• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.4_spc
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• pp.786-793
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• 2024

Latin America is a culturally, geographically, politically, and economically diverse region. Agriculture in Latin America is marked by a remarkable diversity of production systems, reflecting various agroecological zones, farm sizes, and technological levels. In the last decade, the swine industry increased by 30.6%, emerging as a great contributor to food security and economic development in Latin America. Brazil and Mexico dominate the pig production landscape, together accounting for 70% of sow inventory in the region. The swine industry in Latin America is predominantly comprised of small and medium-sized farms, however, in the past 30 years, the number of pig producers in Brazil dropped by 78%, whereas pork production increased by 326%. Similar to the global pork industry, the growing demand for pork, driven by population growth and changing dietary habits, presents an opportunity for the industry with an expected growth of 16% over the next decade. The export prospects are promising, however subject to potential disruptions from global market conditions and shifts in trade policies. Among the challenges faced by the swine industry, disease outbreaks, particularly African Swine Fever (ASF), present significant threats, necessitating enhanced biosecurity and surveillance systems. In 2023, ASF was reported to the Dominican Republic and Haiti, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in Mexico, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Venezuela, and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) in Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Ecuador. Additionally, feed costs, supply chain disruptions, and energy expenses have affected mainly the smaller and less efficient producers. The swine industry is also transitioning towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices, including efficient feed usage, and precision farming. Ensuring long-term success in the swine industry in Latin America requires a holistic approach that prioritizes sustainability, animal welfare, and consumer preferences, ultimately positioning the industry to thrive in the evolving global market.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.280-286
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• 2012

Clean energy farming is the agricultural activity to improve an efficiency of agricultural energy use and to replace fossil fuels. This study was carried out to establish the clean energy farming system in the controlled cultivation of vegetable crop (cucumber) adopting the biogas production facility. In order to design the clean energy farming system, mass and energy balance was analyzed between the controlled cultivation system and the biogas production facility. Net yearly heating energy demands ($E_{YHED}$) of forcing and semi-forcing cultivation types were 48,697 and $13.536Mcal\;10^{-1}$ in the controlled cultivation of vegetable cucumber. To cover these $E_{YHED}$, the pig slurry of 511 and $142m^3\;10a^{-1}$ (biogas volume of 9,482 and $2,636Nm^3\;10a^{-1}$, respectively, as 60% methane content) were needed in forcing and semi-forcing cultivation types. The pig slurry of $511m^3\;10a^{-1}$ caused N 1,788, $P_2O_5$ $511kg\;10a^{-1}$ in the forcing cultivation type, and the pig slurry of $142m^3\;10a^{-1}$ caused N 497, $P_2O_5$ $142kg\;10a^{-1}$ in the semi-forcing cultivation type. The daily heating energy demand ($E_{i,DHED}$) by the time scale analysis showed the minimum $E_{i,DHED}$ of $7.7Mcal\;10a^{-1}\;day^{-1}$, the maximum $E_{i,DHED}$ of $515.1Mcal\;10a^{-1}\;day^{-1}$, and the mean $E_{i,DHED}$ of 310.2 in the forcing cultivation type. And the minimum $E_{i,DHED}$, the maximum $E_{i,DHED}$, and the mean $E_{i,DHED}$ were 5.3, 258.0, and $165.1Mcal\;10a^{-1}\;day^{-1}$ in the semi-forcing cultivation type, respectively. Input scale of biogas production facility designed from the mean $E_{i,DHED}$ were 3.3 and $1.7m^3\;day^{-1}$ in the forcing and the semi-forcing cultivation type. The maximum $E_{i,DHED}$ gave the input scale of 5.4 and $2.7m^3\;day^{-1}$ in the forcing and the semi-forcing cultivation type.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1818-1827
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• 2018

Objective: The objective of this work was to determine the prevalence of the pathologies that caused the condemnation of pig carcasses in an area of intensive pig farming and Mediterranean climatology and to evaluate their influence in a risk-based inspection procedure for slaughterhouses. Methods: A retrospective observational investigation was carried out from 2002 to 2016 into the pathological processes that caused the condemnation of pig carcasses in a slaughterhouse from South-eastern Spain. The seasonal effect on the causes of condemnation carcass was reported. Negative binomial model was used to evaluate the effect of season on the rate of antemortem rejections and post-mortem condemnations. Histopathological examinations were performed to confirm the diagnosis. Results: The risk of antemortem rejections (0.0564%) was significantly greater in summer (risk ratio [RR] = 1.57). Autumn was associated with higher rate (RR = 1.69) of the total postmortem condemnations (0.1046%). Significantly higher rates of pronounced anaemia (0.0111%) were observed in summer (RR = 3.20). The main causes of anaemia were observed gastroesophageal ulcers and haemorrhagic enteropathies. Significantly highest risk of erysipelas (0.0074%) were observed in autumn (RR = 5.485). About other zoonosis, only eight cases (0.0013%) of carcasses were declared unfit due to tuberculosis lesions. Porcine muscular cysticercosis was not detected. Nevertheless, nonspecific causes such as generalized infections and emaciation represented the half of the condemned carcasses (50.90%). Conclusion: The pathologies leading to the condemnation of carcasses in this study can be considered representative of the pathologies that affect the pig population from a region with a high intensive production and Mediterranean climatology because this slaughterhouse receives a lot of animals from many farms of different size in a high intensive pig production zone (Mediterranean region). Increased knowledge of environmental factors that may foment the appearance of the diseases is essential for implementing inspection programs based on risk assessment in pig's slaughterhouses.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.279-286
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• 2010

