Research to Benefit Shippers of Young Pigs

Those who move young pigs are expected to reap the benefits of research being conducted on behalf of Swine Innovation Porc. As part of a Swine Innovation Porc program scientists are generating objective scientific information on the effects of commercial transport on the health and welfare of early-weaned piglets.

 

Dr. Terri O'Sullivan, an associate professor with the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph, says the majority of research has been conducted on the transport of market hogs so data on piglets is limited.

 

 

The research data is being collected geographically in Ontario and Saskatchewan and what we are doing is we are using commercially transported piglets that are being transported in commercial trucks and trailers, so pig transport that is already occurring. What are we using in terms of how are we gathering information? We are using different types of data collecting tools and metrics.

 

We have put accelerometers on the trailers that helps measure vibration. A small selection of piglets are wearing heart rate monitors during transport so we can collect their heart rates during different parts of the transport. We're also using video cameras and time lapse photography on the trucks as well as upon arrival to the nursery barn. Our hope is overall, as a big umbrella goal, is that the data will be used to inform and expand our knowledge on the transport of weaned pigs.

 

So this information has the potential to be used by all aspects of the industry, producers, transporters, regulation as well as to inform future research so that we can continue to always move forward with our understanding of health and welfare of this age of pig.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.