Livestock

18 September 2018

18 September 2018

28 November 2023

The conserved forage requirements and stocks calculator can be used to calculate feed demand by entering livestock numbers and available feed supply.

29 August 2024

Updated results from the RamCompare project have seen a re-ranking of some rams based on their carcase weight estimated breeding values (EBV).

22 August 2018

Eight pig producers from across Europe have won international awards for their innovation in pig production.

17 August 2018

Despite additional hectares of straw being made available by cereal growers, there is still likely to be a shortage due to lower yields and an increased requirement for feeding. This factsheet explains the importance of assessing your straw needs and planning for any deficit.

12 December 2023

Some of the alternative bedding materials mentioned here can be used in conjunction with traditional cereal straw, either to replace it or offset the increased cost and allow straw-bedding supplies to go further

13 August 2018

It is important to keep the cost of producing piglets to a minimum to enable you to maximise profitability at sale. Knowing how your breeding herd performs helps you to identify where and how to concentrate your time, effort and investment to improve performance and reduce the cost of production.

13 August 2018

Improving the number of pigs born alive and piglet survival rate through to weaning has a significant impact on profitability – an increase of 1.7 pigs weaned per litter (the difference between average and top 10% performance) improves net margin by £120 per sow per annum.

13 August 2018

Understanding /meeting the contract specification and increasing the uniformity of finished pigs will help improve financial returns. This factsheet will help you review your contract, taking into account your location, pig production system and current grading.

13 August 2018

Ventilation systems can improve living conditions. An efficient ventilation system draws fresh air in and removes stale air along with microbes, dust, harmful gases and water vapour. Inefficient ventilation is detrimental to pig and staff performance (particularly on hot days) and costs more to run

16 February 2024

Feed makes up ~76% of variable and ~56% of total costs. It may be possible to decrease the cost by switching to a cheaper ration or purchasing in larger quantities, but it can also be achieved through simple, practical actions to minimise feed wastage and to improve the efficiency of utilisation