both academia and industry. Efforts from PNCL group, as well as other research groups, will help harness the pig’s potential, as well as advance the understanding of human neural development and early-life nutrition.

Katie Ranard Katie is a postdoctoral research associate in Dr. Ryan Dilger’s lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Cham- paign (UIUC). Katie completed her PhD in Nutritional Sciences at UIUC in 2020, and her BS in Nutritional Sciences at Iowa State University in 2015. She thanks Rebecca Golden and Loretta Sutkus (PhD students in the Dilger lab) for their contributions to this article.

20 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 Make the Right Choice The PigCHAMP Mobile allows for remote data entry of PigCHAMP Reproductive information while providing FEATURES basic reporting functionality and validation to users. This allows users to interact directly with PigCHAMP Online or › In-barn data validation Client Hosted PigCHAMP. NEW functionality for mobile is › Optional intermittent intermittent connectivity, allowing use in areas with limited connectivity internet capabilities. › Bluetooth-enabled RFID Contact our sales team to learn more about PigCHAMP function Mobile products. › Bar code scanning › Real-time data

AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD:

Intermittent mode is NOT available for iOS. USA 2020 YEAR SUMMARY Total number of farms = 305

VARIABLE MEAN SD MEDIAN UPPER 10TH LOWER 10TH PERCENTILE PERCENTILE

Total number of services 5383.88 5982.600 3781.00 13680.00 222.00

Number repeat services 274.72 455.382 96.00 743.00 8.00

Percent repeat services 5.57 4.843 4.55 11.85 0.54

Number of sows farrowed 4690.72 5174.620 2961.00 11597.00 184.00

Total pigs born 70522.98 78337.380 44345.00 173920.00 2775.00

Average total pigs per litter 14.99 1.054 15.03 16.22 13.73

Total pigs born alive 63451.27 70540.680 39340.00 153731.00 2361.00

Average pigs born alive/litter 13.46 0.929 13.54 14.51 12.39

Liveborn/female/yr 29.38 5.129 29.59 34.41 23.68

Total stillborn pigs 4973.43 5852.980 3443.00 11889.00 215.00

Average stillborn pigs 1.12 0.373 1.09 1.61 0.66

Total mummified pigs born 2098.30 2679.640 1023.00 5446.00 28.00

Average mummies per litter 0.41 0.310 0.39 0.71 0.08

Farrowing rate 83.02 8.212 84.10 90.68 74.40

Pre-weaning mortality 15.42 7.537 14.28 20.92 9.56

Sows farrowed and weaned 4630.58 5094.500 2939.00 11479.00 181.00

Average age at weaning 20.66 2.039 20.30 23.44 18.69

Total pigs weaned 52861.54 58496.250 32823.00 122807.00 1946.00

Average litter weaning weight (n=38) 131.86 49.785 149.91 181.26 60.22

Pigs weaned per litter weaned 11.77 0.819 11.79 12.79 10.83

Pigs wnd / mated female / yr 26.14 4.559 26.19 31.43 21.40

Pigs wnd / female / year 24.84 4.637 24.88 30.00 19.82

Females entered 1197.83 1586.110 618.00 3109.00 26.00

Sow and gilt deaths 301.12 349.172 201.00 737.00 7.00

Death rate 13.91 5.317 13.60 19.90 7.60

Sows and gilts culled 1054.50 1141.800 773.00 2577.00 32.00

Culling rate (n=294) 48.79 15.226 48.10 69.70 31.10

Total sows 2248.16 2066.860 1682.00 5014.00 497.00

Ending boar inventory 6.05 10.201 3.00 14.00 0.00

22 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 CANADA 2020 YEAR SUMMARY Total number of farms = 38

