Swine & U

Today’s consumers seek to know the origin of their food; and in response, more and more small and niche farms are raising pigs to supply natural pork or organic pork for local customers.

Very little university research has been conducted in this area of pig farming. The University of Minnesota’s Yuzhi Li, funded by a succession of National Institute of Food and Agriculture grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has investigated alternative feed grains for organic pigs, the prevalence and control of parasites in pastured pigs, and has embarked on a new organic rye and swine research study.

What is organic?

All pigs grown in the early 1900s could have been considered ‘organic’ by today’s definition. The USDA manages the U.S. organic crops and livestock program and issues certification to farms who meet the organic livestock standards.

USDA’s organic livestock standards include these elements: Pigs must be managed organically from the last third of gestation. Animals must be allowed year-round access to the outdoors except under specific conditions (i.e. inclement weather). Pigs must be raised on certified organic land meeting all organic crop production standards. Animals must be fed 100 percent certified organic feed, except for trace minerals and vitamins used to meet the animal’s nutritional requirements. Pigs must be managed without antibiotics, added growth hormones, mammalian or avian byproducts, or other prohibited feed ingredients (urea, manure or arsenic compounds). Bedding used in organic livestock must come from organically produced crops (i.e. straw or corn stalks).

Some vaccines are allowed in certain stages of breeding swine, and breeding sows are allowed to be treated with synthetic de-wormer in the first and second trimester of gestation.

In organic production, some prohibited substances

UniversityofMinnesota EXTENSION SWINE&U

are allowed if preventative strategies fail and the pigs become ill. Those pigs are not allowed to be marketed as organic after they recover. In addition, organic ani-

SWINE & U mals must be raised in a way that accommodates their

By Diane DeWitte natural behavior. Organic animals must have access to outdoors, direct sunlight, shade and shelter with clean dry bedding. Farmers raising organic-certified animals must provide space for exercise, fresh air and clean drinking water

For details on the USDA’s organics program, visit www.ams.usda.gov/organicinfo):

Meeting the needs of producers

Managing swine intestinal parasites is an obstacle for organic pig farmers because there is a lack of organically-approved options for controlling parasites. Dr. Li’s 2019 project was developed to identify what kind of parasite load exists on organic swine farms, and to determine the effectiveness of some organic-friendly parasite management strategies.

Dr. Li worked with researchers at the Rodale Institute and Kutztown University (both at Kutztown, Penn.) and set up a series of parasite mitigation practices to learn how effective these would be for organic pig farmers.

In one of these studies, manure and swine bedding was amassed into compost piles in January, June and November to learn what amount of time and temperature is required to inactivate worm eggs. This could be a manure-handling step which could neutralize eggs/larvae and reduce the parasite load on pasture or cropland where the manure is spread.

Brassicaceae is a family of plants which contain a compound, glucosinolate, which, when the plant is chopped up, is transformed into isothiocyanate (ITC). ITC is toxic to bacteria, fungi and nematodes, and has promise as a killer of intestinal parasites in soil. Examples of Brassicaceae include mustard, rapeseed, cress and many more. The plants are mulched or pulverized with a flail mower at flowering, when the glucosinolate levels are high. The broken plants are then immediately incorporated into the soil for maximum ITC effectiveness.

Parasites in pastured pigs

During the previous organic swine project, Dr. Li and her team visited nine organic swine farms in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. On these visits, samples were collected from feeder/ growing pigs, finishing pigs, and the breeding herd. Manure, soil and bedding were gathered at each farm and analyzed for the presence of parasites.

Three common swine worms were identified in the samples collected.

Ascaris suum is known as roundworm and is a common parasite in pigs. A pig consumes the roundworm egg from the soil or pasture, after which it develops and hatches in the intestines. It can travel to the pig’s lungs or liver, and a common symptom of roundworm infection is that the pig has a cough.

Tricuris spp is another familiar swine parasite commonly known as whipworm. The pig becomes

