The U.S. Grains Council's latest technical training program is helping Chinese swine producers improve the diagnosis and control of common swine diseases in their herds. Jason Yan, USGC technical program director in China, says they expect the mortality and farrowing rate will be improved on the farms where they were engaged.
Dr. Robert Morrison of the University of Minnesota found significant room for improvement and wide interest in conducting trials directed at improving swine health. Participants were especially concerned about porcine circovirus and hog cholera. Morrison's on-farm training provided experience with clinical trial design, hypothesis tests and statistical methods for some of China's most advanced swine producers.
As Chinese farms adopt updated technology, the USGC will use its online benchmarking program to measure health improvements made through the program. Yan says more pigs and successful expansion will increase feed grain utilization. And, hopefully, that will result in more U.S. grain sales. At the end of 2010, China led the world in hog production with 59% of the world's sows.
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