Benchmark USA 2025

Spring 2025 www.pigchamp.com 7 Risk factors associated with subsequent performance. The plot presents the effects of parity, previous litter size, piglet birth weight, percentage of stillborn, and sow caliper change on subsequent litter (total born). The bars represent the mean total piglets born in subsequent farrowing for each category, with error bars indicating the 95% upper confidence intervals. The letters above the bars indicate significant differences among groups. Categories that share at least one letter are not significantly different from each other, whereas those with distinct letters are statistically different (P <0.05). Figure 3 Risk Factors Associated with Subsequent Performance (Total Born) Table 1. Risk factors associated with wean-to-estrus interval (WEI, days), percentage of sows bred within seven days post- weaning, and subsequent farrowing rate (%). Outcome Wean–to-Estrus Interval (WEI) days Subsequent Farrowing (farrowing rate) Subsequent Performance (total born) Parity Piglets after cross-fostering ADFI first 3 days of lactation Lactation ADFI pattern Farrowing season Stillborn rate Piglets after cross-fostering ADFI first 7 days of lactation Sow body weight change Parity Previous litter size Piglet birth weight Sow caliper change Percentage of stillborn Sow body weight change * litter wean weight P <0.001 P = 0.010 P = 0.010 P = 0.019 P = 0.035 P = 0.013 P = 0.020 P = 0.011 P = 0.010 P <0.0001 P = 0.010 P = 0.016 P = 0.041 P = 0.017 P = 0.002 Risk factor P-value Actionable Insights To optimize efficiency, prioritize early lactation feed intake, ensuring sows hit at least 10 lbs./day in the first three to seven days. Monitor cross-fostering practices to avoid overloading sows, as larger litters compromise both WEI and farrowing success. Furthermore, the tracking of caliper changes during lactation to identify sows needing targeted nutritional support and reducing stillbirth risks is essential, going forward. Dr. Elly Kirwa Dr. Elly Kirwa is a PhD student at Iowa State University, joining the ISU Field Epidemiology team in 2023. His current research focuses on leveraging data-driven approaches to enhance swine production, specifically through the development of prediction algorithms for sow efficiency and gilt retention.

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