Livestock production in Vietnam is, as in most Asian countries, increasing rapidly and changing into specialized highly intensified operations. The volume of animal excreta generated exceeds the capacity of the operation land base and cannot be utilized efficiently. As a consequence, there is a loss of plant nutrients from livestock farms that causes environmental pollution. This study carried out a feed and excretion experiment measuring fecal characteristic, daily fecal production, daily nitrogen and phosphorous excretion from grower-finisher pigs fed prevalent rations in Vietnam. Furthermore, equations for assessing the excretion were tested, which can be used in farm models for optimal recycling of manure while focusing on reducing pollution. The results indicated that fecal production and nutrient excretion were affected by the different rations tested. This study showed that five selected equations for predicting excretion from grower-finisher pigs in Danish conditions can also be used with precision in Vietnamese pig farming systems. The equations have been proven valid and can, therefore, be used as a much needed tool for assessing fecal production and nitrogen in excreta on pig farms. The study also showed that about 12% of nitrogen excreted was emitted during housing. Waste water contains more than half of the nitrogen excreted, mainly in ammonium form which has a high potential for gaseous emission.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.4 no.10
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• pp.473-478
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• 2015

Recently, automatic video monitoring of individual pigs is emerging as an important issue in the management of group-housed pigs. Although a rich variety of studies have been reported on video monitoring techniques in intensive pig farming, it still requires further elaboration. In particular, when there exist adjoining pigs in a crowd pig room, it is necessary to have a way of separating adjoining pigs from the perspective of an image processing technique. In this paper, we propose an efficient image segmentation solution using both spatio-temporal information and region growing method for the identification of individual pigs in video surveillance systems. The experimental results with the videos obtained from a pig farm located in Sejong illustrated the efficiency of the proposed method.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.35.1-35.13
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• 2021

Background: African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious viral disease of domestic pigs that presents as a hemorrhagic fever, and for which no effective vaccine is available. The disease has a serious negative social and economic impact on pig keepers. There is limited information on the potential risk factors responsible for the spread of ASF in South Kivu. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the potential risk factors associated with ASF infection in suspected ASF virus (ASFV)-infected pigs. Methods: We sampled whole blood from 391 pigs. Additionally, 300 pig farmers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Viral DNA was detected by using the real-time polymerase chain reaction technique. Results: The majority of pigs sampled, 78% (95% confidence interval [CI], 74.4-82.6), were of local breeds. Over half, 60.4% (95% CI, 55.5-65.2), were female, and most of them, 90.5% (95% CI, 87.6-93.4), were adult pigs (> 1 year old). Viral DNA was detected in 72 of the 391 sampled pigs, indicating an overall infection rate of 18.4% (95% CI, 14.5-22.4). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed several risk factors positively associated with ASFV infection: feeding with swill in pen (odds ratio [OR], 3.8; 95% CI, 2.12-6.77); mixed ages of pigs in the same pen (OR, 3.3; 95% CI, 1.99-5.57); introduction of new animals to the farm (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 1.91-15.28). The risk factors that were negatively (protective) correlated with ASFV positivity were the presence of male animals and the use of an in-pen breeding system. Conclusion: Local pig farmers should be encouraged to adopt proper husbandry and feeding practices in order to increase the number of ASF-free farms.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.95-109
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• 2021

Consumer's interest in sustainable livestock farming methods has grown in response to concerns for the environment and animal welfare. The purpose of this study is to examine the different influences of sustainability product information on sensory characteristics and purchase behaviors. To accomplish this aim, the study used salami, which is an Italian-style sausage processed by fermentation and drying. Three different types of information were provided: salami made from the pork of an antibiotic-free pig (SMAFP), of an animal welfare pig (SMAWP), and of a grazing pig (SMGP). This study was conducted as an off-line experiment with Korean participants (n=140). As a result, there were sensory differences according to the sustainability information. For the SMAFP, it had a significant difference in, sourness (p<0.05). With the SMAWP, there was a difference in gumminess (p<0.10), and the SMGP had significant differences in sourness (p<0.01), sweetness (p<0.01), andmoisture (p<0.05). Moreover, the purchase intention and willingness to pay were significantly higher when the sustainability information was given. Especially, among the three types of salamis, participants were willing to pay the most for the SMAWP. This is one of the first consumer studies to investigate sensory evaluation and purchase behavior for various types of sustainable livestock production. These results contribute by helping sustainable meat producers and marketers become aware of the kind of sustainable information to which consumers are sensitive.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.151-159
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• 1994

