The voice for ending ethanol subsidies is getting louder....
Tyson CEO Bond Calls For End To Ethanol Subsidies
CHICAGO (Dow Jones)--The call from the head of Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) for most ethanol subsidies to be swept away promises to re-ignite the food-versus-fuel debate among U.S. agribusiness companies.
Dick Bond, Tyson's president and chief executive, said on an earnings call Monday that Congress should reduce or drop a federal tax subsidy and end import tariffs on sugar-based ethanol.
Tyson has been...(complete article here).
Showing posts with label swine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swine. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Mutating, Evolving Swine Viruses
Continual vigilance is required to stay on top of viruses.
Combined viruses cause more deadly disease in pigs, researchers discover
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A pig virus that exists worldwide has become more dangerous as the virus has mutated and then combined with other pathogens, according to Purdue University researchers.
It's not known why a virus that has been known to infect swine for almost 40 years in North America suddenly started causing disease in young pigs in 1991 and then began mutating into more deadly forms. Evidence from research being conducted at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory on the Purdue campus has indicated that...(complete article here).
Combined viruses cause more deadly disease in pigs, researchers discover
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A pig virus that exists worldwide has become more dangerous as the virus has mutated and then combined with other pathogens, according to Purdue University researchers.
It's not known why a virus that has been known to infect swine for almost 40 years in North America suddenly started causing disease in young pigs in 1991 and then began mutating into more deadly forms. Evidence from research being conducted at the Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory on the Purdue campus has indicated that...(complete article here).
Thursday, December 27, 2007
USDA Reports on Hog Production
Two new reports from the USDA related to U.S. hog production.
The Changing Economics of U.S. Hog Production
Characteristics and Production Costs of U.S. Hog Farms, 2004
The Changing Economics of U.S. Hog Production
Characteristics and Production Costs of U.S. Hog Farms, 2004
Friday, October 19, 2007
Swine Virus and Genes
It's all in the genes.
Genetic Clue for Fighting Swine Virus
By Ann PerryOctober 18, 2007
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are part of a team that has found a vital clue for battling a disease called porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), which costs U.S. swine producers about $560 million annually.
PRRSV-infected pigs are susceptible to pneumonia and reproductive losses, and infected sows give birth to weak piglets. It can take weeks or even months for them to recover from the virus, which evolves and adapts quickly to environmental challenges like vaccines and medications.
Scientists Joan Lunney, Patricia Boyd and Daniel Kuhar conduct research at the ARS Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. Working with animal scientist Rodger Johnson and graduate student Derek Petry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, they evaluated two lines of swine for genetic resistance to PRRSV. The Nebraska Index line (I) was chosen because of its improved reproductive traits, and the Hampshire by Duroc cross (HD) was selected for its high growth rates.
All pigs in both groups became infected after exposure to PRRSV. However, I pigs generally recovered more quickly, maintained higher levels of weight gain during...(complete article here).
One of the key things that I noticed in this article is that genetic lines that exhibited rapid growth were most susceptible disease. The supposition is that more energy is devoted to growth and less to immune response. By selecting for growth characteristics, we may be sacrificing disease resistance.
Genetic Clue for Fighting Swine Virus
By Ann PerryOctober 18, 2007
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are part of a team that has found a vital clue for battling a disease called porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), which costs U.S. swine producers about $560 million annually.
PRRSV-infected pigs are susceptible to pneumonia and reproductive losses, and infected sows give birth to weak piglets. It can take weeks or even months for them to recover from the virus, which evolves and adapts quickly to environmental challenges like vaccines and medications.
Scientists Joan Lunney, Patricia Boyd and Daniel Kuhar conduct research at the ARS Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. Working with animal scientist Rodger Johnson and graduate student Derek Petry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, they evaluated two lines of swine for genetic resistance to PRRSV. The Nebraska Index line (I) was chosen because of its improved reproductive traits, and the Hampshire by Duroc cross (HD) was selected for its high growth rates.
All pigs in both groups became infected after exposure to PRRSV. However, I pigs generally recovered more quickly, maintained higher levels of weight gain during...(complete article here).
One of the key things that I noticed in this article is that genetic lines that exhibited rapid growth were most susceptible disease. The supposition is that more energy is devoted to growth and less to immune response. By selecting for growth characteristics, we may be sacrificing disease resistance.
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