VARIABLE MEAN SD MEDIAN UPPER 10TH LOWER 10TH PERCENTILE PERCENTILE

Total number of services 1893.87 1732.050 1582.00 3938.00 97.00

Number repeat services 129.50 124.556 98.00 275.00 10.00

Percent repeat services 7.67 3.400 7.22 12.88 3.66

Number of sows farrowed 1649.32 1557.390 1259.50 3967.00 85.00

Total pigs born 25365.82 24337.310 18736.00 62902.00 1336.00

Average total pigs per litter 15.11 0.744 15.26 15.92 13.94

Total pigs born alive 22496.16 21695.340 16556.00 55037.00 1181.00

Average pigs born alive/litter 13.41 0.568 13.50 14.00 12.48

Liveborn/female/yr 28.50 4.494 28.87 35.31 22.28

Total stillborn pigs 2067.16 1983.860 1692.00 5570.00 99.00

Average stillborn pigs 1.26 0.314 1.26 1.68 0.88

Total mummified pigs born 802.42 826.061 505.50 2021.00 20.00

Average mummies per litter 0.44 0.177 0.44 0.68 0.20

Farrowing rate 82.06 6.378 82.97 88.40 72.39

Pre-weaning mortality 14.86 3.659 13.69 19.81 10.08

Sows farrowed and weaned 1660.53 1567.710 1252.00 3818.00 84.00

Average age at weaning 21.05 3.018 20.32 24.39 18.72

Total pigs weaned 19187.97 18401.890 14293.50 45121.00 1034.00

Average litter weaning weight (n=9) 46.18 26.450 43.27 86.95 2.73

Pigs weaned per litter weaned 11.53 0.507 11.53 12.12 10.95

Pigs wnd / mated female / yr 25.84 2.996 26.44 28.93 21.95

Pigs wnd / female / year 24.40 3.776 24.90 28.86 19.01

Females entered 316.21 411.057 137.00 1165.00 0.00

Sow and gilt deaths 84.76 80.638 62.00 222.00 2.00

Death rate 10.14 4.261 10.25 15.00 4.40

Sows and gilts culled 297.79 325.121 211.50 768.00 12.00

Culling rate 35.01 11.447 35.65 50.30 18.40

Total sows 1109.47 773.835 801.50 2591.00 376.00

Ending boar inventory 117.79 269.503 3.00 563.00 0.00

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 23 BENCHMARKING SOW HERDS Viewing your sow herd as a living organism!

The opportunity to compare sow herds is always teristics, even though individual sows are re- a humbling activity. See Benchmark data on page placed over time. 23. On the one hand, we are presented with a In some ways a sow herd can be viewed as one large amount of data, especially at the individual living organism. It changes over time, but slowly, sow level. In comparison, postweaning growing driven by infectious disease, the quality of man- pig records have much less data. With rarely agement and the qualities of incoming young any individual pig records growing, pig records stock. In many ways, the US sow herd has been are made up of discrete groups of pigs replaced following an impressive pathway to greater pro- every six months. Sow herds are different, from ductivity. The data shows herds with a mean pigs year to year they carry many of the same charac- weaned per mated female of almost 27 piglets per

24 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 year. We do have new syndromes, such as pelvic Yet, we must admit that there are also chal- organ prolapses and new PRRS variants, but lenges in the management of sow herds. They can there are also systematic pressures that need to show up in a couple of different ways. First of all, be characterized in more detail. The CVs seen we can have trends that are going in the wrong from farm to farm should lead to examinations of direction. An example of that is sow mortality, CVs within farms, looking at which production where we have seen the means trend upwards. variables vary from week to week and month to However, we can also look at the standard month. These CVs may not only point out prob- deviation (SD) to see if there is variation from lematic areas, but areas where further examina- farm to farm. The examination of variation is an tion may identify room for improvement. approach that production analysis has performed across many industries. The idea is that if the Dr. John Deen standard deviation is large, we should be able to Dr. Deen is a Distinguished Global Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota. His work find solutions with internal comparisons within in research, teaching and extension has been in epidemiol- our industry. It’s called capability measurement ogy and economics, focusing on measurement and optimi- zation across competing needs in animal agriculture and and gives some guidance in improvement on our human health. Dr. Deen earned his DVM and PhD from farms. If we take the SD over the mean, we have the University of Guelph and gained board certification in the American College of Veterinary Practitioners and the the coefficient of variation (CV). American College of Animal Welfare. Some CVs, when comparing herds are rela- tively small. The total born per litter has a CV of 7%, suggesting that either the ability to change is outside the regular capabilities of the farms, or that the ability to change is widely available and regularly taken up. The sow mortality rate has a higher CV of 38%, as shown in figure 1. Not only is there a wide distribution, but you can also see that the distribution is somewhat skewed, with LOOKING FOR A HOG FARM? some herds particularly pulling the average up. Some indicators have been particularly high CVs. Percent repeat services at a CV of 87% is one example where there may not only be differences in the capability of herds, but real differences in how the herds are managed. Differences such as this create a big question as to whether management strategies have been fully evaluated in their effect on the whole herd. If I could give one generalization in this re- view, it would be that the largest capability variation is not in the output measures such as pigs per mated female per year, but in sow in- WWW.FARMS.COM/FARM-REAL-ESTATE puts. Mortality, replacement, and culling rates all have CVs and are driven by herd characteristics and are tied to high expectations of repeatable reproductive performance along with immutable breeding targets. Some of these measures appear to be like a loose rope tied to the back of a pickup truck. They are moving whipping around, with little to hold them down.