See SWINE & U, pg. 10

AM1 – Optimum® AcreMax® 1 insect protection system with an integrated corn rootworm refuge solution includes HXX, LL, RR2. Optimum AcreMax 1 products contain the LibertyLink® gene and can be sprayed with Liberty® herbicide. The required corn borer refuge can be planted up to half a mile away. AM – Optimum® AcreMax® insect protection system with YGCB, HX1, LL, RR2. Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above-ground insects. In EPA-designated cotton-growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax products. AMT – Optimum® AcreMax® TRIsect® insect protection system with RW,YGCB,HX1,LL,RR2. Contains a single-bag refuge solution for above- and below-ground insects. The major component contains the Agrisure® RW trait, the Bt trait, and the Herculex® I gene. In EPA-designated cottongrowing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax TRIsect products. AMX – Optimum® AcreMax® Xtra insect protection system with YGCB, HXX, LL, RR2. Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above- and below-ground insects. In EPA-designated cotton-growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax Xtra products. AMXT (Optimum® AcreMax® XTreme) – Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above- and below-ground insects. The major component contains the Agrisure® RW trait, the Bt trait and the Herculex® XTRA gene. In EPA-designated cotton-growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax XTreme products. Q (Qrome®) – Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above- and below-ground insects. The major component contains the Agrisure® RW trait, the Bt trait, and the Herculex® XTRA gene. In EPA-designated cotton-growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Qrome products. Qrome products are approved for cultivation in the U.S. and Canada. They have also received approval in a number of importing countries, most recently China. For additional information about the status of regulatory authorizations, visit http://www.biotradestatus.com/. YGCB,HX1,LL,RR2 (Optimum® Intrasect®) – Contains the Bt trait and Herculex® I gene for resistance to corn borer.

YGCB,HXX,LL,RR2 (Optimum® Intrasect® Xtra) – Contains the Bt trait and the Herculex® XTRA gene for resistance to corn borer and corn rootworm. RW,HX1,LL,RR2 (Optimum® TRIsect®) – Contains the Herculex® I gene for above-ground pests and the Agrisure® RW trait for resistance to corn rootworm. AML – Optimum® AcreMax® Leptra® products with AVBL, YGCB, HX1, LL, RR2. Contains a single-bag integrated refuge solution for above-ground insects. In EPA-designated cotton-growing counties, a 20% separate corn borer refuge must be planted with Optimum AcreMax Leptra products. AVBL,YGCB,HX1,LL,RR2 (Optimum® Leptra®) – Contains the Agrisure Viptera® trait, the Bt trait, the Herculex® I gene, the LibertyLink® gene and the Roundup Ready® Corn 2 trait. HX1 – Contains the Herculex® I insect protection gene which provides protection against European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, lesser corn stalk borer, southern corn stalk borer, and sugarcane borer; and suppresses corn earworm. HXRW – The Herculex® RW rootworm protection trait contains proteins that provide enhanced resistance against western corn rootworm, northern corn rootworm and Mexican corn rootworm. HXX – Herculex® XTRA contains the Herculex® I and Herculex® RW gene. YGCB – The Bt trait offers a high level of resistance to European corn borer, southwestern corn borer and southern cornstalk borer; moderate resistance to corn earworm and common stalk borer; and above average resistance to fall armyworm. LL – Contains the LibertyLink® gene for resistance to Liberty® herbicide. RR2 – Contains the Roundup Ready® Corn 2 trait that provides crop safety for over-the-top applications of labeled glyphosate herbicides when applied according to label directions. AQ – Optimum® AQUAmax® product. Product performance in water-limited environments is

variable and depends on many factors such as the severity and timing of moisture deficiency, heat stress, soil type, management practices and environmental stress as well as disease and pest pressures. All products may exhibit reduced yield under water and heat stress. Individual results may vary.

Roundup Ready® is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company. Liberty®, LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are registered trademarks of BASF. Agrisure® and Agrisure Viptera® are registered trademarks of, and used under license from, a Syngenta Group Company. Agrisure® technology incorporated into these seeds is commercialized under a license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG.

Pioneer® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. TM ® Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. © 2021 Corteva.

SWINE & U, from pg. 9

of Minnesota associates recently were awarded a infected with Tricuris by consuming eggs found in the environment. The worm hatches and grows within the pig and sheds eggs via feces. In adult pigs, this parasite causes decreased growth and thriftiness. new USDA-NIFA grant to investigate hybrid rye production and its uses in raising organic pigs. The Minnesota project is part of a federal Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative investment. Oesophagostomum spp are a nematode which in swine are common nodular worms. These worms are generally consumed by the pig in the larval form. To help drive down expensive organic pig production feed and bedding costs, and reduce negative environmental impacts, University of Minnesota will develop strategies to optimize winter hybrid rye

These three are the most well-recognized swine production, evaluate nutritional value of hybrid rye intestinal parasites and are very regularly found in fed to pigs, determine its effects on meat quality, pigs raised on pasture and outdoor settings. and examine the economic and environmental Results from the parasite project impacts of integrating hybrid rye into organic pig

Fecal sample collection at nine organic farms this production systems. summer showed eight of the nine farms were infect- The project team includes University of Minnesota ed with parasites. Fifty-six percent of the farms faculty members and Extension specialists from were infected with Oesophagostomum; 78 percent of swine nutrition, agronomy, renewable energy, nutrithe farms were infected with Ascaris; and 44 per- ent management, agriculture economics and meat cent of the farms were infected with Tricuris. science.

