Sow/Gilt Management
Sow housing costs from a lenders’ perspective
Speaking from a lender’s perspective, Mark Greenwood, senior vice president AgStar Financial Services, pointed out there are concerns regarding financing, costs and return on investment associated with converting gestation-sow housing from stalls to a group system.
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Kroger turns up the heat on gestation housing
The United States’ No. 1 traditional grocery chain, Kroger Co., has announced its commitment to sourcing pork from suppliers that eliminate the use of gestation-sow stalls.
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McDonald’s allows 10 years to end gestation stall use
Getting in under the wire of its May deadline, McDonald’s USA announced on Thursday the company will give its pork suppliers 10 years to phase out gestation-sow stalls. McDonald’s says its plan was developed with input from suppliers, pork producers and animal welfare experts.
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Sow seminars set for June 12 and 13
Two seminars will offer ideas and guidance on managing the sow herd. Specifically, an Advanced Swine Reproduction Seminar will help pork producers review and revise their management strategies when it comes to preparing the sow and farrowing space, knowing when/how to assist farrowing sows, managing sows to maximize feed intake and more.
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HSUS files SEC complaint; Tyson responds
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has filed a legal complaint with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) asserting that Tyson Foods is making deceptive public statements related to animal well-being. Tyson officials report that they have not seen nor been informed of any such filing.
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Denny’s wants gestation-sow stalls off its menu
Denny’s restaurants announced that the chain will begin to require its suppliers to provide pork from systems that do not use gestation-sow stalls. However, the company did not offer a timeline for implementation.
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New program sets course for 30 PSY
Land O’Lakes Purina Feed, LLC has rolled out a new industry initiative – the “Feeding for 30 Program,” as part of its ongoing commitment to animal nutrition. The program builds on the industry goal of achieving 30 pigs per sow per year (PSY).
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Actions shown on WPF video, ‘indefensible’
The verdict is in from the Animal Care Review Panel regarding the actions shown on the undercover video released on Tuesday, which was shot at a Wyoming Premium Farms’ (WPF) sow unit near Wheaton, Wyo. The panel of three animal well-being experts, called the animal mistreatment “unacceptable and indefensible.”
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HSUS releases video shot at Wyoming Premium Farms
Capitalizing on the attention of Safeway announcing its new directive regarding gestation-sow housing, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) released an undercover video on Tuesday that was shot at Wyoming Premium Farms (WPF) in April. Investigations are underway, and the industry responds.
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NPPC responds to Safeway’s gestation-stall decision
Following Safeway’s announcement that it will require its pork suppliers to stop using gestation-sow stalls in the production process, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) President R.C. Hunt, who is a pork producer from Wilson, N.C., offered this statement.
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Safeway joins in gestation-sow stall ban
The nation’s second-largest grocery chain wants to do business with suppliers who can provide pork without the use of gestation-sow stalls in the production process and they are formulating plans on how to achieve that. “It is Safeway’s goal to have a gestation-stall-free supply chain,” says Brian Dowling, Safeway vice president of public affairs.
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- Ag markets moved generally higher Wednesday
- Infrastructure limits ag export growth, economist says
- Beetles, housefly larvae open new frontier in animal feed sector
- Oil pressured by Bernanke comments, crude stocks up
- Repainting “American Gothic:” Number of women farming triples
- Commentary: Severely ticked off
