By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=A_Scott_Williams]A Scott Williams
What if there was a way you could contribute to saving the environment just by making a conscious decision in your choice of beef? This is a personal satisfaction experienced by those who choose grass fed beef.
There are several benefits which grass feeding of cows has on the environment, and when compared to the environmental damage that occurs when cows are raised on a feed lot, the choice is not a difficult one to make.
Grass Fed Beef Helps Keep Water Clean
The manure from cows is rich and when properly managed, can lead to greater biodiversity in the water. The problem stems from when that manure is not well managed as is the case with feed lot beef. When it comes to water pollution, these are the common problems with feed lot beef:
The antibiotics that are fed to feed lot beef pass into the manure unchanged.
Because the manure is so much and so heavy, it is often just dumped on soil in the nearest field.
The excess manure causes erosion and the top soil is washed away (which is another problem on its own).
This manure that is washed away with the top soil often ends up in the water supply and pollutes it, killing the fish, destroying the biodiversity and making the water unhealthy.
Grass feeding, through rotational grazing ensures that the manure is evenly distributed through the soil and is used to ensure the healthy growth of pasture plants. In addition, grass fed beef do not need antibiotics so their manure is free from that. There is no instance of excess manure and the problem of erosion as a result, does not exist.
Grass Fed Beef Can Improve the Quality of the Soil
Soil quality is important to farmers and years of farming have degraded the soil quality in parts of the United States. Grazing has been a traditional means of restoring degraded land. Recent studies have shown that not only do grass fed beef help in restoring soil quality, but they could also potentially contribute to bringing down greenhouse gasses by removing them from the atmosphere and trapping them in the soil where they can contribute to plant growth.
Grass Fed Beef Can Reduce Greenhouse Gasses
Generally, raising cows has been associated with the release of greenhouse gasses into the environment. Methane gas is a green house gas which is belched up by ruminants when they are digesting their food. Methane gas contributes to global warming. When grazing is properly managed it could potentially draw the gasses from the air into the soil to stimulate plant growth. Feedlots have no plants growing in them with just dirt.
Methane gas is not the only form of greenhouse emission that is associated with raising cows, there is also carbon dioxide. However, the growth of plant for grazing helps to remove the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store in the soil.
When cows have been grass fed, it helps to reduce the impact of beef production on global warming.
The environmental benefits of grass fed beef are numerous. In addition to those listed above, grass fed beef keeps the air free from the air pollution which feed lot beef is known for. Eating grass fed beef is a way to keep you and the earth healthy.
For more information on [http://www.onlinegrassfedbeef.com]grass fed beef, please visit http://www.onlinegrassfedbeef.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Environmental-Benefits-of-Grass-Fed-Beef-Farming&id=6617718] Environmental Benefits of Grass Fed Beef Farming
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
How To Choose The Right Tyre For Your Loader
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tom_Jerrat]Tom Jerrat
A loader is a popular type of heavy machinery used to collect, shift or carry materials such as sand, gravel, soil, rocks, asphalt, dirt and debris, often onto a truck for transport. There are various types of loaders available, each with advantages for different applications. A new loader can be a significant investment, so it is essential to make sure that your loader remains in top working condition.
Choosing the right tyre for your loader is one of the best ways to ensure that your machine operates effectively. The right tyre enables your loader to perform efficiently and will save you money in operating costs and downtime.
The different types of tyres to use for your front end loader, skid steer, backhoe or forklift depends on the different terrains your machine is running on. Lug tyres are ideal for traction, smooth tyres are for sandy or grassy surfaces and skid tyres are great for concrete. These tyre types are discussed in more detail below.
Lug Tyre
The lug tyre is also known as AS Tread and works best for traction. When it comes to lug depth, the deepest lugs give the best traction and self-cleaning ability. The lug tyre has the lowest amount of tread in contact with the terrain, making it wear very quickly on concrete surfaces. It is also a poor choice for sensitive surfaces as it has the highest ground pressure.
Industrial Lug
The industrial lug or MPT is a multi-function tyre. It may be used for concrete surfaces and also for soft soil. If you are running your loader on public roads, the industrial lug is recommended.
