Poster shows two figures representing Great Britain and Canada exchanging money for a pig. A large hog indicates how many pounds of pork Britain buys and the smaller pig represents how much Canada sells. Text continues: We're glad to have it, Canada, but we need ten times more. Title from item.

This activity will check students’ understanding of the swine ear-notching system of livestock identification. Credit @whiteoakffa and Sarah Nerswick

This lesson explores the swine industry:  locating major physical characteristics, describing common breeds, selection of superior animals, and contrasting production systems and marketing methods of swine and hogs.  Adapted from New Mexico Animal, Plant, and Science Lesson Plan Library.

This lesson offers an understanding of the historic and economic implications of the livestock industry to our state and nation. Learners will recognize the best management practices for specific food animal species, as well as identify the important breeds of each species. This represents a portion of the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) series in Nebraska middle and high school agricultural education.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Feed efficiency is an important economic and environmental parameter in raising swine. It captures how effectively livestock feed is turned into food products for humans. Increasing a pig’s feed efficiency can reduce a farm’s costs and energy use. A new study shows that one factor that could affect pigs’ feed efficiency is their gut microbiome. Feed intake and body weight measurements showed significant differences in feed efficiency among three pig breeds: Duroc, Landrace, and Large White, while genetic analyses of their gut microbiomes revealed differences in their microbial makeup. Association analyses between these datasets indicated a positive association between 4 types of bacteria and feed efficiency. This link could help both scientists and farmers understand how intestinal microbes influence animal traits crucial to production. such as those related to fatness. And it could offer a valuable new way to influence the feed efficiency of pigs..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"A new vaccine against influenza virus may offer previously unattainable levels of protection to newborn pigs. Just as humans muddle through the flu season each year, pigs across the globe are affected by their own regular outbreaks, causing notable economic losses in the pork industry. But an international research team has now shown that the newly developed vaccine can keep the virus from replicating in newborn pigs, potentially reducing the spread of disease. Historically, breeding females have been the main target for influenza control in pig populations. Females given a vaccine containing an inactive form of influenza type A virus – a key agent of respiratory disease in pigs – can confer passive immunity to their offspring. But this doesn’t stop piglets from becoming infected with or passing on the virus – it just keeps them from showing clinical signs for a short period, since any maternally derived protection will wear off over time..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Antimicrobial resistance is a critical threat to human and animal health. Animal production systems, with their often-heavy use of antibiotics, are a major driver of antibiotic resistance globally. The resistome is the collection of antibiotic resistance genes in a population of bacteria and is a window into the accumulation of antibiotic resistance in a system. A recent study compared the resistomes of an industrialized intensive pig farming system and a traditional extensive farming system. The extensive systems have lower animal densities, outdoor housing, older age at slaughter, and – critically – less antibiotic use compared to the intensive systems. Researchers examined the metagenomes of the pigs’ intestinal microbiomes, the environment on the farm, and the slurry of pig waste. Compared with extensive farms, intensive farms had a higher abundance of antibiotic resistance genes. The class of antibiotics used correlated with the category of resistance genes observed..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"In mammals, the maternal microbiome influences both mother and infant health and can be used to predict the likelihood of preterm birth. The mother’s number of previous pregnancies, or parity, can also affect preterm birth risk, but whether parity influences the maternal or infant microbiome is unclear. A recent study used marker gene sequencing and metagenomics analyses of stool samples to investigate the microbiomes of pregnant pigs of different parities and their offspring. Microbiome “maturity index” and Dirichlet multinomial mixtures (DMM) model analyses indicated that the sow microbiome changed in predictable ways throughout pregnancy and that the changes occurred more rapidly in sows with higher numbers of previous pregnancies. Parity (high vs. zero) was linked to the levels of specific types of bacteria in the maternal gut at the end of pregnancy. Sow parity also affected the abundances of certain metabolism-related bacteria in the piglet gut 10 days after birth..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This site shows the inexpensive and permanent ear-notching swine identification system, explaining significance of notch placement to create an individual identity number for each animal, and techniques for effective notching. Accessed 2022 from University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Publications.

Lesson where students practice reading ear notches, and apply that knowledge by creating a headband. AFNR.HS.2.2.a Demonstrate management techniques that ensure animal welfare.AFNR.HS.2.2.b Analyze procedures to ensure that animal products are safe for consumption.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Heavy use of antimicrobials can drive the accumulation of antimicrobial resistance genes in a microbiome, including the gut microbiomes of food-producing animals. Pigs are often given antimicrobials when dealing with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). While PRRS is caused by a virus, the secondary bacterial infections it leads to are managed with antimicrobials. A recent study investigated the impact of antimicrobials and PRRS infections on the resistome and microbiome of growing commercial pigs. The fecal resistome and microbiome of the young pigs showed a regular development trajectory, influenced primarily by weaning and aging. This trajectory was mostly unchanged by other factors like viral illness, antimicrobial exposure, or the physical grouping of pigs..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.