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 25 WILL CHINESE DEMAND OR SOARING FEED COSTS BE THE NEXT “BLACK SWAN” EVENT FOR HOG VALUES?

Early 2021 witnessed a “perfect storm” brewing January of 2020. If U.S. hog exports remain steady in the U.S. hog industry as a marketing whole at 40,000 tons per week by the end of 2021, ex- (less supplies in 2021 at -3.4% vs. last year) due ports will exceed last year’s record levels by 4.3%! to higher diseases (PRRS/PEDV in Iowa/Minne- The key drivers for higher hog prices will sota), strong global demand (driven by China) continue to be demand and strong U.S. pork and domestic demand (driven by U.S. stimulus cutout values (as lower U.S. supplies are here to cheques in 2020/21) , higher feed costs, and the stay- USDA lowered U.S. 2021 hog production by pent-up pandemic-recovery demand has resulted 400 million head). It also looks like there is a short in soaring U.S. pork cutout values and futures,

Managing inputs will be critical as tight global and U.S. corn/ soybean balance sheets (with very little supply side cushion) have no margin for errors.

which are higher year-on-year (Y/Y) by +90% and +56%, respectively. In fact, never has there been a time (including the record hog-price-year- 2014) when May hog futures were trading at a $6.00/ cwt premium to July futures, with seasonality just starting up (lower supplies by July). This is a real bull market for meat demand! China’s GDP soared by 18.3% in Q1-2021 and the U.S. GDP is not that far behind at +10%. The post-COVID-19 recovery of pent-up demand could provide an upside surprise! China import- Igor Ilnitckii/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo ed 1.02 mmt of meat in March, the highest since

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Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 27 squeeze in bacon supplies. According to IRI Inte- Safrinha corn crop and U.S. summer growing grated Fresh data, U.S. bacon sales in January of season could see a bullish 1-year story turn into 2 2021 were higher Y/Y by about 23%, with dollar or 3 years for grain futures. However, if feed costs value of sales that month being about U.S. $490 stay high, Chinese demand falls and producers million. That momentum has continued so far in expand (thanks to higher profits), it could be a tri- 2021. ple “Black Swan” long-term. History could repeat China’s Q1-2021 pork production rose by itself, at the highs in July of 2014, hog producers 31.9% Y/Y to 13.68 mmt, the highest quarterly should have locked in margins as far out as they volume in 2 years. The surge comes after huge could! Similarly, in May, June, and July of 2021, investments were made in rebuilding China’s hog producers may need to lock in margins as far out herd since African Swine Fever (ASF) hit 2 years as October/December of 2022. ago, but continued reports of ASF resurgence in the North suggest the recovery maybe only be back to 60-65%, and not 80-90%. China could still be a large importer in 2021, but imports could Moe Agostino also fall. Maurizio (“Moe”) is chief commodity strategist with Managing inputs will be critical as tight global Farms.com Risk Management and U.S. corn/soybean balance sheets (with very little supply side cushion) have no margin for errors. A pending drought for the Brazilian 2nd

28 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 FINDING THE SILVER LINING A Shift to Online Sales by the University of Illinois Meat Sales Room

