The ‘Back to the Future’ Knowledge Transfer conference was a full house and great success, attended by more than 130 producers, allied industry members and journalists. The mood was positive and practical with a speaker line-up that producers found relevant to their business. Australian researcher Paul Hughes’ views and experience on gilt management strategies made a particular impact, with 81% of producers intending to go home and consider that area of their system...
Paul’s fundamental point was that
the sow has changed dramatically, so even knowledge and research that is only 10
years old should be treated with care! He suggested ways to overcome the problem
that many gilts don’t stay productive long enough to make a profit. He gave
thought-provoking advice on:
·
Gilt
condition – protein/weight is more important than fat
·
Stimulating puberty – start at 25 to
28 weeks old and provide full physical boar contact
·
Culling
policy – cull any unmated gilts at 34 weeks, as they will cost more in poor
productivity if they’re kept.
For more information from all the
speakers click here.