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Consistency Matters As Much As Production

Your milk statements from the plant carry more meaning than how big the check will be at the end of the month. You already know that fat and protein test averages tell volumes about effective fiber, ration digestibility, protein, and carbohydrate balance, as well as many other factors, such as fat levels in the diet.
 
The variability of these component values can be as telling, if not more so, than the monthly or weekly averages. Variations in milk fat, protein percentage, and milk urea nitrogen can also point out effects of crowding, heat stress, large meal sizes and slug feeding, and inconsistencies in feeding times or accuracy of total mixed ration formulation.
 
In the December 2015 Wisconsin Agriculturist article Consistency matters as much as production, UW-Extension Wood County Agriculture Agent Matt Lippert discusses how to use your own herd as a benchmark and to account for sources of  variability.
 

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Leman Swine Conference: US study confirms Improvest cuts water use, boosts feed efficiency in pigs

Video: Leman Swine Conference: US study confirms Improvest cuts water use, boosts feed efficiency in pigs

Dr. Micah Jansen, managing pork technical services veterinarian at Zoetis Pork, was recently interviewed by The Pig Site’s Sarah Mikesell in St. Paul, Minnesota at the Leman Swine Conference about new research conducted on Improvest focused on water disappearance.