Turf Pattern
The turf pattern may be used for hard concrete surfaces and also for sensitive surfaces such as lawns and grassy areas. This type of tyre has the highest amount of tread in contact with the working surface and has very low ground pressure, making it efficient on concrete. The shoulders of the tyres are also soft and as the machine steers, weight is evenly distributed so damage to the lawn or grass is minimised.
Skid Steer Tread
The skid steer tread or SKD are heavy duty with rim guards and a high ply rating. These tyres work best on 50% traction and 50% hard surface. Skid steer tyres are only available in smaller sizes, making it a good choice for small compact wheel loaders.
Some final words
All tyre types are a compromise between traction, strength and wearing ability. Keep in mind that there is no single, perfect tyre for the entire lifespan and workload of your loader, especially if you work on a hard surface one day and on a sensitive surface the next. Select a tyre based on the surface you usually work on.
Also, note that skid steers are unable to use many of the tyre options discussed in this article. The skidding of the machine puts a lot of pressure on a lug tyre, potentially ripping off the tyre's casing. This is why a compact articulated loader is a often a superior choice because a wider variety of tyre options can be used in various demanding applications.
This article was written by Tom Jerrat for Boya Equipment. Boya Equipment is the leading Kubota and Schaffer Loaders dealership in Perth, Australia. They also provide machines including tractors, loaders, generators, mowers and utility vehicles. Please visit http://www.boyaequip.com.au/ for more information.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Choose-The-Right-Tyre-For-Your-Loader&id=6630505] How To Choose The Right Tyre For Your Loader
A loader is a popular type of heavy machinery used to collect, shift or carry materials such as sand, gravel, soil, rocks, asphalt, dirt and debris, often onto a truck for transport. There are various types of loaders available, each with advantages for different applications. A new loader can be a significant investment, so it is essential to make sure that your loader remains in top working condition.
Choosing the right tyre for your loader is one of the best ways to ensure that your machine operates effectively. The right tyre enables your loader to perform efficiently and will save you money in operating costs and downtime.
The different types of tyres to use for your front end loader, skid steer, backhoe or forklift depends on the different terrains your machine is running on. Lug tyres are ideal for traction, smooth tyres are for sandy or grassy surfaces and skid tyres are great for concrete. These tyre types are discussed in more detail below.
Lug Tyre
The lug tyre is also known as AS Tread and works best for traction. When it comes to lug depth, the deepest lugs give the best traction and self-cleaning ability. The lug tyre has the lowest amount of tread in contact with the terrain, making it wear very quickly on concrete surfaces. It is also a poor choice for sensitive surfaces as it has the highest ground pressure.
Industrial Lug
The industrial lug or MPT is a multi-function tyre. It may be used for concrete surfaces and also for soft soil. If you are running your loader on public roads, the industrial lug is recommended.
Turf Pattern
The turf pattern may be used for hard concrete surfaces and also for sensitive surfaces such as lawns and grassy areas. This type of tyre has the highest amount of tread in contact with the working surface and has very low ground pressure, making it efficient on concrete. The shoulders of the tyres are also soft and as the machine steers, weight is evenly distributed so damage to the lawn or grass is minimised.
Skid Steer Tread
The skid steer tread or SKD are heavy duty with rim guards and a high ply rating. These tyres work best on 50% traction and 50% hard surface. Skid steer tyres are only available in smaller sizes, making it a good choice for small compact wheel loaders.
Some final words
All tyre types are a compromise between traction, strength and wearing ability. Keep in mind that there is no single, perfect tyre for the entire lifespan and workload of your loader, especially if you work on a hard surface one day and on a sensitive surface the next. Select a tyre based on the surface you usually work on.
Also, note that skid steers are unable to use many of the tyre options discussed in this article. The skidding of the machine puts a lot of pressure on a lug tyre, potentially ripping off the tyre's casing. This is why a compact articulated loader is a often a superior choice because a wider variety of tyre options can be used in various demanding applications.