In early March of 2020, what now feels like an- The local community has also been a driving other lifetime ago, the University of Illinois Meat force in the success of the Meat Sales Room maxi- Science Laboratory was racing through a typical, mizing profits on each carcass. The diverse ethnic fast-paced, spring semester. Graduate students and cultural backgrounds of the university com- were slaughtering and fabricating over 50 pigs munity is instrumental in being able to maintain over the course of a week to collect data for in- profitability for an old school, retail meat shop. dustry supported projects. These pork carcasses There are few shops that can justify offering beef, would then be used, by the meat judging team, lamb, and pork offal, bones, skin, fat, or even for practice in preparation for their trip to com- lesser-known cuts in a retail case setting. Custom- pete at the Southeastern contest in Columbus, er loyalty is one of the main reasons the butcher Ohio. After that, the pork would be available for shop has been successful throughout the years, sale by the University of Illinois Meat Sales Room and it was a primary driver into finding a solu- to the Champaign-Urbana community. By mid- tion to safely stay open through uncertain times. March, our coolers were filled to the brim as re- As shutdowns and closures loomed, retail search, teaching, and sales were all going strong. sales exploded as a frantic nation looked to gain For over 40 years, the Meat Sales Room located some sense of security by stocking their freezers. in the Meat Science Laboratory has operated as Within our community, grocery stores strug- the capstone to an integrated university research gled to keep meat in stock. We experienced the farm system. Animals raised on the farms are same surge in sales and streamlined our prod- processed in the Meat Science Laboratory for re- ucts toward the most simplistic processing such search, teaching, and outreach. Their meat is then as ground pork and Boston butt roasts to help sold to the public, which also helps to support the people stock up. Then the stay-at-home orders mission of the university. were put in place causing the future of the Uni- Pork has long been the primary protein studied versity of Illinois Meat Sales Room and its ability by researchers at the Meat Science Laboratory. to support the university and local community Consequently, the Meat Sales Room has built its seemingly in jeopardy. business largely around fresh and further pro- As the university shifted into an online learn- cessed pork. Customers especially enjoy the fresh ing format, students were encouraged to finish and fully cooked sausages made with unique the semester from home. This created a challenge seasoning blends created by the now retired as the Meat Sales Room workforce is made up manager and salumist Charles Stites. Bacon made largely of undergraduate student workers who with different muscles, spices, and curing meth- are able to gain invaluable retail food produc- ods, formulated by current manager Benjamin tion experience. At the same time, we needed to Peterson, are beloved products as well. empty our coolers and get the meat into freezers

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 29 before spoilage as in-person retail sales was not an option. In response, the entire Meat Science Laboratory including faculty, staff, and graduate students, stepped in to help fabricate and process the carcasses on hand. But without our ability to sell to the public, we only shifted the problem from the coolers to the freezer. It became clear that traditional in-person sales were no longer efficient or safely feasible in the small retail lobby under state guidelines, and a shift to an online sales format became the alter- native. With the hopes of a short hiatus from a return to normalcy, University of Illinois Animal Science Associate Professors Dr. Ryan Dilger and Dr. Anna Dilger created a simple website capable of processing orders for curbside pickup. Meat bundle boxes including a variety of cuts helped to simplify processing, move different products, and provide customers with meat throughout the summer. The response from the community was overwhelming. We would often reach our quota of weekly sales within minutes of the website going live. Customers would place orders on Sunday and Monday for pick up on Thursday and Friday. Seeing our customers Throughout the uncertainty and the challeng- coming through the pickup line was rewarding as es brought about by the pandemic over the past their gratitude and encouragement helped us to year, the desire to help feed a portion of the local press on. community has been at the forefront of each Being able to continue our operations through decision to press on. Their loyalty has allowed the summer also allowed for the slaughter and the Meat Sales Room to successfully operate as processing of pigs from university farms. This a small retail butcher shop when many similar meant that at least those animals were not com- businesses throughout the country have had to peting for spots at processing plants during the close over the years. The pandemic has required height of the shortage of slaughter capacity. alterations to nearly every part of the business, Like most people, we did not expect to still but the result has been a modernized and diver- be conducting online sales and curbside pickup sified approach to retail sales. While not always in August. But seeing that the end of the pan- easy, good has come out of challenging times. demic was nowhere in sight, we worked with This has the University of Illinois Meat Sales marketing and web designers from Surface-51 Room confident and excited about whatever the in Champaign to build an e-commerce solution future may hold. at meatandeggsales.illinois.edu. The website allows customers to place orders on in-stock items for specific pickup windows throughout the week. Joe Metz The Meat Sales Room is able to manage inventory Joe Metz is the assistant manager at the University of and operate a curbside pickup operation. This Illinois Meat Sales Room and a graduate research assistant working on his master’s degree in Meat Science. Joe is format of pre-orders and curbside pickup has originally from Gridley, IL and earned his bachelor’s degree been so popular that customers are requesting we in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois in 2020. continue the practice even after the pandemic.

