The Pig Edge

Latest Episodes:

The Future Challenges of the Pig Industry with Roy Gallie Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

Roy Gallie, Pig Producer, Tillage Farmer and Chair of the IFA pigs committee joined Amy Quinn on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast. Roy first explains the history of his farm and its current set up and he then goes through where he sees genetic improvement going, the biggest challenges facing the pig industry and his top pieces of advice. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Why farmers should be targeting a 100kg total litter weaning weight per sow Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

Louise Clarke, Teagasc Pig Advisor based in Teagasc Ballyhaise, joined Amy Quinn on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to discuss why farmers should be targeting a 100kg total litter weaning weight per sow. Louise first explained this relatively new key performance indicator (KPI) and detailed why this is something we should be targeting. She then highlighted how we can go about achieving the 100kg weaning weight per sow and the farm specifics that might influence this. She also looked at the influence of weaning age on this target and other factors. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

The findings from the 2020 Teagasc National Pig Herd Performance Report May 31, 2021

Show notes

Gerard McCutcheon, Specialist Pig Development Officer, Teagasc Oakpark, joined Ciarán Carroll on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to discuss the findings from the 2020 Teagasc National Pig Herd Performance Report. Ger first explained the Teagasc eProfit Monitor Pig Recording Programme and why it’s useful for the management of pig farms. He then goes through the key performance indicators for sow performance, feed and grower performance and production costs for the average and top 25% of farms and tells us how farms can benchmark their data against national and international peers. He also looks at the trends in performance over the past 20 years, highlighting the significant improvements Irish pig farmers have made in that time. A copy of the report will be available at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/publications/ For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Euthanasia & the Casualty Pig Apr 30, 2021

Show notes

Laura Boyle, Senior Research Officer at the Teagasc Moorepark Pig Research Facility joins Ciarán Carroll on the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast to discuss euthanasia & the casualty pig. Laura explains what euthanasia is and outlines the key parameters that farmers can use to identify sick and casualty pigs providing guidelines for farmers to help identify when a pig should be euthanised. She also provides information on the new Teagasc Pig Development Department infographic poster, a decision tree tool for farmers and farm staff to use to enable them to decide on the correct treatment path to follow for pigs and to make sure that they make the right call on euthanasia. The infographic can be downloaded here: https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/publications/2021/The-Casualty-Pig-Poster.pdf For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ Produced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com

Cross-Fostering & the Use of Nurse Sow Strategies Mar 31, 2021

Show notes

On the latest episode of the Pig Edge, Ciarán Carroll was joined by Keelin O’Driscoll, Research Officer at the Teagasc Moorepark Pig Research Facility to discuss cross-fostering and the use of nurse sow strategies to rear piglets. Keelin outlines the difference between cross-fostering and nurse sow strategies and details the main benefits of using these strategies. While they can be a useful tool they do need to be applied and managed properly. Keelin also reports on the research work carried out at Moorepark and on commercial farms highlighting the key factors involved in successfully managing it. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ The Pig Edge is a co-production with LastCast Media.

Improving Litters Per Sow Per Year Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

Improving litters per sow per year is the topic for this month’s Pig Edge podcast and Pat Varley, Research & Development Coordinator with PIC Hermitage joined Ciaran Carroll with more details and information. Pat highlighted the cost associated with different litters per sow per year figures and detailed the main factors affecting the figure on farms. He also addressed what farms need to focus on to improve their figure and how they can better manage their gilts and artificial insemination systems to improve performance. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ The Pig Edge is a co-production with LastCast Media.

The Benefits of Pig Manure for Reducing Chemical Fertiliser Usage Jan 29, 2021

Show notes

Mark Plunkett, Teagasc’s soil and plant nutrition specialist, joins Gerard McCutcheon on this month’s Pig Edge podcast to explain how farmers using pig manure or any organic manure can reduce their chemical fertiliser usage. Mark also highlights the environmental and economic value of pig manure with the benefits for both tillage and grassland farmers using this organic fertiliser an important factor as well. Finally, Mark discusses the use of Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment and how that can be best done. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ The Pig Edge is a co-production with LastCast Media.

The Irish Pig Sector Year in Review and Outlook for 2021 Dec 18, 2020

Show notes

For the last Pig Edge podcast episode of the year, Ciarán Collins was joined by Michael McKeon, Specialist Pig Development Officer with Teagasc, based at Moorepark, with a review of the Irish Pig Sector in 2020 and the outlook for 2021 Michael covers what happened with pig and feed prices in 2020 and the impact that Covid-19 and the more recent outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) has had on the sector. Despite all the difficulties during 2020, it still turned out to be a profitable year for Irish pig farmers. Looking forward to 2021, Michael discusses the pig meat and feed trade, the potential impacts that continuing Covid-19 and ASF problems may have and of course, the impact of a ‘deal or no deal’ Brexit. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ The Pig Edge is a co-production with LastCast Media.

Animal Health Awareness Week for Pig Farmers Nov 27, 2020

Show notes

As part of Animal Health Awareness Week - a DAFM initiative – on the latest Pig Edge podcast, Ciarán Carroll spoke to Margaret Wilson, Senior Research Officer with DAFM at Backweston. Margaret explained what Animal Health Awareness Week is all about, reminding the general public as well as livestock farmers how important animal health is to the farming sector, with particular focus this year to remain vigilant for the occurrence of exotic diseases. She discussed the services on offer at Backweston, what farmers can do to avail of them and discussed some case studies to show how they have helped to improve the health and performance of pig farms in Ireland. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ The Pig Edge is a co-production with LastCast Media.

The inclusion of Rye and Field Beans in pig diets Nov 06, 2020

Show notes

On the latest episode of the Pig Edge podcast Peadar Lawlor, Principal Research Officer at Moorepark Pig Research facility discusses the inclusion of Rye and Field Beans in pig diets. The acreage of these crops grown in Ireland in recent years is on the increase. Peadar reports on recent research results from using rye and beans in pig diets in Moorepark, the impact they have on growth rates and feed conversion efficiency. He also discusses the cost/benefit of including these ingredients in pig diets and the positive news story of their inclusion from a carbon-foot printing perspective. For more episodes and information from the Pig Edge podcast go to https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/pigs/the-pig-edge-podcast/ The Pig Edge is a co-production with LastCast Media.

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