This article was written by Tom Jerrat for Boya Equipment. Boya Equipment is the leading Kubota and Schaffer Loaders dealership in Perth, Australia. They also provide machines including tractors, loaders, generators, mowers and utility vehicles. Please visit http://www.boyaequip.com.au/ for more information.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Choose-The-Right-Tyre-For-Your-Loader&id=6630505] How To Choose The Right Tyre For Your Loader
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Pig Farming - How to Make Money From Pigs
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Carter]Andrew Carter
Pig farmers are subject to the 'pig cycle', a key element of agricultural economics. It goes something like this: pigs are unsubsidised - the government doesn't 'help' producers by buying surpluses or fixing prices in any other way, for example, so, when there's not much pork around prices are good - good prices attract people into the industry, and so more pigs become available on the market which means that customers can shop around for the cheapest, which drives pigmeat prices down - lower prices mean that producers make less money from their pigs, and in an industry with very low margins (difference between the cost of producing something and how much you are paid for it) low prices easily force people to sell up - which in turn leads to reduced supply and therefore increasing prices which again attract people back into pigs. Classically this cycle has peaks and troughs every three to five years. Those that can weather the troughs are the farm businesses that will survive long term, and longer term survival means one is more likely to make money out of pigs. There are three ways of achieving this 'cycle-proof' business: large numbers; specialist breeding; small-scale marketing or large scale 'integration'. Let's consider each in turn.
The larger your farm the more likely you are to survive the troughs of the pig cycle, as low margins will be spread over large numbers, and large profits well invested will help the business survive the loss making phases that wouldn't be possible with fewer animals. Large numbers mean that capital investments are spread wider and are therefore lower per animal sold, which increase the margin per animal sold, particularly important when pork prices are depressed. Large numbers (herds of 500 sows and more) also mean better buying power and therefore cheaper per pig inputs (labour, feed, medicines, equipment, straw and so on). You are more likely to stay afloat with lots of pigs, as long as you invest profits wisely against the lean times.
The guys that breed replacement breeding pigs will always make money, supplying extra stock when people are doing well, and having stock to replace those that go out of business - all the time being able to sell breeding animals at a premium. During a slump in the late eighties / early nineties I went bust over a four year period by simply supplying pigmeat into a depressed market from under-performing sows, whilst my partner, working alongside with a 'multiplication' (sow breeding) unit broke even in eighteen months.
If you have a small scale operation, then marketing your own product is the key to survival and profit - you control your product, can butcher / process and supply customers at a premium price, and will be able to do so when conventional markets are paying peanuts. By tapping into a particular 'niche' (rare breed pork for example), playing the 'local' card, and using Farmers Markets, the small producer can command the kind of premium prices that enable him to survive where others will fail. Equally, the large (thousands of sows) integrators control all aspects of production, from 'field to fork' - they have maintenance departments, own their own feed mills and transport fleets, and have slaughter facilities in their business portfolio - they will always be able to weather the storm.
If you're outside of this bunch of producers (and fewer and fewer farmers are), then you'll never make money in this business: low margins per pig and a volatile market will see to that. The first time we had pigs for sale from our restocked unit, there was no market for our pigs anywhere in the country, so we had to feed them for another week, and then accept a price of �1.22 per kilo knowing that our cost of production is nearer �1.50! Such is the reality of life in the pig game!
Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Pig-Farming---How-to-Make-Money-From-Pigs&id=6633653] Pig Farming - How to Make Money From Pigs
Pig farmers are subject to the 'pig cycle', a key element of agricultural economics. It goes something like this: pigs are unsubsidised - the government doesn't 'help' producers by buying surpluses or fixing prices in any other way, for example, so, when there's not much pork around prices are good - good prices attract people into the industry, and so more pigs become available on the market which means that customers can shop around for the cheapest, which drives pigmeat prices down - lower prices mean that producers make less money from their pigs, and in an industry with very low margins (difference between the cost of producing something and how much you are paid for it) low prices easily force people to sell up - which in turn leads to reduced supply and therefore increasing prices which again attract people back into pigs. Classically this cycle has peaks and troughs every three to five years. Those that can weather the troughs are the farm businesses that will survive long term, and longer term survival means one is more likely to make money out of pigs. There are three ways of achieving this 'cycle-proof' business: large numbers; specialist breeding; small-scale marketing or large scale 'integration'. Let's consider each in turn.
The larger your farm the more likely you are to survive the troughs of the pig cycle, as low margins will be spread over large numbers, and large profits well invested will help the business survive the loss making phases that wouldn't be possible with fewer animals. Large numbers mean that capital investments are spread wider and are therefore lower per animal sold, which increase the margin per animal sold, particularly important when pork prices are depressed. Large numbers (herds of 500 sows and more) also mean better buying power and therefore cheaper per pig inputs (labour, feed, medicines, equipment, straw and so on). You are more likely to stay afloat with lots of pigs, as long as you invest profits wisely against the lean times.