30 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021

THE BOUNTIFUL PIG...

Unbeknownst to me, my life story with pigs came United States. It is likely you know someone that full circle in the early 2000s. I had always liked has this condition and uses insulin and a spe- working with pigs, learning about them and cialized food plan to survive. In the 1960 to 1970 teaching or training others about them. Perfor- era, insulin was harvested from pigs. While this mance-related indicators such as farrow rates, was replaced soon after by biosynthetic insulin total born, and total wean pigs per sow were all in the 1980s, it was no doubt that the humble pig very important to me. established itself as not only a quality nutritious And in the drop of a hat, my life changed and and safe food source, but also having human life my appreciation for pigs grew to a whole new saving capabilities! level. Humans (and piglets) are born with a small Fast forward to the 1990s to present day, hole in their heart which closes quickly after biological porcine (pig) heart valves are used in birth, as the first breaths are taken. A common human surgeries. On average, approximately congenital heart defect, known as VSD (Ventric- 182,000 people have a heart valve placed each ular Septal Defect) occurs when the hole doesn’t year. Bovine (cow) tissue valves, and in some cas- close. For my family, we found this information es a mechanical valve is also commonly used for out the hard way, when a heart murmur was this purpose. All the valve replacement options detected within hours of our baby’s birth. do not last forever but have an average life expec- Suddenly the pig, and its ability to save lives tancy of 15 to 20 years. came sharply into focus. In the 1960s, my baby So why is the pig compatible to humans? Pigs would not have survived. Fast forward only a are considered a translational research model, short 17 years, through countless innovations meaning their organs and body size are compa- in the medical field, she not only survived, but rable to humans, inclusive of their cardiovascular thrived. It wasn’t easy, blood transfusions, heart system, skin and tissues, kidney system, as well valve repairs, stent placements and three heart as the digestive system. The most “like” area of a surgeries, meant I had and continue to stay aware pig to humans is the cardiovascular system based of technology in the medical field. In the world of on its similar size and shape. It is so similar that congenital heart disease, you are never ‘fixed’ but pigs also develop comparable conditions includ- learn to adapt to your heart and its capabilities. I ing artery plaque buildup (atherosclerosis) and am forever thankful for research, innovation, doc- experience the classic heart attack like humans. tors, and surgeons that dream impossible fixes for Do you know anyone who has a stent (tiny wire difficult situations and the general practitioners mesh tube that doctors insert into blocked pas- continuously monitoring the health statuses of sageways to restore the flow of blood or other their patients, including my daughter. fluids)? This technology is another example of a Through this experience, I continue to live with tool that was and continues to be modeled, devel- a deep appreciation for the many ways the boun- oped, and evolved with the help of pigs. tiful pig supports, and for so many, saves human Knowing the long list of similarities humans lives. Diabetes effects 34 million people across the have with the pig, medical professionals and

32 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 researchers continue to persevere forward with improving widely used medical products, such as the goal to transplant pig organs into humans, medication for blood thinners (i.e., heparin) com- technically referred to as Xenotransplantation. On monly used for heart attacks, and pre-and-post any given day, there are around 114, 000 people surgery care. in America awaiting an organ donation. Due to The list continues of how pigs are more than the lack of access or availability of human organs just pork on our fork. However, my one hope is for transplant, approximately 20 people’s lives that you may be able to relate to the bountiful are lost, along with many others experiencing pig in a new or different way. Not only do pigs poor quality of life for years. The challenge with provide a livelihood for so many across our great utilizing pig organs for human transplants, has nation and the globe, but they have likely given been the high risk of immune system rejection of you or someone you love, life. the organs/tissues by the human body. As recent as December 2020, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved a first of its kind alteration to a domestic pig genetic line (GalSafe pigs), with the desired result to elimi- Sasha Gibson nate alpha-gal sugar on the surface of pigs’ cells, Born and raised in England, Sasha Gibson attended Harper Adam’s University which is believed to be the cause for human rejec- and received her Master’s degree from the University of Aberdeen. Sasha tion. This is an imperative evolution and progress became the Society for Human Resource Management - Senior Certified Professional in 2017. In 2018, Sasha joined the Christensen Farms team, to ensuring successful transplants, as well as as the Operations Training Manager.

