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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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Interview with Dr. Jayson Lusk: Market Impact of the Global Adoption of PRRS-Resistant Pigs

Video: Interview with Dr. Jayson Lusk: Market Impact of the Global Adoption of PRRS-Resistant Pigs

What is the economic impact of adopting the PRRS-resistant pig for farmers in the U.S.?

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Jayson Lusk, Dean of Agriculture at Oklahoma State University, shares insights from his latest research on the market impact of PRRS-resistant pigs.

Insights include:

•What happens to the global market if farmers in the U.S. adopt the PRRS-resistant pig

•The risks of not adopting the technology

•The ways pork producers can remain competitive against other proteins


This could be a pivotal moment for the pork industry – both for improving animal welfare and for enhancing the viability of pork producers.