Steve Dritz

IntroductionAs many production systems are transitioning from individual gestation stalls to different styles of group housing, there are new challenges for data collection in the gestation barn. Commonly referred to as electronic sow feeders (ESF), computerized feeding stations have been available for more than 30 years as a method used to control the variability of sow intake (Trottier and Johns ...

IntroductionPorcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is an enveloped single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus that was first identified in the United States in May 2013. Epidemiological and controlled experiments have shown that complete feed or feed components can be one of many possible vectors of transmission of PEDV.1 Previous research has shown that a 2% and 1% mixture of caproic, caprylic, and ...

IntroductionManganese is an essential trace mineral that is a key component in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. According to the NRC,2 the quantitative requirement for Mn for nursery and finishing diets ranges from 2 to 4 ppm. Assuming bioavailability is not a concern, many swine diets today meet the NRC2 estimated requirement for Mn from the major dietary ingredients before a trace min ...

IntroductionLysine is typically the first limiting amino acid in corn and soybean meal-based swine diets. Therefore, it is critical to establish the Lys requirement at each growth phase in order to allow the pig maximum growth potential and keep diets economical. Increasing crystalline amino acid usage to replace specialty protein sources and current statistical modeling capabilities has created a ...

IntroductionInclusion of dietary crystalline amino acids is a common practice in the swine industry. This is done to meet specific amino acid requirements while reducing feed cost and environmental impact. Additionally, amino acids are often expressed in relation to lysine to develop the most efficient diet formulations. A previous experiment conducted at Kansas State University validated tha ...

IntroductionPorcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) is an enveloped single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus that was first identified in the United States in May 2013. Epidemiological and controlled experiments have shown that complete feed or feed components can be one of many possible vectors of transmission of PEDV. Because of the potential viral spread by feed and ingredients, reduction techni ...

IntroductionThe inclusion of crystalline amino acids in swine diets is an effective strategy to not only meet specific nutritional requirements, but also reduce diet cost and environmental impact. Typically, amino acids are expressed in ratio to lysine (Lys) for diet formulation process. Thus, it is important to evaluate essential amino acids in a Lys deficient scenario to appropriately identify t ...

IntroductionA successful gestation feeding program is one that yields a large, vigorous litter of pigs and a healthy sow equipped with adequate mammary development and body nutrient stores to produce large quantities of milk for the suckling litter. Variations in body size, productivity, and environmental conditions dictate different daily concentrations of nutrients to satisfy the sow’s req ...

IntroductionVoluntary feed intake is often low and variable directly after weaning. As a result, research has focused on how nutritional stressors can be overcome to stimulate feed intake and subsequently increase performance (Pluske et al., 1997). Thus, highly palatable and nutrient dense protein sources are commonly added to nursery diets to encourage feed intake. Traditionally, this has been ac ...

IntroductionFeed manufacturing equipment has been shown to be a potential source of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) cross contamination. Wet decontamination has been found to be the most effective method for decontaminating the surface of feed mill equipment. However, this is not practical in most current commercial feed production settings. Methods to mitigate the risk of PEDV transmission ...