Latest issue of Pig Progress goes back to school

Iowa Lakes Community College has a very special out-of-town location. Near Emmetsburg, it has a sort of a farm campus, where students can be taught, hands-on, about taking care of pigs as well as cattle. As swine instructor Kelly Dodge explained to Pig Progress editor Vincent ter Beek, the students prefer to be inside the farm houses than in the classroom. Pages 24-26

Piglet health: Proteins in feed

The health of piglets is of paramount importance for swine farms, as the young animals represent future income. How can we help more piglets get beyond weaning? Several articles are devoted to this theme – a contribution by Bart Matton of Nuscience zooms in on the question of how to feed proteins in the best possible quality and quantity. Pages 27-29

Piglet health: Iron status

One other way to regulate piglet health is to improve their iron status. After all, if piglets do not get enough iron, a situation of anaemia may occur, which in turn may lead to poor growth and mortality. As Peter Wilcock and Dr Jae Kim of AB Vista explain, the iron levels may be positively affected by the use of the right amount of phytase. Pages 30-31

Piglet health: Adding yeast

Yeast is often named as being good for virtually everything, so it’s not surprising adding yeast products could have an effect on piglet health as well. Dr Jules Taylor-Pickard of Alltech explains how a yeast derivative can help piglets do better with digestible proteins. Page 32-34

The gut of young piglets is constantly maturing. Photo: Alltech/Roy Strutt Photography

Other articles in this issue are:

• Column John Gadd: The importance of implantation (I)

• Column Dr Casey Bradley: Find trusted resources

• Proteins for pigs derived from the sea

• Effects of varying floor space on behaviour

• Management tips to reduce heat stress

• United Kingdom: A pig industry on the edge

• An overview of aminio acids in new proteins

• Growth promotion with lactic acid bacteria

• Nutrient sensing in pigs: a review