The guys that breed replacement breeding pigs will always make money, supplying extra stock when people are doing well, and having stock to replace those that go out of business - all the time being able to sell breeding animals at a premium. During a slump in the late eighties / early nineties I went bust over a four year period by simply supplying pigmeat into a depressed market from under-performing sows, whilst my partner, working alongside with a 'multiplication' (sow breeding) unit broke even in eighteen months.
If you have a small scale operation, then marketing your own product is the key to survival and profit - you control your product, can butcher / process and supply customers at a premium price, and will be able to do so when conventional markets are paying peanuts. By tapping into a particular 'niche' (rare breed pork for example), playing the 'local' card, and using Farmers Markets, the small producer can command the kind of premium prices that enable him to survive where others will fail. Equally, the large (thousands of sows) integrators control all aspects of production, from 'field to fork' - they have maintenance departments, own their own feed mills and transport fleets, and have slaughter facilities in their business portfolio - they will always be able to weather the storm.
If you're outside of this bunch of producers (and fewer and fewer farmers are), then you'll never make money in this business: low margins per pig and a volatile market will see to that. The first time we had pigs for sale from our restocked unit, there was no market for our pigs anywhere in the country, so we had to feed them for another week, and then accept a price of �1.22 per kilo knowing that our cost of production is nearer �1.50! Such is the reality of life in the pig game!
Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Pig-Farming---How-to-Make-Money-From-Pigs&id=6633653] Pig Farming - How to Make Money From Pigs
Monday, October 24, 2011
Pig Farming - Indoors Or Out?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Carter]Andrew Carter
Although there are as many systems of pig production as there are individual farms, these can be divided into two major types: indoor or outdoor pig production.
Indoor pigs farms feature herds of pigs kept in a relatively small, closely controlled area, usually with some form of climate control, often with liquid feeding systems, and (increasingly) 'high health". These systems are often referred to as factory' or 'intensive' production.
Outdoor pigs feature breeding pigs (sows and litters) being kept on free-draining arable fields for one or two years per site, using 'arks' and electric fencing. More than a third of the UK herd are now being kept this way, with an increasing number of pigs being raised to slaughter weight outdoors too.
Both systems have their 'pros' and 'cons': let's start by examining the positive features of both.
Indoors you have the advantage of environmental control: piglets can be born and raised at the right temperature; adult animals can be kept cool in the summer and warmer in the winter - they also don't get the opportunity to get sunburnt; and airflow, especially the occurrence of draughts, so detrimental to pig health, can be controlled. You can also control the feed intake of housed pigs, and are better able to reduce wastage (so important in these days of increasing feed costs) - it's also easy to install computer controlled feeding methods, such as automatic sow feeders and liquid feeding for fattening stock. Indoor farms tend to be more productive than outdoors given the ability to control feed and environment - it's possible to achieve a greater level of supervision and measurement and therefore control of the many variables in an indoor situation. It's also possible to establish and maintain a high health status for your herd, significantly reducing disease risks and challenges.
Outdoors though, you'd benefit from much reduced capital costs, lower running costs, a real marketing benefit in these days when 'freedom food', 'outdoor bred' and even 'organic' hold sway over consumers who might be persuaded to part with a premium price for such environmental friendliness. There is a perception of higher welfare in operation for the outdoor pig (more natural, better able to express it's 'inner pig'. Finally there's the very real advantage of using pigs as a 'break crop' 'cleaning' and fertilising a piece of arable land in need of weeding and refreshing.
Great advantages, but what about the downsides?
Indoors, the set up costs are three times higher (on a per sow basis) than for an outdoor unit. Energy costs are high, and slurry disposal can be a problem (although welcomed by the arable boys once spread and incorporated into the soil), and certainly a significant cost. The high population density of an intensive farm has it's own problems too: diseases spread like wild-fire should they gain access to the herd, and the smell can get offensive, especially on hot days. Welfare considerations are very important too - it's easier to fall foul of the law indoors than out (stocking densities and environmental enrichment come to mind).
