THE LAND — NOVEMBER 12/NOVEMBER 19, 2021
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University of Minnesota updates organic swine research 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 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 animals must be raised in a way that accommodates their 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
UniversityofMinnesota
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SWINE & U By Diane DeWitte
SWINE &U
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.
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 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.
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 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. Oesophagostomum spp are a nematode which in swine are common nodular worms. These worms are generally consumed by the pig in the larval form. These three are the most well-recognized swine intestinal parasites and are very regularly found in pigs raised on pasture and outdoor settings. Results from the parasite project Fecal sample collection at nine organic farms this summer showed eight of the nine farms were infected with parasites. Fifty-six percent of the farms were infected with Oesophagostomum; 78 percent of the farms were infected with Ascaris; and 44 percent of the farms were infected with Tricuris. Of the animals on infected farms, 60-70 percent of the pigs/sows were infected with Oesophagostomum; 50 percent of the pigs were infected with Ascaris; and 25 percent of the sows and 40 percent of the pigs were infected with Tricuris. Sows had a higher load of Oesophagostamum than pigs (371 eggs per gram vs. 60 and 176 eggs per gram). Pigs showed a heavy load of Ascaris (1,733 eggs per gram for feeder/growing pigs and 1,198 eggs per gram for finishing pigs); but no Ascaris was found in sows Trichuris was found in all stages, although at relatively low levels: 55 eggs per gram in sows, 67 eggs per gram in feeder/growing pigs, and 79 eggs per gram in finishing pigs. These results showed there is a large variation among farms. Organic farms have a wide variety of management protocols, including deworming within USDA organic standards, and care and cleaning of 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 of Minnesota associates recently were awarded a
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 See SWINE & U, pg. 13
