We ask a lot from our sows and put great effort into improving their performance. However, in many cases, they don't produce enough milk and colostrum in order to sustain the maximum growth of the piglets. That's why optimizing the milking capacity of sows and stimulating their mammary development is so essential – that’s also why we have invited one of the pioneers in that topic for today’s episode: Dr. Chantal Farmer. From Canada to the whole world, Dr. Farmer's vast experience and research have contributed a lot to the global swine industry, especially regarding sow lactation biology. She explains the details of mammary development and shares the results of her recent studies in this area, bringing her perspective on practical improvements for sow farms that producers should consider making.

"For the past decades, I have focused on increasing sow milk yield by exploring one crucial factor that is almost always forgotten: mammary development." – Dr. Chantal Farmer

What you’ll learn:

(00:00) Highlight

(01:33) Introduction

(03:55) Why sow mammary development is so critical

(06:51) Research on late gestation period

(12:19) How lysine can influence mammary development

(14:15) Are we feeding piglets enough milk?

(20:00) The involution process of mammary glands

(24:23) Insights on sow longevity

(30:30) What do we need to change in our industry?

(33:30) Key takeaways

(36:47) Three final questions

Meet the guest: Dr. Chantal Farmer

Experience:

• Current: Research Scientist in Sow Lactation Biology at both the Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre of Agriculture, and Agri-Food Canada

Background:

• Ph.D. (Pennsylvania State University)
• M.Sc. (University of Saskatchewan)
• B.Sc. (McGill University)

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

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