Outdoors, the biggest problems are lower productivity and extremes of weather (on my outdoor unit I watched water freeze as it came out of a four inch valve on a bowser one winter). Getting quality staff is an increasing problem too - every day outside is not necessarily idyllic. Vermin control and the health status of the herd is a potential problem too, as is the management of the feeding herd should that be kept outdoors (appetite control, feed conversion, growth rates and feed wastage will all be big challenges that will need a healthy premium price to justify).
There you have it. "Swings and roundabouts" as they say - "six of one and half a dozen of the other". Maybe the best is a compromise - well-designed buildings and slurry management systems, with pipeline fed fat pigs (using dairy waste for example), loose housing and lots of straw. Throw in some high welfare features like Electronic Sow Feeders and plenty of environmental enrichment, and maintain a high health status, then maybe you'll have the best of both worlds? One thing I know for sure is that pigs get as miserable as we do on snowy, icy, wet and windy days, and, like us, they find draughts and high temperature equally uncomfortable.
Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Pig-Farming---Indoors-Or-Out?&id=6636720] Pig Farming - Indoors Or Out?
Although there are as many systems of pig production as there are individual farms, these can be divided into two major types: indoor or outdoor pig production.
Indoor pigs farms feature herds of pigs kept in a relatively small, closely controlled area, usually with some form of climate control, often with liquid feeding systems, and (increasingly) 'high health". These systems are often referred to as factory' or 'intensive' production.
Outdoor pigs feature breeding pigs (sows and litters) being kept on free-draining arable fields for one or two years per site, using 'arks' and electric fencing. More than a third of the UK herd are now being kept this way, with an increasing number of pigs being raised to slaughter weight outdoors too.
Both systems have their 'pros' and 'cons': let's start by examining the positive features of both.
Indoors you have the advantage of environmental control: piglets can be born and raised at the right temperature; adult animals can be kept cool in the summer and warmer in the winter - they also don't get the opportunity to get sunburnt; and airflow, especially the occurrence of draughts, so detrimental to pig health, can be controlled. You can also control the feed intake of housed pigs, and are better able to reduce wastage (so important in these days of increasing feed costs) - it's also easy to install computer controlled feeding methods, such as automatic sow feeders and liquid feeding for fattening stock. Indoor farms tend to be more productive than outdoors given the ability to control feed and environment - it's possible to achieve a greater level of supervision and measurement and therefore control of the many variables in an indoor situation. It's also possible to establish and maintain a high health status for your herd, significantly reducing disease risks and challenges.
Outdoors though, you'd benefit from much reduced capital costs, lower running costs, a real marketing benefit in these days when 'freedom food', 'outdoor bred' and even 'organic' hold sway over consumers who might be persuaded to part with a premium price for such environmental friendliness. There is a perception of higher welfare in operation for the outdoor pig (more natural, better able to express it's 'inner pig'. Finally there's the very real advantage of using pigs as a 'break crop' 'cleaning' and fertilising a piece of arable land in need of weeding and refreshing.
Great advantages, but what about the downsides?
Indoors, the set up costs are three times higher (on a per sow basis) than for an outdoor unit. Energy costs are high, and slurry disposal can be a problem (although welcomed by the arable boys once spread and incorporated into the soil), and certainly a significant cost. The high population density of an intensive farm has it's own problems too: diseases spread like wild-fire should they gain access to the herd, and the smell can get offensive, especially on hot days. Welfare considerations are very important too - it's easier to fall foul of the law indoors than out (stocking densities and environmental enrichment come to mind).
Outdoors, the biggest problems are lower productivity and extremes of weather (on my outdoor unit I watched water freeze as it came out of a four inch valve on a bowser one winter). Getting quality staff is an increasing problem too - every day outside is not necessarily idyllic. Vermin control and the health status of the herd is a potential problem too, as is the management of the feeding herd should that be kept outdoors (appetite control, feed conversion, growth rates and feed wastage will all be big challenges that will need a healthy premium price to justify).
There you have it. "Swings and roundabouts" as they say - "six of one and half a dozen of the other". Maybe the best is a compromise - well-designed buildings and slurry management systems, with pipeline fed fat pigs (using dairy waste for example), loose housing and lots of straw. Throw in some high welfare features like Electronic Sow Feeders and plenty of environmental enrichment, and maintain a high health status, then maybe you'll have the best of both worlds? One thing I know for sure is that pigs get as miserable as we do on snowy, icy, wet and windy days, and, like us, they find draughts and high temperature equally uncomfortable.
Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Pig-Farming---Indoors-Or-Out?&id=6636720] Pig Farming - Indoors Or Out?
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Pig Farming - Artificial Vs Natural Insemination
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Carter]Andrew Carter
Now here's a question - should I use a boar or a 'straw' (that is a sachet or bottle of diluted pig semen) to get my sows pregnant? This is equally pertinent a question if you have 1200 sows or one, and the reasoning is pretty similar given either scenario - so lets start by comparing the two.
Boars need feeding and housing; semen packs simply need ordering, delivering and storing. I say simply: you have to remember to order the semen in time for it to be as fresh as possible when your sows are ready to be inseminated; you need to be able to get it from the postman or courier to storage as quickly as possible; and you need to be able to store it at (as near as is possible) a constant seventeen degrees Celsius for the duration of it's viability (which is about a week from collection given a long-life diluent and the right storage conditions).
So with the semen packs you're not having to pay for feed, you're not having to muck out pens, and you aren't running the risk of being bitten, chased, gored or eaten by them either. A semen pack will not need veterinary attention and won't smell either! It's easier to handle, and the insemination technique is easily learnt - a 'knack' rather than a great skill.
A boar, however, can tell when a sow is at her most receptive (and encourage her to that point), deliver semen in large doses (200 - 300ml at a time) into the right place inside the sow, and give you a consistent product during his useful lifetime on your unit.
But it'll always be his genes, and with pig genetics advancing year on year the semen pack from the AI (artificial insemination) stud will always be at the forefront of breeding, giving you more and better pigs per sow per year, year after year. The semen pack enables you to use more than one breed or bloodline, and gives you access to the best commercial sires available - they are a cost effective way of improving your output, which with the very tight financial margins involved in the pig industry is essential. Basically, by the time the young boar you've bought or bred (or kept back from your fattening pens) is ready to work, a genetically superior boar will be available to you from the AI stud.
Using 'teaser' boars it is possible to detect when a sow is ready to be served, and then use AI to get her pregnant, serving two or three times during her 24 - 36 hour standing oestrus (a boar will only be able to manage two or three times a week). It's an easily learnt technique, and results are excellent: most commercial farms now use AI, keeping only a few boars to encourage and detect standing heats (when a sow is at her most fertile she'll stand still given a pressure on the small of her back, whether that pressure is applied by a boar, a stockman or some mechanical device) - and then keeping the ladies chatting and interested whilst the stockman inseminates them (the teaser boars' main role is producing pheromones and grunting in just the right way).
But what if you've one got one or two sows to get pregnant? Is it worth keeping a large, potentially aggressive (and certainly strong and wilful) animal just to have it work a couple of times a year? Maybe you can hire one in for a few days (certainly the best option if you've got a rare breed) - but with this comes problems with disease transmission, problems with housing the visitor, as well as the technicalities of handling him and supervising service. One of the biggest problems with natural service (especially indoors with a single boar - less so in groups of pigs with multiple boars outdoors) is making sure that the boar has deposited his semen inside the right part of the pig, and so is best supervised in an appropriate facility.
In summary then, and in answer to our opening question: use a 'straw'! Today's technology enables pig keepers to use the best modern genetics, drawn from a variety of breeds and bloodlines without having to look after (and pay for) a boar for every ten females on the farm. The smallholder or pet-keeper can take advantage of AI too, reducing his costs and having a choice of sires.
Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Pig-Farming---Artificial-Vs-Natural-Insemination&id=6636241] Pig Farming - Artificial Vs Natural Insemination
Now here's a question - should I use a boar or a 'straw' (that is a sachet or bottle of diluted pig semen) to get my sows pregnant? This is equally pertinent a question if you have 1200 sows or one, and the reasoning is pretty similar given either scenario - so lets start by comparing the two.
Boars need feeding and housing; semen packs simply need ordering, delivering and storing. I say simply: you have to remember to order the semen in time for it to be as fresh as possible when your sows are ready to be inseminated; you need to be able to get it from the postman or courier to storage as quickly as possible; and you need to be able to store it at (as near as is possible) a constant seventeen degrees Celsius for the duration of it's viability (which is about a week from collection given a long-life diluent and the right storage conditions).
