Evaluating different rations and scenarios as prices and situations change to optimize profits using the resources the farm has available is time well spent. When doing so, it is critical to look at all costs impacted by any ration changes, not just ration cost per ton or feed cost per day, to assess costs and returns accurately.
In 2024, one webinar will be offered on Monday, February 5th, from 7-8. p.m. This is available for all youth grades 3-13. The session will be recorded and available on the Wisconsin Youth Livestock Program’s YouTube channel. This is offered in connection with the University of Wisconsin Madison Animal & Dairy Sciences Department, College of Agricultural […]
Producing beef x dairy cross calves has the potential to increase market value of these calves compared to straight bred dairy bull calves. However, as the supply of beef x dairy cross calves increases, it’s reasonable to assume buyers will become more discerning. Dairy producers can stack the odds in their favor with thoughtful beef […]
Interest has grown in utilizing beef sires on dairy females. Beef x dairy cross calves may provide an opportunity to increase revenue from calf sales, and improve feedlot performance, and carcass characteristics. Conversely, crossbred calves may introduce more variability in performance and carcass characteristics compared to their purebred dairy counterparts. In the fall/winter of 2018 […]
It is common practice this time of year to evaluate our cows to make culling decisions, but this is also a good time to evaluate our bulls to determine which sires we are going to feed through the winter and which have come to the end of their genetic contribution to the operation. Bulls, much […]
Welcome to the 2021 virtual Badger Swine Symposium. The University of Wisconsin system has a strong history of swine research that continues today. Learn about several student swine research projects and a couple faculty research projects that are ongoing. Dr. Tom Crenshaw is a professor of animal science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Hear about the research on the efficacy of using ammonium chloride supplements during crisis management as a strategy to limit or stop growth in various ages of pigs. Learn about the optimal ammonium chloride dosage for water or feed to limit any negative effects in the recovery phase. Discover the answer to if there is compensatory growth after ammonium chloride supplementation or if there is normal growth to know when animals will achieve market weight.
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient that is involved in multiple physiological functions. These functions include bone mineralization, energy transfer and storage, cell membrane structure maintenance, and acid-base balance. Adequate phosphorus nutrition of sows is critical for optimal growth and development of the offspring during gestation and lactation. It’s also very important for maternal health and productive performance. Despite this importance to animal function, there is limited research on this nutrient. Normally diets are formulated to provide an excess of phosphorus, but this process presents environmental concerns. So additional information on actual phosphorus requirements of the sow are important to be able to balance the diet with adequate, but not excessive phosphorus levels.
The Crenshaw Lab at UW-Madison is investigating the use of an osteochondrotic model to test different dietary interventions to learn which treatments regress these lesions in a quicker, more cost-effective manner to prevent and reduce lameness in swine. Learn how the lab is using three-dimensional imaging to shed new light on the analysis of the progression or regression of osteochondrotic lesions in pigs.
As more technology is integrated into livestock production, and farming in general, lots of data is generated. There are two main categories of data: sensor data and farmer recorded data. Learn how sensor data, such as that generated by cameras, can be utilized to make better management decisions. See how farmer recorded data can be integrated with other external data sets to create a predictive models to try to improve swine production systems.