Of the animals on infected farms, 60-70 percent of Dr. Li’s project was awarded $1,433,820 and will the pigs/sows were infected with Oesophagostomum; take place at the University of Minnesota West 50 percent of the pigs were infected with Ascaris; Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, and 25 percent of the sows and 40 percent of the Minn. over the next two years.pigs were infected with Tricuris. The project has already begun with the planting

Sows had a higher load of Oesophagostamum than of organic rye plots at Morris. Great soils and rains pigs (371 eggs per gram vs. 60 and 176 eggs per have yielded an excellent stand of hybrid rye which gram). Pigs showed a heavy load of Ascaris (1,733 will provide grain and bedding for the organic swine eggs per gram for feeder/growing pigs and 1,198 portion of the project next summer.eggs per gram for finishing pigs); but no Ascaris was found in sows Minnesota’s organic swine producers can benefit from this project because winter rye has the poten-

Trichuris was found in all stages, although at rel- tial to reduce costs as an on-farm source of feed and atively low levels: 55 eggs per gram in sows, 67 eggs bedding. Its value has not been previously investiper gram in feeder/growing pigs, and 79 eggs per gated, so this research will add more information to gram in finishing pigs. the education of organic pig farmers across the

These results showed there is a large variation United States. among farms. Organic farms have a wide variety of Diane DeWitte is an Extension Educator specializing management protocols, including deworming within in swine for the University of Minnesota Extension. USDA organic standards, and care and cleaning of Her e-mail address is stouf002@umn.edu v the barn and bedding environment. When considering the effect of parasite infection on pig performance, this study found there is no obvious effect when infection load is low, but younger pigs may be more vulnerable to infection Hybrid rye studies Dr. Li and a multidisciplinary team of University wants to hear from you!

The Delightful Gift

4 Butcher’s Cut Top Sirloins (5 oz.) 4 Filet Mignon Burgers (5.3 oz.) 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts (1 lb. pkg.) 4 Gourmet Jumbo Franks (3 oz.) 4 Individual Scalloped Potatoes (3.8 oz.) 4 Caramel Apple Tartlets (4 oz.) 1 jar Signature Seasoning (3.1 oz. jar) 8 FREE Filet Mignon Burgers (5.3 oz.) 65658LQX separately $223.93* SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE $9999

Send your letters to: Editor, The Land 418 South Second St. Mankato, MN 56001 e-mail: editor@thelandonline.com

GROW OUR BEST. GROW THEIR BEST. COMPARE RESULTS.

The corn revolution is here. That means strong results in on-farm trials near you. Pioneer.com/harvest

PIONEER® HYBRID/BRAND CRM COMPETITOR HYBRID/BRAND

NUMBER OF COMPARI SONS PERCENTAGE OF WINS PIONEER YIELD ADVANTAGE (BU/A)

P9492AM™ brand P9823Q™ brand P0075Q™ brand P0404Q™ brand P0421AM™ brand P0507Q™ brand P0622Q™ brand P1185Q™ brand 94 98 100 104 104 105 106 111 DKC43-75RIB DKC49-44RIB DKC52-18RIB DKC54-38RIB DKC54-64RIB DKC54-38RIB DKC55-53RIB DKC59-81RIB 13 76 33 80 27 79 12 15

Contact your local Pioneer sales representative to learn more.

92% 79% 64% 86% 59% 65% 67% 73% 6.9 7.0 4.7 10.4 5.0 4.2 7.5 5.0

Income/A Advantage is calculated with the price of corn at $5.00 per bushel and drying cost of $0.04 per point of moisture. Data is based on an average of 2021 comparisons made in Southern Minnesota, Northern Iowa, Eastern South Dakota through October 27, 2021. Comparisons are against any number of products of the indicated competitor brand, unless otherwise stated, and within +/- 3 CRM of the competitive brand. Product responses are variable and subject to any number of environmental, disease and pest pressures. Individual results may vary. Multi-year and multi-location data are a better predictor of future performance. DO NOT USE THIS OR ANY OTHER DATA FROM A LIMITED NUMBER OF TRIALS AS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN PRODUCT SELECTION. Refer to www.pioneer.com or contact a Pioneer sales representative or authorized dealer for the latest and complete listing of traits and scores for each Pioneer® brand product. Pioneer® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents. TM ® SM Trademarks and service marks of Corteva Agriscience and its a liated companies. © 2021 Corteva. 21D-1467-33_TLS_corn_1112_CU2