So with the semen packs you're not having to pay for feed, you're not having to muck out pens, and you aren't running the risk of being bitten, chased, gored or eaten by them either. A semen pack will not need veterinary attention and won't smell either! It's easier to handle, and the insemination technique is easily learnt - a 'knack' rather than a great skill.
A boar, however, can tell when a sow is at her most receptive (and encourage her to that point), deliver semen in large doses (200 - 300ml at a time) into the right place inside the sow, and give you a consistent product during his useful lifetime on your unit.
But it'll always be his genes, and with pig genetics advancing year on year the semen pack from the AI (artificial insemination) stud will always be at the forefront of breeding, giving you more and better pigs per sow per year, year after year. The semen pack enables you to use more than one breed or bloodline, and gives you access to the best commercial sires available - they are a cost effective way of improving your output, which with the very tight financial margins involved in the pig industry is essential. Basically, by the time the young boar you've bought or bred (or kept back from your fattening pens) is ready to work, a genetically superior boar will be available to you from the AI stud.
Using 'teaser' boars it is possible to detect when a sow is ready to be served, and then use AI to get her pregnant, serving two or three times during her 24 - 36 hour standing oestrus (a boar will only be able to manage two or three times a week). It's an easily learnt technique, and results are excellent: most commercial farms now use AI, keeping only a few boars to encourage and detect standing heats (when a sow is at her most fertile she'll stand still given a pressure on the small of her back, whether that pressure is applied by a boar, a stockman or some mechanical device) - and then keeping the ladies chatting and interested whilst the stockman inseminates them (the teaser boars' main role is producing pheromones and grunting in just the right way).
But what if you've one got one or two sows to get pregnant? Is it worth keeping a large, potentially aggressive (and certainly strong and wilful) animal just to have it work a couple of times a year? Maybe you can hire one in for a few days (certainly the best option if you've got a rare breed) - but with this comes problems with disease transmission, problems with housing the visitor, as well as the technicalities of handling him and supervising service. One of the biggest problems with natural service (especially indoors with a single boar - less so in groups of pigs with multiple boars outdoors) is making sure that the boar has deposited his semen inside the right part of the pig, and so is best supervised in an appropriate facility.
In summary then, and in answer to our opening question: use a 'straw'! Today's technology enables pig keepers to use the best modern genetics, drawn from a variety of breeds and bloodlines without having to look after (and pay for) a boar for every ten females on the farm. The smallholder or pet-keeper can take advantage of AI too, reducing his costs and having a choice of sires.
Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Pig-Farming---Artificial-Vs-Natural-Insemination&id=6636241] Pig Farming - Artificial Vs Natural Insemination
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Pig Farming - Weaning to Service Interval Is Critical
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Carter]Andrew Carter
A key performance indicator, critical to success or failure in a very low margin business such as producing pigs, is the weaning to service interval of the herd. By this we mean the number of days between the day of weaning a sows' litter to the day that she is served again.
A herds' success can be best measured by the amount of pigmeat that each sow produces each year, which is in turn affected by the number of litters she has each year and the number of piglets produced from each littler. There are obviously other factors involved, such as the age at weaning, and post weaning mortality, and of course, the rate of growth of the pigs and the weight at slaughter, but the key component is how many days she is 'empty' - that is not pregnant or suckling. During these days she is eating your food, taking up your time, doing nothing productive - costing the farm money. This isn't strictly true of course, she's getting her body back into reproductive mode after three or four weeks of lactation, and it's critical to manage these days carefully.
Once weaned, the physiological processes leading to ovulation kick in. There's a change of hormones going on, a drying up of milk, and in short order big behavioural changes. The sow comes out of confinement and the hassle of hungry dependents into a situation where she feels increasingly 'randy' as well as having to sort out where she stands with the adults that she finds herself mixed with again. All very confusing, coupled with a change of environment (a different pen for example) and a smell of the boar that she hasn't sampled for a while. It only takes three or four days, and the sow will start to get very interested in other sows in the group, even in the stockman when he's in the pen too. She'll ride other sows, nuzzle flanks and get very agitated. At the same time her vulva will start to redden and swell. All this time she needs to be able to touch a boar nose to nose through a gate or some other barrier, in order to be able to smell him and hear and talk to him. On the third full day it's important to keep the ladies away from the boar, and from day four onwards introduce them to each other for a limited period of time once or twice a day. When the sow is coming up to ovulation she will exhibit a 'standing-heat': she'll stand solid as rock for anything when pressure is applied to her back in the presence of a boar. She should be served during this 24 (or thereabouts) 'window', during which the vulva swelling will subside, and after which she'll no longer stand and eggs will drop down the fallopian tubes into the semen which has been introduced into the uterus, either by the boar or via artificial insemination.