Sasha and daughter Anika

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 33

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hris coughlin Talent Solutions ep 3 et 3 chrismcloughlinagcareerscom LIVESTOCK DRIVES PRECISION TECHNOLOGY

As the world`s population grows rapidly and in- is the prospect of phenomics measuring. Some- comes rise, demand for animal protein and prod- times referred to as visual sense-making, this ucts is expected to increase by seventy percent. precision technology utilizes bio-imaging to However, supplying such an upward demand help producers identify atypical animal behav- while the number of farmers continually decrease ior which could indicate that the animal may be is a problem which needs to be resolved so that sick as well as track corresponding gain or loss ethical and economical constraints are kept to in weight and collect numerous other phenotypic the forefront of the discussion on production dimensions. practices. Livestock farms must be able to bal- 3-D animations of typical animal behaviors are ance animal welfare with sustainable agricultural predefined and then applied to actual video in practices that reduce the environmental impact of livestock barns to predict behavioral health and animal production systems. eating/drinking habits. To make this work, ani- Precision livestock farming addresses this mal movements are scripted in a programming challenge by applying technology in animal language. Phenomics allows for quicker transfer farms through real-time decision making at an and management of information on farms with individual animal level. Moreover, automation reduces the number of human laborers a farm needs to hire; thus, im- Automation reduces the number proving biosecurity and ensures consis- of human laborers a farm tent animal handling, so that they do not needs to hire; thus, improving become more stressed and injure either biosecurity and ensures consistent themselves or the laborer. Data collected animal handling, so that they do by sensors such as cameras, microphones, not become more stressed and accelerometers, gas analyzers, and spec- trometers can be utilized as efficient tools injure either themselves or the to analyze animals with the ultimate laborer. intent of improving their welfare. Beyond that, farmers can be more efficient in optimizing large groups of animals. Robotics is quickly the use of labor, feed, water, and land. becoming another popular tool. Robots reduce Specific areas in which these technologies can biosecurity concerns as there is reduced risk of improve include precision feeding, improved an outside source exposing the farm to a harmful fertility, optimized management of animals and foreign disease. animal systems, hands-free weighing, sensor Despite precision livestock farming`s potential technology for monitoring animal behavior and to increase the efficiency and sustainability of health, and much more. Perhaps most exciting production systems, on-farm adoption of pre-

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 35 cision livestock farming is slow due to several pragmatic concerns that commercial farmers have about adopting new precision technologies. Farmers are typically concerned these sensors are too expensive and these costs will cut too much into their profits. Another problem is there is a major disconnect between animal scientists and the agricultural/software engineers develop- ing the algorithms used to develop the myriad of precision tools used on farms. Generally, animal scientists do not understand how these tools run and can become overwhelmed handling the gigantic sums of data that are collected once these precision technologies are plugged into play. Last summer, I interned with Dr. Tami Brown- Brandl`s lab in Nebraska. The research project I helped with rapidly captured behavioral images for several days. These data points would remain uselessly stored in huge disk drives without the proper coding skillset. I`ve also heard some say they are concerned over the privacy and reliabili- ty of these programs. Even so, I believe precision livestock farming should be more broadly adopted as the price of sensor technologies continues to decrease, and the animal science community develops guidelines for efficient use of precision Davy3 Photo\iStock\Getty Images Plus photo livestock farming in animal systems. as decision makers. These aren’t end all – be all Though precision livestock tools are in their solutions. The biologic processes of animals are infancy, they must be adopted in larger scale pro- too complex for technology to completely replace duction settings if demand is going to be ethically the presence of farmers. Intensive collaboration met. The technologies offered have excited farm- between people from different scientific domains ers enough to promote continual advancements and technical fields is a prerequisite for these in this area of study. Producers need to remain tools to make any progress. competitive while meeting the many require- Unfortunately, my internship experiences have ments and questions that an increasingly ur- left me with concerns that such collaboration will banized society imposes on them. Technological be difficult. However, as an aspiring geneticist, determinism suggests that it is only a matter of I`m hopeful to utilize some of these precision time before livestock farms begin utilizing these technologies in my graduate research project at technologies, which have been heavily adopted in UC Davis to better quantify the genetic potential other industries to improve efficiency and safety of SOCS2 knockout sheep. by turning data into decisions. These advances have yielded a mindset shift. A few years ago, it wasn’t even deemed possible to Austin Brown implement these high-tech solutions on a practi- Austin Brown was the 2020 Farms.com US Precision cal farm-level due to the complexities of quantify- Agriculture Scholarship winner. He is currently majoring in Animal Science and minoring in Information Systems ing biologic processes. Yet, it’s important to keep and Statistical Analysis, International Agriculture, and into perspective that precision livestock farming Smeal Business Fundamentals. Austin will be attending UC Davis in the Fall of 2021 to obtain his Master’s degree research develops tools that support farmers in Animal Biology under Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam.

