Support late-finishing gut health for improved performance

Posted on April 5, 2022 in Swine Performance
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Research shows us that supporting gut health during the late-finishing period can boost performance and profits.  Vita Plus Forti-Fin supports gut health via a combination of plant extracts and organic acids. 

Managing the microbiome (part 2): Nutrition for a healthy microbiome

Posted on January 6, 2022 in Swine Performance
Lewton
By Jaron Lewton As discussed in part 1 of this series , while still not completely understood, the composition of the intestinal microbiome has been correlated with growth performance, animal health and even behavior. In this article, we look at nutrition considerations that can positively impact microbiome composition.

Managing the microbiome (part 1): What affects the balance?

Posted on November 30, 2021 in Swine Performance
By Dr. Michaela Trudeau Millions of microbes - including bacteria, protozoa, viruses and fungi - reside in the intestinal tract of pigs and collectively play a role in nutrient digestion, pathogen protection, immune function, and gut health. This large community comprises what is often referred to as the intestinal microbiome. In general, the microbes comprising

Overview of the Canadian Pork Industry – Part two

Posted on July 18, 2017 in Swine Performance
Rozeboom

Editor’s note: This is the second article in a three-part series comparing the Canadian pork industry to the U.S. pork industry.

By Garrett Rozeboom
In part one of this series, I compared the exports, imports, and hog census data of the U.S. and Canadian pork industries.  Regardless of the differences, both countries benefit from the other.  In this second part, I will discuss the differences and similarities in swine diet ingredients and formulation methodologies used in both countries.

Up to the Challenge: Vita Plus Swine Summit 2017 Recap

Posted on April 24, 2017 in Swine Performance

More than 150 hog producers, industry peers and Vita Plus employee owners attended Vita Plus Swine Summit 2017 on March 29 and 30 in Morton, Minnesota.  Click the links below for complete event coverage, including articles, videos and speaker presentations.

More clarity on upcoming antibiotic rules

Posted on October 27, 2015 in Swine Performance
By Dr. Leah Gesing 2017 seems like a long way off, but we know “time flies” and it won’t be long before the full effect of the upcoming rules regarding antibiotics and the veterinary feed directive (VFD) are felt by producers. Beginning on January 1, 2017, all antibiotics deemed medically important by the Food and

Maintain performance through summer heat – Part 2

Posted on July 15, 2015 in Swine Performance
By Leah Gesing Heat stress can result in lost profits during the summer months and its after effects may be felt into the fall.  Proper diet formulation to compensate for decreased feed intake can moderate the customary summer dip in carcass weights.  Correctly utilizing supplemental fat, crystalline amino acids, chromium and ractopamine in diet formulation

Quality ingredients matter

Posted on May 27, 2015 in Swine Performance
By Dr. Leah Gesing As a pork producer purchasing feed ingredients, you are faced with choices about where to source those ingredients and how much to pay for them. Obviously, it is tempting to pick the cheapest source of an ingredient.  Buying ingredients cheaply means that diets will cost less and you’ll profit more… right?

Responsible antibiotics use in swine production

Posted on March 24, 2015 in Swine Performance
By Dr. Leah Gesing Swine producers use antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of disease, as well as positive impacts on growth promotion and feed efficiency. In the U.S. swine industry, most antibiotics are administered via feed and, according to 2012 sales data, most antibiotic use was for production and/or therapeutic purposes. These uses have

Spray-dried porcine plasma and PEDv

Posted on February 14, 2014 in Swine Performance
By Dr. Dean Koehler As our industry continues to react to and manage the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) outbreak, we’ve received many questions regarding spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) and the potential for the virus to spread through this feed ingredient.  Following are answers to a few common questions we’ve received to help bring some

Give your nursery pigs the right start

Posted on August 30, 2013 in Swine Performance
By Brendan Corrigan It’s common to observe significant differences in the activity levels, average weights, weight distributions within groups, and health statuses of groups of newly weaned pigs; and typical observations for these factors certainly vary from herd to herd.  These differences result from multiple variables, including disease exposure and immune development, genetic makeup of

Could Choice White Grease now be pricing in at your farm?

Posted on December 1, 2012 in Swine Performance
By Julie Salyer By now, we have all felt the strain of this year's higher grain prices. As prices for corn and soybean meal remain high and uncertainty of futures continues, we are often seeking options for relief.  It is as important as ever to work with your local Vita Plus consultant to constantly explore

Not enough tryptophan in the whole, wide world

Posted on October 12, 2012 in Swine Performance

By Al Gunderson and Dr. Dean Koehler

High feed costs combined with a high corn/soybean meal (SBM) price spread have created an interesting situation.  It could be advantageous to reduce SBM levels and feed lower crude protein formulations based on high levels of crystalline amino acids. Crystalline forms of lysine, methionine and threonine are readily available and commonly used in swine diets.  The next limiting amino acid in grow-finish swine diets is tryptophan.  But tryptophan is produced in much smaller quantities.

Managing your nutrition program in challenging times

Posted on September 28, 2012 in Swine Performance
Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater By Nate Brown Potential $40-per-head losses and possible shortages of staple feed ingredients have forced hog producers to ask some very difficult questions. Do you sell hogs at light market weights to conserve feed? Do you feed an array of alternative ingredients to stretch corn and soybean

Using Stafac® to improve performance in grow-finish pigs during the summer heat

Posted on July 20, 2012 in Swine Performance
By Spencer Jones The heat of the summer makes it extremely difficult to keep pigs performing at an optimal level. Keeping the animal comfortable during periods of high heat is very important to help minimize economic losses. The feed additive virginiamycin, more commonly known as Stafac®, may help grow-finish pigs perform closer to their optimal

Midd I ask you?

Posted on July 9, 2012 in Swine Performance

By Jessica Boehm and Julie Salyer 
When do you include wheat midds into the diet?  This is a common question with the prices of corn and soybean meal on the rise.  As prices increase, we start to look at other feedstuffs that can be incorporated into swine diets.