Category: Protein

Inadequate ventilation presents many challenges for hog producers, including heightened risks of animal distress, respiratory diseases and reduced productivity. Heat stress is also a significant concern, costing the swine industry approximately $900 million annually¹. When pigs experience heat stress, it negatively impacts their health and efficiency. Healthy, non-stressed pigs grow faster, are less prone to illness, and contribute more to the operation’s bottom line.

“When pigs are stressed, it can have a variety of negative impacts on their health, behavior and productivity,” said Mark Oberreuter, PE, System Design Engineer and Tech Team Manager at Automated Production (AP). “The pig that is the most comfortable will be the most productive. So anything a producer can do to regulate the barn environment will help improve the pig’s health and optimize productivity.”

Understanding the Impact of Inadequate Ventilation

Proper ventilation is more than just airflow. Ensuring your ventilation system functions properly is critical for maintaining a stable barn environment. Adequate ventilation removes excess heat, gases and moisture that accumulates within the barn, promoting the overall health and well-being of the animals and the efficiency of operations.

Inadequate ventilation causes many issues for producers, including:

• Poor air quality
• Heat stress
• Increased respiratory illnesses
• Heightened disease risk
• Animal discomfort and aggression
• Reduced efficiency and growth
• Decreased profitability potential

“Raising pigs efficiently involves optimizing inputs, minimizing costs and maximizing performance while ensuring the pigs grow and thrive,” said Oberreuter. “Achieving ideal airflow is crucial for creating the best environment for pigs from a young age. This means maintaining the right temperatures, ensuring adequate oxygen levels and avoiding drafts. Precision in air exchange is essential. As the temperature in the barn changes, it’s vital to have equipment like AP’s Commander Fan that can adjust ventilation to meet the pigs’ needs.”

Optimize Your Barn’s Ventilation System

Does your barn air ventilation system need to be optimized? AP offers comprehensive solutions. Whether you need a new ventilation system designed, an existing one updated or an audit of your current system, AP’s experts can help ensure your barn’s ventilation is in top shape.

For more detailed information on the Commander Fan and how it can benefit your swine production operation or to find a dealer, visit AP’s Commander Series Fans.

¹ University of Minnesota Extension: https://extension.umn.edu/swine-production-management/heat-stress-swine-affects-production#effects-on-grow-finish-stage-of-production%C2%A0-255312

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) hosted the 2024 triannual, trilateral meeting with its North American counterparts, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Confederación Nacional de Organizaciones Ganaderas (CNOG) on the sidelines of the Canadian Beef Industry Conference.

The trilateral meeting gives an opportunity for leadership to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing beef producers across Canada, the United States and Mexico. Topics at this year’s trilateral focused on trade policy, the upcoming review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA/USMCA/T-MEC) in 2026, and international engagement on antimicrobial resistance.

“The beef industry is highly integrated across North America and with the upcoming review of CUSMA in 2026, it is crucial for us to have these trilateral meetings with our friends to the south. With the challenges that our sector is facing globally, we are stronger working together, to push back against non-tariff barriers and other unscientific international policies that impact beef producers,” said Nathan Phinney, CCA president.

“NCBA greatly values our relationships with our Canadian and Mexican counterparts and our ability to come together as allies to tackle issues facing cattle producers across North America,” NCBA President Mark Eisele said. “In addition to discussing international trade and animal health concerns, I am also encouraged that CCA, CNOG and NCBA continue standing together to push back against lab-grown proteins. These lab-grown protein companies are trying to capitalize from the incredible reputation of real beef in their efforts to sell ultra-processed products created in bioreactors. Together, we are working to ensure lab-grown proteins are properly regulated and transparently labeled to avoid consumer confusion with our products that are made with only one ingredient, beef.”

Through CUSMA, beef producers across all three countries benefit from the market-based demand for our product. As we approach the 2026 review, the combined leadership of CCA, NCBA and CNOG emphasizes the success that it continues to bring to our industry.

At the same time, we’re looking at opportunities to work together against global challenges including non-tariff barriers we’re facing in other jurisdictions and international commitments that impact the cattle sector. Despite recognizing antimicrobial resistance as an urgent global one-health threat, the North American beef sector is aligned and pushing back against unfounded antimicrobial reduction targets without considering sector specific needs. Responsible antimicrobial stewardship is essential to supporting the health and welfare of cattle, which includes increased access to veterinary products.

CCA, NCBA and CNOG leadership determined a unified approach to address international challenges facing the countries’ producers and will continue to work on these files together, in lead up to the next trilateral meeting in San Antonio in 2025. 

Source: NCBA

The reduction of extensively valued and also massively prominent northerly livestock market determine Luke Bowen has actually been actually consulted with a cascade of pain through his several pals around Australia.

Regardless of his youthful grow older, in 2011 as chief executive officer of the Northern Area Cattlemen’s Organization Luke climbed fearlessly forward to lead the northerly livestock market via its own darkest days following the destructive export restriction to Indonesia.

He eventually kept elderly functions along with the Northern Area Federal government and also was actually designated as the inaugural chief executive officer of Australia’s nationwide optimal livestock market depictive physical body Livestock Australia in February 2023, prior to walking out in September in 2015 because of wellness factors.

Luke was actually extremely deemed a brave and also enthusiastic champ of the livestock market and also an organic forerunner whose genuine and also trusted strategy aided to create links and also hook up non-urban and also city Australia.

Information of his passing away has actually triggered warm homages on social media sites. “Ruined is actually an extensive exaggeration” one friend informed Meat Central today.

A social media sites message coming from Livestock Australia introduced the destructive headlines of his reduction on Sunday early morning.

” Our organization is actually wrecked due to the passing away of our previous chief executive officer, and also among farming’s finest innovators, Luke Bowen.

‘ Luke’s addition to our market, local areas and also as a good friend and also coworker may certainly not be actually underrated. He was actually an amazing individual and also our inmost compassions are actually along with Tracey and also Luke’s household as they overcome this inconceivable reduction.

” Luke contributed to bureaucracy of Livestock Australia and also our experts make sure the country’s yard fed livestock manufacturers will definitely dip their hats to among our ideal today.”

Luke matured on a blended ranch in Western Australia and also before functioning market depiction he invested one decade partnering with the Indigenous Property Organization.

He was actually a previous participant of the republic preacher’s Horticulture Market Advisory Authorities and also the Perfect Ministers Board Of Advisers for the Centenary of ANZAC, and also very most just recently was actually Leader of Federal government Issues along with power firm Santos.

Nationals Forerunner David Littleproud claimed the Australian market has actually dropped a champ and also a hero in Luke Bowen.

” Mr Bowen was actually massively prominent and also reputable.

” His addition was actually massive, having actually contributed in bureaucracy of Livestock Australia.

” As the previous chief executive officer of the Northern Area Cattlemen’s Organization, Mr Bowen led the northerly livestock market via unstable attend the wake up of the online livestock outlaw to Indonesia in 2011.

” Mr Bowen possessed guts of his sentiment and also was actually a lot liked for it.

” He never ever reduced and also operated when it acquired also difficult, as an alternative he kept and also defended what corrected.

” Mr Bowen will definitely be actually don’t forgotten for being actually a real forerunner, in every significance of words.

” Most importantly, he was actually a best chap.”