This study was conducted to investigate the $NO_3-N$ concentration, the relationship between $NO_3-N$ and other ions, and patterns of ions in ground water used as drinking water in Cheju Island. Samples were collected from 19 wells in the northwest region, near the district of poultry complex, and 9 wells in the northeast region. In the northwest region, $NO_3-N$ concentrations in D-14 and D-202 wells near the pig farming facilities were 10.95 and 13.1 mg/L, respectively, exceeding the standard concentration of drinking water. The concentration in D-65, D-35, and D-120 wells were slightly lower than the standard concentration. However, $NO_3-N$ concentrations in the wells in the northeast region were lower than 3mg/L. In wells in the northwest region, $NO_3-N$ concentrations were negatively correlated with pH and positively correlated with $Ca^{++}$, $Mg^{++}$, $Na^+$ $Cl^-$, $SO_4^{--}$, and $Cl^-/HCO_3^-$. However, in the northeast region, they were not related with pH and the ions. The chemical compositions in D-65, D-35, and D-41 wells showed higher concentrations of $Ca^{++}$, $Mg^{++}$, $Na^+$, $Cl^-$, $NO_3-N$ and $SO_4^{--}$ than the unpolluted D-42 well. These results suggest that ground water near the pig farming complex was polluted by pig farming waste in the northwest region.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.73-78
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• 2017

Objective of this experiment was to evaluate efficiency of application of biochar pellet in case of application of soil carbon sequestration technology. The treatments were consisted of control as general agricultural practice method, pellet(100% pig compost), biochar pellets with mixture ratio of pig compost(9:1, 8:2, 6:4, 4:6, 2:8) for comparatives of pH, EC, $NH_4-N$ and $NO_3-N$ concentrations, and yields in the nursery bed applied biochar pellets after lettuce harvesting. The application rates of biochar pellet was 6.6g/pot regardless of their mixed rates based on recommended amount of application (330kg/10a) for lettuce cultivation. pH in the nursery bed applied different biochar pellets after lettuce harvesting was only increased in the treatment plot of pig compost pellet application, but decreased in 4:6 and 2:8 pellet application plots. However, EC was observed to be not significantly different among the treatments. $NH_4-N$ concentration was only increased in the treatment plot of pig compost pellet application, but $NO_3-N$ concentrations were decreased as compared to the control. Yields in the treatments of 9:1, 8:2 and 4:6 biochar pellet application plot were increased from 9.5% to 11.4%. Therefore, this biochar pellet application might be useful for soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas mitigation in the agricultural farming practices because it was appeared to be a positive effect on lettuce growth.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.101-120
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of agricultural polices on the change of regional structure based on the specialization during the productivism period. Analysis are carried on through the comparison of distribution in 1950s and 1997. Since the 1950s, governmental policy has played a leading role in shaping the pattern of farming in Great Britain. The range of British measures have also been employed in an attempt to improve the efficiency of agriculture and raise farm income. Three fairly distinct phase can be identified in the developing relationship between government policies and British agriculture in the postwar period. In the 1st phase, The Agricultural Act of 1947 laid the foundations for agricultural productivism in Great Britain until membership of the EC. This was to be achieved through the system of price support and guaranteed prices and the means of a series of grants and subsidies. Guaranteed prices encouraged farmenrs to intensify production and specialize in either cereal farming or milk-beef enterprise. The former favoured eastern areas, whereas the latter favoured western areas. Various grants and subsidies were made available to farmers during this period, again as a way of increasing efficiency and farm incomes. Many policies, such as Calf Subsidy and the Ploughing Grant, Hill cow and Hill Sheep Schemes and the Hill Farming and Livestock Rearing Grant was provided. Some of these policies favoured western uplands, whilst the others was biased towards the Lake District. Concentration of farms occured especially in near the London Metropolitan Area and south part of Scotland. In the 2nd stage after the membership of EC, very high guaranteed price created a relatively risk-free environment, so farmers intensified production and levels of self-sufficiency for most agriculture risen considerably. As farmers were being paid high prices for as much as they could produce, the policy favoured areas of larger-scale farming in eastern Britain. As a result of increasing regional disparities in agriculture, the CAP became more geographically sensitive in 1975 with the setting up of the Less Favoured Areas(LFAs). But they are biased towards the larger farms, because such farms have more crops and/or livestock, but small farms with low incomes are in most need of support. Specialization of cereals such wheat and barely was occured, but these two cereal crops have experienced rather different trend since 1950s. Under the CAP, farmers have been paid higher guaranteed prices for wheat than for barely because of the relative shortage of wheat in the EC. And more barely were cultivated as feedstuffs for livestock by home-grown cereals. In the 1950s dairying was already declining in what was to become the arable areas of southern and eastern England. By the mid-1980s, the pastral core had maintained its dominance, but the pastoral periphery had easily surpassed arable England as the second most important dairying district. Pig farming had become increasingly concentrated in intensive units in the main cereal areas of eastern England. These results show that the measure of agricultural policy induced the concentration and specialization implicitly. Measures for increasing demand, reducing supply or raising farm incomes are favoured by large scale farming. And price support induced specialization of farming. And technology for specialization are diffused and induced geographical specialization. This is the process of change of regional structure through the specialization.