OPTIMUM SOLUTIONS FOR GROWER-FINISHER PIGS

Dynamic integrated models, such as Watson®, are available and being used to improve performance and profitability of finishing pigs by enhancing the decision-making process. One of the main purposes of an integrated management approach is to bring together the complex interactions between the animal, its environment and its diet, into a system that will accurately predict the animal’s performance under commercial conditions. Applying this technology will predict 1) the cause-and-effect responses to changes in the production environment; 2) the subsequent financial implications of these changes; and therefore, 3) the optimum nutritional and/or financial strategy. It is important to note that optimum solutions are farm-specific and no one solution fits all because of the inherent differences in production characteristics on each farm (e.g health status, genetics, housing, ingredient/feed costs). The judicious use of these integrated management models can and does assist the producer make better decisions, in a constantly changing production environment, as well as assign financial consequences to the decision-making process. A number of different optimum strategies focusing on nutrition, feed management and marketing are presented as well as examples of their on-farm application