Topigs Norsvin

Optimal efficiency for lower greenhouse gas emissions. Topigs Norsvin contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in several ways. The basis is in breeding. The difference is made on pig farms and throughout the supply chain by sharing knowledge and offering support. Read more: https://bit.ly/3V4oLfS #sustainability #support #contributing

On June 30, a well-organized groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of a nucleus farm near Wuwei in China's Gansu province. This project is a joint venture between Topigs Norsvin and Muyuan Foods and demonstrates their shared commitment to excellence and progress in pork production in China. The new high-health nucleus farm will have a capacity of 1200 sows and will house both maternal and terminal sire lines. It will form the foundation of a breeding infrastructure that will provide high-quality genetics for Muyuan as well as other producers in China. This groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of a deep collaboration between Muyuan and Topigs Norsvin and marks a joint step forward in the field of modern agriculture. Both partners strengthen each other. Topigs Norsvin is a leading and innovative pig breeding company committed to providing high-quality genetics to customers through innovative breeding technology and research. Muyuan Foods is the largest pig farming company in the world. It has earned high recognition and trust in the industry due to its rich experience and excellent market performance.

Lídia Sbaraini Arend is Global Female Reproduction Specialist at Topigs Norsvin. Together with her colleagues, she advises producers in the areas of sow fertility and reproductive health, insemination, and heat detection. Every year, she sees fertility problems caused by heat stress and seasonality. An increased risk for a drop in fertilization rates and piglets born after a period of heat is common if appropriate actions are not taken. Her tips to minimize seasonal infertility are: 1. Control the barn temperature. Ensure ventilation and cooling capacity are sufficient and are working as they should. 2. Give the animals enough fresh and clean water. Double-check the flow and quality when it reaches the sow. 3. Keep feed intake at the best level. Ensure the sows, especially the lactating sows, get the nutrients they need. Feed during the coolest hours of the day. 4. Be extra critical of reproduction management during high temperatures. Check the temperature when handling semen. Move sows, inseminate, and do heat detection during the coolest moments of the day. 5. Ensure light management in the breeding area is correct and consistent. This means 16 hours light and 8 hours dark, with a minimum of 200-250 lux intensity. Lídia and her colleagues have created a fact sheet with more in-depth tips. You can download it by clicking here: https://bit.ly/4eRsN4r #progressinpigs #heatstress #fertility

Measuring how genetics perform in practice. At nucleus farms, every attempt is made to optimize the environment of our animals. This is done in an attempt to reveal the genetic potential of each animal. However, certain traits, such as longevity or robustness traits, cannot be evaluated in this type of setting. To breach this gap, Topigs Norsvin partners with a large US producer to collect data on sows in a commercial setting. These data are routinely exchanged with Topigs Norsvin’s database and used to estimate breeding values for longevity and robustness traits. Read more about our approach. https://bit.ly/3ySkEfF #progressinpigs #sowlongevity #robustness

Nitrogen efficiency: less environmental impact, better growth. Improving the nitrogen efficiency of pork production is an important factor in reducing emissions and optimizing pig growth. By zooming in on nitrogen efficiency, we can make a real impact on improving the true efficiency of pork production. What is nitrogen efficiency and how can research and genetics of Topigs Norsvin contribute to improving it? Read more: https://bit.ly/45b8LgK #nitrogen #innovation #progressinpigs

Using data to find rare genetic imperfections Researcher Anne Boshove and her colleagues have developed a new way of identifying rare deleterious variations – in other words, genetic imperfections – in the genetic make-up of pigs. This will help our breeding program to produce healthier and better-performing pigs. In the project, Anne used the entire genome – that is to say, the total DNA consisting of about 22 million variants – of about 200,000 pigs. She would have liked to use data from even more pigs, but even the high-performance computers at Wageningen University could not handle this. The work of Anne and colleagues makes an important contribution to our overall breeding program, but it has also attracted attention from the field of human medicine, where it has the potential to help detect genetic abnormalities. Click here to dive deeper into the work of Anne and Co. https://lnkd.in/g2mDDZTU Jeroen Verdonschot of Studio Cartoon Blanche made a nice cartoon about her research. He is also the creator of all the other cartoons in this series about Topigs Norsvin's research. #innovation #breedingbetterpigs #deleteriousvariations

On June 14, Topigs Norsvin officially opened its new boar test and research center Delta Norway. Delta Norway is the final element of the Topigs Norsvin strategic plan to upgrade our breeding structure, which started eight years ago. Other important steps in this plan were centralizing the nucleus breeding of the Z-line and TN Tempo in Canada and building Delta Canada and Innova Canada. New innovations and an infrastructure designed for large-scale data capture at Delta Norway will significantly boost the Topigs Norsvin genetic program. For example, camera technology and sensors to observe pigs will make it possible to select for new traits that improve animal welfare and social behavior. Delta Norway will test 5,000 young TN Duroc and Norsvin Landrace boars per year. This is 2,000 animals more than at the current Delta Norway test station, which will be converted into a unit to house boars for export. The increased capacity of the test station will mean more animals with high genetic value becoming available to meet the growing demand for Topigs Norsvin genetics worldwide.

The new Delta Norway will increase genetic progress by an extra ten percent, especially on feed efficiency and daily gain. This means less feed is needed, less land is used, and fewer greenhouse gasses are emitted when producing pork. With the millions of Topigs Norsvin pigs in the world, this will lead to a substantial reduction in environmental impact. The new advanced CT scanner at Delta Norway will also contribute to research on robustness and improved animal welfare. Norsvin CEO Olav Eik-Nes and Topigs Norsvin CTO Hans Olijslagers tell us more about the importance and the contribution of Delta Norway to a more sustainable pork production. https://bit.ly/44COzUM

Biosecurity stands as a cornerstone for swine farm success, ensuring herd health and productivity. At Topigs Norsvin, our specialists are pivotal in advancing biosecurity practices and use their expertise to provide tailored guidance to farmers. By staying abreast of the latest biosecurity technologies and practices, our specialists empower farms to implement cutting-edge solutions. This proactive approach not only safeguards herd health but also enhances farm efficiency and sustainability Read more in our online magazine Progress: https://bit.ly/4abQJwN #biosecurity #expertise #sustainable

The new Delta Norway is a high-tech test and innovation center that has also been built with high animal welfare, perfect working conditions for workers, and a low impact on the environment in mind. Learn more with this quick tour through Delta Norway and learn about recycled wind turbine blades, the automatic bedding system, manure handling, local sourced materials and heating and cooling by Mother Earth. https://bit.ly/3JXeY6k