June 21, 2022

 

US university group held Swine Innovation Forum in North Carolina

 

 

The North Carolina State University's (NCSU) Swine Extension group recently hosted the annual NCSU Swine Innovation Form at The Maxwell Center in Goldsboro, North Carolina, the United States, last month.

 

The event welcomed pork producers, Extension agents and students as well as members of the allied industry from across the US states and nationwide.

 

The forum was offered as a hybrid event with in-person and online attendees. It started with William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor Billy Flowers presenting "Five Things to Check When Sows and Gilts Don't Get Pregnant."

 

NCSU associate professor and Extension swine specialist Mark Knauer later presented "Pre-Farrowing Feeding Strategies." His presentation included recent developments in pre-farrowing management and calcium usage to improve farrowing.

 

Next, Mahmoud Sharara, from the NCSU Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, shared "Economic Recovery and Recycling of Swine Manure Nutrients." Sharara's research programme at NCSU focuses on furthering sustainability for pig farmers with non-conventional methods of waste management such as greenhouse drying. His presentation highlighted how swine manure can be a value-added by-product of swine production.

 

Monique Pairis-Garcia, DVM from NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine, ended the morning session with an action item for producers to fill out a survey on "Producer Perspectives on Precision Livestock Farming." Feedback gained from this survey will be used in a collaborative research study between NC State, Michigan State and Iowa State universities.

 

For the afternoon session, Brent Frederick, pork innovation lead at Cargill, presented "A Glimpse Into the Future of Pork Production" where he provided a unique perspective on how current trends and pressures will shape the future landscape of the US industry.

 

Continuing the conversation on technology, NC State Department of Animal Science assistant professor Suzanne Leonard shared "Applied Engineering Solutions," providing examples and applications of current precision livestock farming research happening at NCSU.

 

NCSU Extension swine specialist Jon Holt gave his presentation "Available Technologies for Pork Producers" to offer insight into commercial products that are currently on the market for producers, as well as strategies for selecting and optimising them for facilities.

 

To conclude the event, Holt moderated a "Technology Panel" featuring Frederick and Leonard, as well as Jeremy Howard of Smithfield, and Distynct chief executive officer BJ Brugman. During this open question-and-answer session, attendees were able to converse with NSCU specialists regarding their own experiences and perspectives on the development, implementation and trade-offs for technologies in swine production.

- North Carolina State University