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Swine Health Information Center to Examine Potential for Creating Poultry Improvement Like Program for Pork Sector

The Swine Health Information Center has approved funding for a study to determine the potential benefits of creating a National Swine Improvement Program modeled after a program created for poultry producers.
 
The Poultry Improvement Program, funded by USDA, States and poultry producers, monitors disease status of poultry flocks and conducts surveillance for disease outbreaks to provide the poultry sector the information needed to quickly respond to disease outbreaks and limit spread.
 
Dr. Paul Sundberg, the Executive Director of the Swine Health Information Centre, says the question being asked is what might be learned from the Poultry Improvement Program that could be applicable to the pork sector?
 
Dr. Paul Sundberg-Swine Health Information Centre:
 
One of the things we know about international trade is that, if we would get an infection of a highly contagious disease that's a program disease like Foot and Mouth Disease or Classical Swine Fever, African Swine Fever, one of those, our international trade would probably be shut down immediately and that is an extreme risk for our pork industry as we rely more on international trade for the opportunity for profit for our producers.
 
The question becomes what are the needs of the industry going to be in the future in order to help protect or help enhance that opportunity for international trade should we get a highly contagious disease.
 
Source : Farmscape

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WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!