Peak Swine Genetics, Inc. (Newsletters

July 2006 , Vol. 9, No. 7
PEAK OF PERFORMANCE NEWS

General Manager Comments

An article on “Throughput” by Mark Greenwood reported in National Hog Farmer May 26 indicates that hog farms can, and should, have an output of 5,800 pounds of pork/sow/year. This number is calculated from 9.2 pigs marketed/litter, where hogs weigh 270 pounds at slaughter. US average is only 4,500 pounds of pork per sow, a difference of 1,300 pounds; equivalent to 4.8 pigs marketed per sow. Greenwood notes that Agrosuper in Chile (120,000 sows) is producing 6,800 pounds of pork per sow because of production levels above 25 pigs marketed/sow/year.

PEAK Swine Genetics can boast several client herds with >500 sows producing up to 6,500 pounds of pork/sow, where market hog weigh 255 pounds (compared to 270 pounds) and 12,000-14,000 hogs are marketed annually. Any challengers out there, providing data from PigChamp or marketing records? Is this rate of production expected or reasonable?

Our sincere thank you to all who attended our Customer Appreciation days in Lethbridge and Edmonton. I feel very humble that we have as much interest as we do in these events from our valued clients.

PEAK Growth Summit

Growth in Performance Improvement

Boars and gilts probed at Bloomsbury Farms in June continue to show terrific improvement in loin size. Biggest loin probed at 100 kg liveweight on Trailblazer boars was 67.0 mm; on Pathfinder Durocs was 66.1 mm; Lacombes was 67.0 mm and on Landrace boars was 65.6 mm.

Breed	No.	Average Backfat	Loin depth	Loin Area	Est. Lean Yield
Trailblazer boars	18	10.1 mm	64.6 mm	41.9 sq cm	63.7%
Duroc boars	9	9.8 mm	63.5 mm	41.4 sq cm	63.8%
Lacombe boars	13	10.9mm	64.4 mm	41.2 sq cm	63.2%
Landrace boars	10	9.5 mm	62.2 mm	41.0 sq cm	63.9%

Peak Customers

We appreciate every one of our continuing clients!

PEAK Book Of World Records

Neu Muehl Colony has a grading slip for 204 hogs sent to OLYMEL at 93.1 kg that indexed 112.2, loins of 63.9 mm and fat at 17.7 mm. These hogs still come from mixed sources of breeding stock but Trailblazer boars make up one-half of the breeding stud now. Over 8 weeks of breedings in Apr/May, only 3 weaned sows were unable to be served within 7 days. Good barn management!

Starbrite Colony farrowed two purebred gilts where one had 10 gilts and 2 boars and the other had 7 gilts and 2 boars in the litter. These litters came from the same sire; bred in the same week. Trailblazer boar 9569, delivered May 2003 is still in service with a 96% farrowing rate and 11.4 born live/litter. Good boy!

Parkland Colony’s first purebred gilt farrowing produced 16 live piglets, each weighing 1.4 kg at birth. There were 6 gilts in the litter.

A Trailblazer-sired gilt litter of 12 piglets weaned an average of 26.8 pounds at 22 days of age at Hutterville Colony.

Territory Managers

For more information, contact:

Manager	Territory	Cell Telephone
Les Robinson	Southern & Central Alberta	(250) 833-6196
Paul Klingeman	Pacific Northwest	(509) 989-1347
Mike Miller	Saskatchewan and Montana	(403) 317-0543

Recent Issues

2007		2006		2005		2004

January	(Vol. 10, No.1)	January	(Vol. 9, No.1)	January	(Vol. 8, No.1)	January	(Vol. 7, No.1)
February	(Vol. 10, No.2)	February	(Vol. 9, No.2)	February	(Vol. 8, No.2)	February	(Vol. 7, No.2)
		March	(Vol. 9, No.3, No.3a)	March	(Vol. 8, No.3, No.3a)	March	(Vol. 7, No.3, No.3a)
		April	(Vol. 9, No. 4)	April	(Vol. 8, No. 4)	April	(Vol. 7, No. 4)
		May	(Vol. 9, No. 5)	May	(Vol. 8, No. 5)	May	(Vol. 7, No. 5)
		June	(Vol. 9, No. 6)	June	(Vol. 8, No. 6)	June	(Vol. 7, No. 6)
		July	(Vol. 9, No. 7)	July	(Vol. 8, No. 7)	July	(Vol. 7, No. 7)
		August	(Vol. 9, No. 8)	August	(Vol. 8, No. 8)	August	(Vol. 7, No. 8)
		September	(Vol. 9, No. 9)	September	(Vol. 8, No. 9)	September	(Vol. 7, No. 9)
		October	(Vol. 9, No. 10)	October	(Vol. 8, No. 10)	October	(Vol. 7, No. 10)
		November	(Vol. 9, No. 11)	November	(Vol. 8, No. 11)	November	(Vol. 7, No. 11)
		December	(Vol. 9, No. 12)	December	(Vol. 8, No. 12)	December	(Vol. 7, No. 12)

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