California’s Proposition 12, which restricts gestation crate usage and requires 24 square feet of space per sow, has been a hot topic of conversation in swine circles since the Supreme Court upheld the law earlier this year. While some producers swear they won’t make the change on their farms, other states are following in California’s steps. A similar law approved by Massachusetts voters in 2016 will finally go into effect this year, and recently New Jersey unanimously passed a similar law, making it the 11th state to implement such regulations.
The new laws ultimately force producers to expand the physical size of their barns or reduce the number of sows in their herd to accommodate the square footage required by law.
Regardless of what producers do to follow these rules, sow productivity, and piglet uniformity and livability are more important than ever.
Joining Feedstuffs in Focus host Sarah Muirhead is Novus Technical Service Manager Alex Hintz and Novus Sales Manager Andrew Howerton. Hintz is a veterinarian focused on maximizing lifetime sow productivity and profitability as well as nursery and growing pig performance. Howerton is a seventh-generation pig farmer who served as a production manager for a 5,600-sow unit prior to joining Novus.
Understanding the challenge producers are facing, intelligent nutrition company Novus International is sharing ways to support sows and the people who raise them.
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