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Better Pork Featured Articles

Better Pork magazine is published bimonthly. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


A long ride is less stressful

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Shorter truck trips are more stressful to market hogs than longer truck rides, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Animal Science.

The reason? Pigs need time to recover from the stress of loading before they get stressed again when they disembark, says Prof. Michael Ellis, at the University of Illinois's Urbana-Champaign campus.

Another stress factor is floor space. Overcrowding is stressful, but pigs that have too much space are thrown around as the livestock truck moves. University researchers found that U.S. market pigs on average require five square feet each.

Co-author of the study with Ellis was Bradley Wolter, chief operating officer of the Maschhoffs packing company in Carlyle, Ill. Wolter says working with Ellis allowed the company to reduce pig losses due to transportation and handling by more than one percentage point in a system that was already well managed and where less than half a per cent of pigs died because of movement and handling. BP

Current Issue

June 2025

Better Pork Magazine

Farms.com Swine News

Ontario Promotes Local Food to Boost Economy and Jobs

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Ontario is celebrating Local Food Week from June 2–8, 2025, honoring the people behind the province’s strong and self-sufficient food supply. From farmers and food processors to retailers and restauranteurs, these individuals contribute to the economy and food security. The agriculture... Read this article online

New report highlights Cdn. farmer sentiment on tariffs

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Canadian farmers are worried about trade and tariffs. That’s part of what a new report from Stratus Ag Research shows. The research firm polled 1,000 Canadian farmers beginning in January about how concerned they are about 21 challenges including rising costs of production, commodity... Read this article online

Warburtons invests in Gate project

Thursday, June 5, 2025

A British company is investing in a Canadian ag project. Warburtons, the largest bakery brand in England which includes bread, bagels, and pitas, is contributing $650,000 to the Global Agriculture Technology Exchange (Gate) project in Winnipeg, Man. “This contribution represents a... Read this article online

Scientists at Guelph Target Avian Threat

Thursday, June 5, 2025

The University of Guelph (U of G) is activeey engaged against the spread of avian flu. Experts from a variety of departments, including virology, engineering, veterinary medicine, and computer science, are working together to stop this growing threat. “This is not just a crisis for the... Read this article online

Trouw Nutrition launches IntelEgg

Thursday, June 5, 2025

Trouw Nutrition has announced the launch of , a digital platform designed to empower layer producers with real-time insights and data-driven decision-making tools. The image above shows an demo screen. This browser-based application is set to transform how poultry farmers monitor,... Read this article online

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