Top herds in the UK have twelve 'empty' days per sow per year, which is the equivalent of a five-day weaning to service interval. The consequences for missing a heat are twenty-one more empty days before the animal stands again, all twenty-one of which she'll enjoy (literally) eating into your profit (if there is a profit to be made this year!). To avoid these extra days, make sure that the sows are weaned in good condition - i.e. they have had plenty to eat during lactation - and that boar stimulation is good during the few days post weaning. Then, just get the insemination right (needs very good levels of attention to detail/ stock management), and she'll be off again into money making mode, hopefully full off piglets to enter the world three months three weeks and three days later!
Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Pig-Farming---Weaning-to-Service-Interval-Is-Critical&id=6636592] Pig Farming - Weaning to Service Interval Is Critical
A key performance indicator, critical to success or failure in a very low margin business such as producing pigs, is the weaning to service interval of the herd. By this we mean the number of days between the day of weaning a sows' litter to the day that she is served again.
A herds' success can be best measured by the amount of pigmeat that each sow produces each year, which is in turn affected by the number of litters she has each year and the number of piglets produced from each littler. There are obviously other factors involved, such as the age at weaning, and post weaning mortality, and of course, the rate of growth of the pigs and the weight at slaughter, but the key component is how many days she is 'empty' - that is not pregnant or suckling. During these days she is eating your food, taking up your time, doing nothing productive - costing the farm money. This isn't strictly true of course, she's getting her body back into reproductive mode after three or four weeks of lactation, and it's critical to manage these days carefully.
Once weaned, the physiological processes leading to ovulation kick in. There's a change of hormones going on, a drying up of milk, and in short order big behavioural changes. The sow comes out of confinement and the hassle of hungry dependents into a situation where she feels increasingly 'randy' as well as having to sort out where she stands with the adults that she finds herself mixed with again. All very confusing, coupled with a change of environment (a different pen for example) and a smell of the boar that she hasn't sampled for a while. It only takes three or four days, and the sow will start to get very interested in other sows in the group, even in the stockman when he's in the pen too. She'll ride other sows, nuzzle flanks and get very agitated. At the same time her vulva will start to redden and swell. All this time she needs to be able to touch a boar nose to nose through a gate or some other barrier, in order to be able to smell him and hear and talk to him. On the third full day it's important to keep the ladies away from the boar, and from day four onwards introduce them to each other for a limited period of time once or twice a day. When the sow is coming up to ovulation she will exhibit a 'standing-heat': she'll stand solid as rock for anything when pressure is applied to her back in the presence of a boar. She should be served during this 24 (or thereabouts) 'window', during which the vulva swelling will subside, and after which she'll no longer stand and eggs will drop down the fallopian tubes into the semen which has been introduced into the uterus, either by the boar or via artificial insemination.
Top herds in the UK have twelve 'empty' days per sow per year, which is the equivalent of a five-day weaning to service interval. The consequences for missing a heat are twenty-one more empty days before the animal stands again, all twenty-one of which she'll enjoy (literally) eating into your profit (if there is a profit to be made this year!). To avoid these extra days, make sure that the sows are weaned in good condition - i.e. they have had plenty to eat during lactation - and that boar stimulation is good during the few days post weaning. Then, just get the insemination right (needs very good levels of attention to detail/ stock management), and she'll be off again into money making mode, hopefully full off piglets to enter the world three months three weeks and three days later!
Andrew is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language (TEFL), a farmer with twenty years agricultural experience, and worked for fifteen years in the global automotive industry.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Pig-Farming---Weaning-to-Service-Interval-Is-Critical&id=6636592] Pig Farming - Weaning to Service Interval Is Critical
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