f
Horticulture Industry Recognized
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) DEP Deputy Secretary
for Water Management Christine
Martin recently addressed the
Pennsylvania Horticultural
Trade Alliance at a legislative
breakfast on the status of water
resources legislative efforts and
praised the industry for its lead
ership and assistance to DEP
during the current drought.
“The horticulture industry ac
tively participated with the de
Overview Of NAHMS Swine Operations Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. In
2000, USDA’S National Animal
Health Monitoring system
(NAHMS) conducted a study of
swine operations within the 17
leading pork-producing states.
These operations represented
nearly 94 percent of the U.S.
swine herd on sites with 100 or
more pigs on December 1,1999.
The following highlights were
excerpted from a report released
in July 2001, “Swine 2000 Part I:
Reference of Swine Health and
Management in the United
States, 2000.”
For sites with more than 500
breeding females, 85.3 percent of
sows were mated via artificial in
semination, compared to about
15 percent of sows on sites with
less than 250 breeding females.
Three-fourths (76.4 percent) of
sows were mated two or more
times per service. For sites with
less than 250 breeding females,
64.9 percent of sows and 57.0
percent of gilts were pen-mated.
For the 40.1 percent of sites
that isolated or quarantined new
breeding females, over 60 percent
tested at least some new breeding
females. Of the 65.1 percent iso
lating new boars, 51.8 percent
tested all new breed
ing males.
Generally acclima
tization measures
were adopted more
frequently on sites
with an inventory of
250 or more. Besides
vaccination (used on
84.1 percent of sites),
exposure to cull fe
males was used most
often (49.0 percent of
sites).
The average litter
size was 10.9 pigs, of
which IQ.O were bom
alive and 8.9 survived
to weaning. The aver
age preweaning mor
tality rate was 11.0
percent.
The most common
measure taken for
diseases prevention
for piglets was to ad
minister iron (75.4
percent of sites). For
weaned growing pigs,
antibiotics in feed
and deworming were
the primary treat
ments.
Mycoplasma was
the most frequently
used vaccine in sites
with an inventory of
partment in rewriting Pennsylva
nia’s drought regulations, and
already in the current drought,
the industry is serving as a re
source for developing and sug
gesting water conservation meth
ods and as a point of contact to
the gardening public,” Martin
said.
The industry has also been ac
tive in water resource legislation
discussions. The alliance has list
ed water resources as one of its
2,000 or more (approximately 60
percent of sites). More than 28
percent of all sites regularly ad
ministered vaccines against por
cine reproductive and respiratory
virus (PRRS).
During the previous year, 7.6
percent of sites were visited by a
state or federal veterinary med
ical officer (VMO). VMOs visited
a higher proportion of larger sites
than smaller sites. Over one-third
(34.5 percent) of sites had a local
practitioner visit at least three
times a year.
About two-thirds of sites re
stricted entry to the premises to
employees only. Of those sites
that did not restrict entry, only
23.6 percent required a 24-hour
“no-swine-contact” period prior
to entry.
Overall, 56.8 percent of sites
allowed trucks to enter site pe
rimeters. Smaller sites were less
restrictive than larger sites.
Baits or poisons were (he most
frequently used method of rodent
control (88.5 percent of sites). Al
though cats are associated with
disease spread, they were never
theless used for rodent control on
68.0 percent of smaller sites (less
than 2,000 total pigs).
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legislative priorities for this year.
Among the elements the alliance
believes needs to be addressed are
an update of the State Water
Plan, a need for the availability
of water for agricultural irriga
tion during drought periods, rep
resentation of the horticulture in
dustry during planning activities,
registration and reporting of
water uses with no fees; and a
need to avoid duplication of ef-
forts performed by river basin
commissions.
Respiratory disease was the
greatest cause of mortality, ac-
counting for 28.9 percent of nurs
ery deaths and 39.1 percent of
deaths in grower/finisher pigs.
Based on death loss data from
December 1, 1999, through May
31, 2000, the annualized average
sow and gilt death loss ranged
from 5.0 to 7.4 percent, increas
ing with herd size.
From December 1, 1999,
through May 31, 2000, nearly 18
percent of sows and gilts were re
moved from herds. The primary
reason breeding females were
culled was age (41.9 percent), fol
lowed by reproductive failure
(21.3 percent) and lameness (16.0
percent).
A large percentage of sows
were farrowed in total confine
ment facilities (83.4 percent), and
81.8 percent of pigs were placed
in total confinement nurseries.
Less than IS percent of pigs
were finished in continuous flow
facilities.
The average age of pig
lets at weaning was 19.3
days. Approximately two
thirds of piglets were
weaned from 16 to 20 days
of age.
Pa. Moves Closer To Goal
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Agriculture Secretary Sam Hayes an
nounced that Pennsylvania’s State
Farmland Preservation Board has
approved the preservation of another
23 farms totaling 2,545 acres, bring
ing the state another step closer to its
goal of “2002 farms in 2002.”
Farms include:
Adams County:
• Michael and Nora
Mount Pleasant Township.
• Win and Winifred Schulteis,
Menallen Township.
Berks County:
Many sites (23.9 percent) uti
lized more than one source to ob-
tain pigs for placement in
grower/finisher units.
Approximately one-third of
sites conducted tests on ground
water (37.9 percent) or nutrient
content of manure (32.7 percent)
during the previous three years.
Less than 8 percent tested air
quality.
Nearly one-fourth (23.2 per
cent) of sites composted dead
preweaned pigs. Burial (37.8 per
cent of sites) and rendering (45.5
percent) were the most common
methods of carcass disposal for
larger pigs.
For more information, contact
Centers for Epidemiology and
Animal Health USDA:A
PHIS:VS, attn. NAHMS, 555
South Howes, Fort Collins, CO
80521, NAHMSweb@usda.gov,
w w w.apbisaisda. go v/vs/ceah/
cahm.
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• James and Delores Adam,
Windsor Township.
• Hetrick Brothers Farm, Jeffer
son and Tulpehocken townships.
• Edwin and Evelyn Lichtenstein,
Oley Township.
• Ralph and Crystal Moyer, Beth
el Township.
• William and Anna Norton,
Upper Tulpehocken Township.
• Ray and Barbara Seidel, Wind
sor Township.
Keller,
Erie County:
• Terrill and Jacqueline Dougan,
Harborcreek Township.
• Mobilia Fruit Farm, North
East Township.
Lackawanna County:
• John, Mary Ann and Jeanne
Lally, Greenfield Township.
Lancaster County:
• Earl and Evelyn Landis, East
Hempfield Township.
Montgomery County:
• Arlene Smith Farm, Salford
Township.
• Charles, Jane, and Matthew
Wismer, Limerick Township.
• Walton Yoder Farm, Franconia
Township.
• William Zimmerman, Douglass
Township.
Northumberland County:
• Timothy and Joyce Masser,
Upper Mahanoy Township.
Union County:
• Dennis and Jeanne Hess, Lime
stone Township.
York County:
• Eugene and Dorladeen Brown,
Lower Windsor Township.
• Steven and Harlan Harlacker,
Dover Township.
• Kyle and Megan Rigby, Wash
ington Township.
Two farms totaling 84 acres from
Montgomery and Union counties
were preserved through county pres
ervation programs.