36 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 The Power of Knowledge from the Cloud.

PigCHAMP Online brings you all the features of PigCHAMP without the need for software installation or updates. Your entire database is securely stored and remains accessible via remote connection, allowing you the flexibility to manage your operation from anywhere you can connect to the internet. THE RACE MUST GO ON! Tour de Farm is one of the biggest mountain bike races

In South Africa PigCHAMP is represented by Covid-19 pandemic rapidly changed the way we Alzu Enterprises t/a Alzu pig genetics group in live and South Africa was in different states of Middelburg. Despite the global pandemic in 2020, lockdown throughout the year which has se- Alzu Enterprises was able to host its 9th annual verely crippled the economy. However, it is the charity mountain bike race, called the Alzu Tour underprivileged in our society that have been left de Farm. in a state of desperation. The youngsters from The Alzu Tour de Farm Mountain Bike Race these disadvantaged communities, have been left started in 2012 as a small event. Little did we in dire need of assistance to be able to complete know that this event and the funds that it gen- their schooling and provided with the opportuni- erates, would save lives 9 years later . The main ty to reach their full potential. beneficiaries of this event are the Fund for Under- This event is held annually at the Alzu N4 privileged from two local schools, Middelburg Petroport with a track that runs through the Alzu Primary School and Middelburg Hoërskool. and neighbouring farms, starting, and finishing Middelburg Care Village, the local orphanage in the Tour de Farm Tent Village exhibition area. became the third beneficiary in 2016 by selling The race is not only known as the fastest moun- “Care Rider” VIP packages. tain bike race in South Africa but is also a family The year 2020 has brought an immense amount event with four distance categories: 80km, 35km, of change to the world as we know it. The 15km and a kiddie race for children. With more

38 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 than 1,000 cyclists at each of our last 5 events, and with very attractive prize money that draw competitive riders from all over the country, Tour de Farm is one of the biggest mountain bike races in Mpumalanga. We were astonished by the good-hearted people in our community that opened their hearts and wallets to support this cause during the pandemic. Thanks to our generous sponsors, mainly from the agricultural and local community, the beneficiaries of this race were able to support those in need. The schools were able to provide food parcels to families where parents had lost their income. They were also able to provide clothing, stationary, and the necessary medical resources to children in need and the children’s mental well-being was also supported. This cause is close to our hearts and we see it as an opportunity and our responsibility to give back to our local community. We are very thankful for all the sponsors and contributors to this event. They are real angels, providing comfort in the times of desperate need.

Catrien Muller Catrien Muller is Data Management and Import/Exports Coordinator for PIC – Alzu Pig Genetics since 2016. Catrien provides excellent customer service assisting their PigCHAMP clients. She is also responsible for export of live animals into African countries as well as importation of frozen semen into Africa.

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 39 CANADIAN PORK INDUSTRY RESEARCH Roland Filler – 29 – 01 – 2020 Sources: IBISWorld, Canadian Pork Council, Statistics Canada

Industry Overview and External Drivers: Jobs and Economic Contribution: The Canadian hog and pig farming industry is The Canadian pork industry saw $4.5 billion in composed of many small, family owned farms, revenue in 2020, an annual growth of -2.1% since leading to fragmentation in the market with the 2015. Profits have decreased at a similar rate of biggest players being HyLife Foods, Maple Leaf -1.5% annually with a total of $447.5 million in Food, Progressive Pork Producers Co-Operative 2020, however the profit margins have remained and Sollio Cooperative Group. steady at approximately 10%. Key external drivers in the industry include There are currently 1835 businesses operat- demand from meat, beef and poultry processing ing in the hog and pig farming industry with an with an average annual growth of 1.5%, an annu- average annual growth rate of -3.0%, Average al per capita disposable income increase of 1.5% annual employment has seen a decline of -0.7% and an average annual decline of the Canadian since 2015, and the industry currently employs effective exchange rate index by -0.8%. 17,744 people, paying $308.4 million in wages at an annual growth of approximately -2.0%.

