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Whole-Herd Risk Factors Associated With Wean-To-Finish Mortality Under the Conditions of a Midwestern USA Swine Production System

Swine wean-to-finish (W2F) mortality is a multifactorial, dynamic process and a key performance indicator of commercial swine production. Although swine producers typically capture the relevant data, analysis of W2F mortality risk factors is often hindered by the fact that, even if data is available, they are typically in different formats, non-uniform, and dispersed among multiple unconnected databases. In this study, an automated framework was created to link multiple data streams to specific cohorts of market animals, including sow farm productivity parameters, sow farm and growing pig health factors, facilities, management factors, and closeout data from a Midwestern USA production system. The final dataset (master-table) contained breeding-to-market data for 1,316 cohorts of pigs marketed between July 2018 and June 2019. Following integration into a master-table, continuous explanatory variables were categorized into quartiles averages, and the W2F mortality was log-transformed, reporting geometric mean mortality of 8.69 % for the study population. Further, univariate analyses were performed to identify individual variables associated with W2F mortality (p < 0.10) for further inclusion in a multivariable model, where model selection was applied. The final multivariable model consisted of 13 risk factors and accounted for 68.2 % (R2) of the variability of the W2F mortality, demonstrating that sow farm health and performance are closely linked to downstream W2F mortality. Higher sow farm productivity was associated with lower subsequent W2F mortality and, conversely, lower sow farm productivity with higher W2F mortality e.g., groups weaned in the highest quartiles for pre-weaning mortality and abortion rate had 13.5 %, and 12.5 %, respectively, which was statistically lower than the lowest quartiles for the same variables (10.5 %, and 10.6 %). Moreover, better sow farm health status was also associated with lower subsequent W2F mortality.

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EveryPig: AI, Collaboration & Data Integration Shaping Swine Production | Brian Doyle | WPX 2026

Video: EveryPig: AI, Collaboration & Data Integration Shaping Swine Production | Brian Doyle | WPX 2026

What are the biggest technology trends emerging at the 2026 World Pork Expo?

Brian Doyle of EveryPig shares his early observations from the show floor, highlighting strong attendance, increased collaboration between technology providers, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in modern pork production.

Doyle discusses how better data integration between systems can create a single source of truth for producers, while AI-powered tools and intelligent agents help automate routine tasks, analyze large volumes of production data, and turn information into actionable insights that improve decision-making.

Topics Covered:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in pork production

Data integration and interoperability

Technology collaboration

Digital farm management

Automation and intelligent agents

World Pork Expo 2026

Recorded at the 2026 World Pork Expo.