NCERA_OLD89: Swine Management Research Committee
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Inactive/Terminating
NCERA_OLD89: Swine Management Research Committee
Duration: 10/01/2001 to 09/30/2006
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Statement of Issues and Justification
Pork production systems continue to evolve in the U.S. as they have for over three decades. Evolution in the swine industry is driven by the development, evaluation, and implementation of new technologies. The progression from development to implementation of a new technology cannot be completed without the middle step, evaluation. New technologies can be evaluated in various ways by many different entities within the swine industry. Large, coordinated pork production systems can evaluate a technology within their production system and determine whether the technology is valuable. Typically, results of their evaluation are not public information. Feed companies, genetic companies and equipment manufacturers can evaluate management practices and technologies on their clients' farms but the results may be viewed as biased because the company may have a financial interest in the technology. Independent pork producers can evaluate a technology on their individual farm(s) but often do not have the equipment and usually do not possess the expertise to conduct a scientifically valid study. The scenarios listed above create a need for objective, unbiased evaluation of new technologies and management practices. The NCR-89 Research Committee is uniquely suited to conduct these evaluations. The breadth and wealth of swine management experience brought to the committee by its members are the base of valid, scientific evaluations of management practices being considered in the swine industry. The NCR-89 Committee includes nutritionists, geneticists, engineers, a reproductive physiologist, and an ethologist. The variety of disciplines and viewpoints of the committee members allows thorough understanding of complex production issues. Cooperative, coordinated research among experiment stations permits evaluation of technologies in different research units located in various parts of the central U.S. The NCR-89 Swine Management Research Committee has a long history of conducting cooperative, coordinated research and reporting the results of that research to stakeholder groups. This continuum of generating and disseminating research results is evidenced by the respectable number of publications for a large committee aimed at scientific audiences, producer groups, and agriculturally-minded educators (see below). In addition to conducting and reporting original research, the NCR-89 Committee provides a forum for scientists interested in swine management issues to gather for an informal exchange of ideas. In the NCR-89 Committee, this exchange usually occurs in an informal setting that is fraught with questions about new concepts, challenges to underlying assumptions, and science-based defense of conclusions. All this happens in an enjoyable, thought-provoking manner that stimulates committee members and fosters cooperation among stations.
Objectives
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Evaluate feed intake management of sows during late gestation as it affects sow performance in the subsequent lactation.
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Study the impact of group size on the performance and economics of finishing pigs.
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Develop management schemes that decrease the variation in performance of growing-finishing pigs.
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Establish new standards for water and feed use in modern pork production systems that will guide discussions on environmental impacts of swine production.
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Procedures and Activities
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
Specific outreach objectives include: 1) Continue aggressive pursuit of publishing research results in refereed publications as full length papers and abstracts; 2) Disseminate research results in the popular press, in regional and national experiment station publications, and in extension service publications targeted at pork producers; and 3) Author a publication through the Midwest Plan Service or other suitable medium to provide standards for water and feed use in pork production systems.
Organization/Governance
The recommended Standard Governance for multistate research activities include the election of a Chair, a Chair-elect, and a Secretary. All officers are to be elected for at least two-year terms to provide continuity. Administrative guidance will be provided by an assigned Administrative Advisor and a CSREES Representative.
Literature Cited
Refereed Publications: Johnston, L. J., M. Ellis, G. W. Libal, V. B. Mayrose, W. C. Weldon, and NCR-89 Committee on Swine Management. 1999. Effect of room temperature and dietary ammo acid concentration on performance oflactating sows. J. Anim. Sci. 77:1638-1644. Leibbrandt, V. D., L. J. Johnston, G. C. Shurson, J. D. Crenshaw, G. W. Libal, R. D. Arthur, NCR-89 Committee on Management of Swine. 2000. Effect of nipple drinker water flow rate and season on performance oflactating swine. J. Anim. Sci. (submitted). Brumm, M. C., M. Ellis, L. J. Johnston, D. W. Rozeboom, D. R. Zimmerman, and NCR-89 Committee on Swine Management. 2000. Interaction of swine nursery and grow-finish space allocations on performance. J. Anim. Sci. (submitted). Abstracts: Brumm, M.C., L. J. Johnston, D. W. Rozeboom, D. R. Zimmerman, and NCR-89 Committee. 1999. Interaction of nursery and grow-finish space allocation on performance from weaning to slaughter. J. Anim. Sci. 77(Suppl. l):35(Abstr.). Brumm, M. C., M. Ellis, L. J. Johnston, D. W. Rozeboom, D. R. Zimmerman, and NCR-89 Committee on Swine Management. 2001. Effect of slow growing pig removal on overall pig performance and facility utilization. J. Anim. Sci. (submitted for presentation at 2001 ASAS Midwest Section meeting of ASAS). Miscellaneous publications: National Pork Producers Council. 1999. Farrowing House Management Training Curriculum. (Committee members used data generated in NCR-89 committee research in this educational publication.) Brumm, M.C. and J. Harmon. 2000. Facilities for early weaned pigs. National Hog Farmer Blueprint Series, Oct. 15. NPPC. 2000. Grower-Finisher Management Training Curriculum (Committee members used data generated in NCR-89 committee research in this educational publication). Brumm, M. C., R. Goodband, and L. K. dark. 2000. Management of newly received SEW and feeder pigs. PIH-111, Coop. Ext. Service, Purdue Univ, W. Lafayette, IN (Authors used NCR- 89 data on water flow in formulating management recommendations.).