Pig Progress 6 travels to Colombia

A combined Dutch-Colombian initiative (HoCoTec) has seen the light since a few years and that has resulted in an impressive farm, where next to commercial production, the emphasis is on knowledge sharing. Swine experts from all over Latin America have travelled to this farm to observe and learn – and so has Pig Progress. A report can be read on pages 20-23.

Plateaus in pig farms

A simple yet functioning improvement for pig farms that have difficulty expanding: including plateaus in grow-finisher facilities. This way, pigs have extra space to explore and at the same time it doesn’t cost the addition of more m2 of pig house.

In Sterksel, at the Swine Innovation Centre, the approach has been greeted by many parties. Various different plateau solutions can be viewed here side by side. In Pig Progress, read more about it on page 9.

Sow management

Now that sows are increasingly more kept in group housing instead of in stalls during gestation, the time has come that this system also is being tweaked to get even more optimal results. Researchers at the French agricultural research institute INRA set out discover whether sows benefit from enrichment in group housing pens. Their answer: yes, they do. Read more on page 30.

Low cost diets

More research from France (and Canada!). Often the formulation of pig diets is a compromise, and do swine producers aim to reduce costs or aim to reduce excretion levels? There can be a way in between, as can be read on pages 6-8.

Antibiotic reduction in Asia

Many countries in Asia Pacific have discovered the paths of antibiotic reduction, as could be read in e.g. our reports on VIV Asia. In co-operation with authors of Nutriad, Pig Progress compiled an overview of measures taken all over Asia Pacific. Pages 24-25.

Why is Spain doing so well?

When it comes to pig production, Spain is booming. The country has overtaken Germany in terms of pig numbers and it seems like the future only holds more growth. Time to look more closely at the secrets behind its growth… Pages 10-12.

Interview: Markus Dedl, Delacon

Fabian Brockötter, editor for Pig Progress’ sister title Poultry World, travelled to Austria to meet up with Markus Dedl, CEO for phytogenics company Delacon. The company had a survey carried out amongst millennial foodies – and shares his insights – see pages 16-17.

Rehabilitation and repair

Did you miss the webinar by Pig Progress and Alltech about microbial diversity in the gut? Obviously, it is possible to view the webinar on demand. But for those who’d rather read than view, speaker Dr Richard Murphy also explained his main lines of thought in this article on gut microflora in pigs, as from page 27.

Columns on zinc oxide and dietary calcium

Monthly columnist John Gadd comes back one more time to the theme of zinc oxide. Regular readers will know that the European Commission voted on a restriction of its high-level use, so what to do next to control post-weaning diarrhoea? Read more on page 14.

The diversity of the microbiome plays a critical role in a piglet’s gut health.

Columnist Dr Casey Bradley is on the move from one employer to the next, but will continue to share her views on feed formulation. She notes that there is a lack of clarity about correct dietary formulation levels of calcium. Page 34.