Swine Extension

By Drs. Jerry Shurson and Pedro Urriola, University of Minnesota Department of Animal Science
© 2018 Feedstuffs. Reprinted with permission from Vol. 90, No. 10, October 1, 2018


The gross energy (GE) content of corn dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) – at 5,429 kcal/kg of dry matter – is much greater than the 4.45 kcal/kg of dry matter for corn, 4,730 kcal/kg for soybean meal and the GE of other common ingredients used in swine diets.

 However, the efficiency with which pigs utilize GE in DDGS, as measured by the net energy (NE)-to-GE ratio, is low (0.49) compared with corn – at 0.49 versus 0.68, respectively (National Research Council, 2012) – but NE:GE can vary from 0.42 to 0.46 among DDGS sources with variable crude fat content (Kerr et al., 2015).

Of all of the chemical components in feed ingredients, lipids provide the greatest amount of NE (kcal/kg), followed by crude protein and starch, with a limited amount provided from dietary fiber (Noblet and van Milgen, 2004). Th…

Reprinted as posted on Swine in Minnesota blog
A scientific article written by Dr. Fabian Chamba Pardo when he was doing his PhD in the Torremorell lab was recently published in the journal of Preventive Veterinary Medicine. The study presented aimed to look at the various factors influencing the influenza infection status of piglets at weaning.

Highlights
Sow vaccination decreased influenza infections in piglets at weaning.Influenza positive gilts at entry were associated with positive piglets at weaning.More work is needed to assess herd closure, gilt isolation and gilt vaccination.

By Erin Cortus, Assistant Professor and Extension Engineer, University of Minnesota
Originally appears in The LAND – October 19/October 26, 2018

Fall is a transition season. After crop removal, while temperatures are cool and before soil is frozen, is an opportune time to transfer manure from manure storages to the soil for next year’s crop use. Ventilation goes hand in hand with manure pumping activities. However, fall weather also means large temperature and wind fluctuations are likely, and these conditions influence ventilation system management and performance. This article dives into ventilation strategies and considerations while pumping manure.

But first…manure pumping safety considerations are widely published and shared, but it never hurts to share them one more time! Manure pumping includes both agitation and pumping or removal out of the barn. Agitation creates a larger disruption of the manure volume. Any disruption of stored manure promotes the release of gases like hydroge…

Swine producers and agribusinesses in Southern Minnesota are welcome to attend a Swine Energy Management Seminarat the Knights of Columbus Hall, 920 East 10th Street, Fairmont on Thursday, November 15 from 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  Attendees will hear about:Mapping out your plan for Energy Efficiency: An Energy Audit - Jill Eide, Certified Energy Manager of Great River EnergyGreat River Energy incentives for Farm Energy AuditsWhat an Energy Audit coversHow to use your Energy Audit: rebates, NRCS and REAP fundingPanel of area farmers who have implemented smart energy technologiesStraight talk about on-farm solar energy from UMN Extension CERTs Program - Fritz EbingerFinancial and energy modelingTax credits and explanation of utility fee structureOn-farm siting considerations