Articles - Genetics and reproduction

Genetics plays a key role in the farm's future, with the terminal sire being a crucial investment due to its high impact on the pork value chain.

Intrauterine growth restriction is a complex condition with long-lasting effects that compromise both productivity and fertility in pigs.

Reducing sow mortality takes time, and it is therefore necessary that the owner or manager is committed and leads the project. Throughout the process, you will need to draw a line and start doing things differently to achieve significant results.

The best DanBred sow farms in Denmark have sow mortality as low as 5%, showing that management, including feeding strategies, is the key.

There is plenty of evidence that the weight and backfat level of the gilt at first mating is strongly related to her productive life and longevity.

Looking inside our pigs to learn more about their future.

We are sharing an example of a sow card used to record basic breeding sow data, which is essential on all farms regardless of their size.

Antonio Palomo summarizes the swine production and reproduction presentations from the latest Allen D. Leman Swine Conference 2024.

To identify the keys to success in managing sows in breed and release systems, France's Chamber of Agriculture of the Brittany Region surveyed farmers who implemented this system. The results identified three strategies that producers use the week after weaning.

Sánchez-Osorio describes the characteristics of the different terminal boar lines developed by Topigs Norsvin for each type of market, prioritizing lean yield or meat quality.

Gene editing represents a significant technological advancement that we must thoroughly understand due to its potential impact on the swine industry. Will there be animals resistant to viral diseases?

Why induce puberty? If I do choose to induce puberty, what do I need to do, and when?

We interviewed Anders Christian Sørensen to talk about the DanBred's genetic selection objectives.

We interviewed Jesús Etxart to talk about the latest management recommendations for DanBred sows.

This is the result of a public-private partnership aimed at mitigating the risk of exotic, emergency, and diseases controlled by the official vet services entering Brazil to protect the national swine herd.

Sánchez-Osorio shares the key points on which Topigs Norsvin's health management is grounded.

In this logbook, each page corresponds to a week of the year in which all the matings during the week are recorded.

We talked to Jonatan Sánchez-Osorio, Technical Director of Topigs Norsvin Spain, about the essential points in managing sows from this genetic line.

Íñigo González explains the biosecurity measures taken in Hypor genetic nucleus and multiplication farms.

Use a waist bag to always have the supplies you need for farrowing assistance at hand.

In this article, we focus on the key aspects of management to optimize performance from this genetic line of sows. We talked with Carlos Martins.

Farrowing induction is needed to improve the ability of farm staff to supervise farrowing, but you need to be strategic; do not induce unless evidence says it is needed.

Previous articles addressed genetic criteria and proper management guidelines. In this article, Tim Snider, Regional Director for Veterinary Services at PIC Europe, explains the basics of PIC's health program.

The PigCHAMP Pro Europe database was used to analyze nurse sows, which wean almost twice the farm average.