Sex matters in pigs’ survival

 

Gilts survive better than barrows, according to research by Adam Moeser, a professor at the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Much of that traces to early gut development and stresses at weaning that result in persistent leaky gut, chronic low-grade inflammation and altered enteric nervous system function, which increases disease risk, he found.

Females exhibit a stronger immune response but are more prone to chronic inflammatory disorders.  He said research has shown that females typically have higher survivability rates than males, with males dying at a disproportionately higher rate from infection compared with females. That’s likely due to a more robust immune response in female pigs.

A weakness for gilts because when there are chronic and unrelenting stressors, female pigs are more prone to chronic pain and inflammation disorders.

“That may give them a trade-off for survivability versus chronic disease,” Moeser said.

A conservative estimate suggests there’s a two to four per cent higher mortality rate in castrated males. That puts a big dent in potential profits.

For decades, Dr. James Squires of the University of Guelph has been researching boar taint which results in an objectionable odour when boar pork is cooked. If ie succeeds, castration would no longer be necessary.

Moeser said “If we can understand the biology, what’s really different between a male and a female, maybe we can come up with some new interventions, or targeted strategies, or sex-specific strategies, that can put a dent in this health disparity.” 

U.S. farmers sell soybeans, hold corn and wheat

 

CoBank said its data and analyses indicate farmers have sold more soybeans than this time a year ago, but are holding on to wheat and corn.

Some of those holdings are in commercial storage, but awaiting deferred pricing and sales.

“CoBank’s data reveals that farmers have been patient sellers of corn and wheat,” said Tanner Ehmke, lead grains and oilseeds economist with CoBank. 

“Any material increase in corn and wheat prices will likely be met with heavier selling pressure compared to soybeans, which already experienced a higher level of farmer selling last fall. 

“The increase in on-farm storage for corn implies there is more corn in the countryside also waiting to be priced, which will pressure both flat price and basis,”he said.

McWilliam’s term extended

 

Cameron McWilliam of Dutton has been appointed to a two-year term as vice-president of the Farm Products Marketing Commission.

McWilliam has served as a commission member since 2019, is an active turkey, beef cattle, and cash crop producer and former reeve of Elgin County.

Cheap farmland rents near Toronto

 Farmland rent rates continue to be much lower on some of the province’s most expensive land, shows a survey data published by Prof. Brady Deaton of the University of Guelph.

In York Region, for example, rental rates in 2024 were only $75 an acre compared with $360 an acre in Huron County, even though sale prices in York averaged $55,000 an acre and in Huron County $25,000 in 2024.

Rental rates averaged $100 an acre in Peel Region while sale prices averaged $75,000 an acre, the highest in the province.

The reason why rents are so low on high-priced land is because developers own a significant chunk of the land in the urban areas and want it farmed so they can qualify for lower property tax rates.

PED in Huron finisher barn

 

Swine Health Ontario has reported an outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in a finisher barn in Huron County.

                           

Tyson pays $48 million for pork price-fixing

 

Tyson Foods will pay $48 million to settle a price-fixing class-action lawsuit filed by indirect buyers of its pork.

The Commercial and Institutional Indirect Purchaser Plaintiffs said the proposed deal with Tyson Foods Inc., Tyson Prepared Foods Inc. and Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. included cash payments and cooperation terms as the case neared trial. 

Plaintiffs said Tyson also agreed to help authenticate Tyson documents for use at trial and to provide the settling plaintiffs the same access to potential trial witnesses that Tyson provided to non-settling defendants.

The pork cases alleged major pork producers conspired to constrain supply and fix prices beginning in 2009, including by exchanging competitively sensitive information through Agri Stats benchmarking reports. Plaintiffs said they and other class members paid artificially inflated prices for pork during the class period

 

The settlement would cover entities that indirectly purchased uncooked pork bacon or raw pork cuts including loins, shoulder, ribs, hams or pork chops for use in commercial food preparation from June 28, 2014, through June 30, 2018.

Heavy snow collapses barn rooves

 

 

 

At least two dozen broiler and turkey houses in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley were damaged or entirely collapsed in the aftermath of the weekend storm that dumped an unusually heavy snowfall topped by a thick glazing of ice, the Virginia Poultry Federation said.

Federation President Hobey Bauhan said that several inches of wet, heavy snow overnight Saturday was followed by hours of icy sleet on Sunday in the region, causing partial or total collapse of 24 poultry houses by his count, as of late Wednesday.