40 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 Import/Export: year. Being a leader in the international pork industry, 2019 export statistics show total hog exports Canada ranks third in export volume and seventh of 5,115,516 total animals, comprised of 58,373 in production as of 2011. breeding hogs, 4,31,749 feeder pigs and 745,394 Exports to China have increased 2.5x in 2020, market hogs. This marks an increase of 0.5% largely due to the five months in the second half over 2018 exports, however the temporary ban of 2019 in which the industry did not trade with of Canadian pork exports to China in the second China. Feeder pig exports have stayed consistent half of 2019 led to an average drop in Canadian with statistics from 2019, however the exports of producer pork prices of 14.3%. market hogs have grown nearly 6% in the past

Canadian Pork Exports Canadian Pork Imports

Spring 2021 www.pigchamp.com 41 Monthly Pork Exports Monthly Pork Imports

SWOT Analysis: growth (2020-2025) as well as a decrease in annu- Strengths of the Canadian hog and pig farming al per capita pork consumption by an average of industry include a high profit margin compared -1.1%. to sector averages, high revenue per employ- ee, and low product/service concentration in Trends: addition to low imports. The industry suffers Expected trends in the industry consist of the from high volatility and high capital require- production of leaner and healthier cuts of pork, a ments, posing barriers to entry that restrict new decline in the number of industry establishments, entrants’ ability to capture substantial market changes in demand resulting from consumer atti- share. Threats towards the industry include low tudes, as well as declines in labor and operational historical revenue growth, low projected revenue costs.

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42 www.pigchamp.com Spring 2021 Better Than Ever To date, Merck’s Inner Circle Rewards Program has provided over $1.5 million in support to Canadian pork producers. Now in its 3rd year, The Inner Circle is better than ever.

ENJOY BIGGER REWARDS FOR 2021! • Get $0.25/dose* when you use Circumvent® PCV G2 or Circumvent® PCV-M G2 New for 2021: • Get an additional $0.05/dose* when you help protect your herd with Porcilis® Ileitis in addition to Circumvent® PCV G2 or Circumvent® PCV-M G2 OR • Get $0.05/dose* when you use Circumvent® PCV New for 2021: • Get an additional $0.02/dose* when you help protect your herd with Porcilis® Ileitis in addition to Circumvent® PCV

Register now for FREE at www.innercirclerewards.ca If you were a member of the 2020 Inner Circle Swine Rewards Program, you are automatically registered for rewards in 2021.

Ask your Merck representative how you can help protect your herd and your operation with the program you can count on: The Inner Circle Swine Rewards Program from Merck Animal Health.

For each dose of PORCILIS® ILEITIS purchased, there is a matching rebate available: $0.05 on one dose of either CIRCUMVENT® PCV-M G2 or CIRCUMVENT® G2 OR $0.02 on one dose of CIRCUMVENT® PCV. Additional CIRCUMVENT® rebate for PORCILIS® ILEITIS purchases will be applied in priority towards CIRCUMVENT® PCV-M G2, CIRCUMVENT® PCV G2 and CIRCUMVENT® PCV respectively. OFFER IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN CANADA

* 1 DOSE = 2 mL MERCK® is a registered trademark of Merck Canada Inc. PORCILIS® ILEITIS and CIRCUMVENT® are registered trademarks of Intervet International B.V., used under license. © 2021 Intervet Canada Corp. All rights reserved. CA-CRV-201100002 Reaching uncharted gains. Profitability

Performance

Off the charts. That’s how we describe the most advanced terminal sire genetics. Comprehensive trial data and field results show PIC® sires have an average $2.50 per pig advantage over competitive sire products. Uncharted gains are only a mating away. Perm. Contact your PIC representative today.

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