Buying Station Research Articles

Cases of high mortality in cull sows and feeder pigs associated with Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus septicemia.

Investigations of 2 cases of high mortality in cull sows and feeder pigs from a buying station in Ohio and cull sows at an abattoir in Tennessee were conducted at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The animals were presented as weak, lethargic, and some with high fever. Rapidly escalating mortality was reported to be as high as 30-50% within groups at the buying station over 8-10 d, and 30-40% over 5-7 d at the abattoir. Splenomegaly and red lymph nodes were the most consistent macroscopic findings, with scant fibrinous polyserositis observed in one sow. The microscopic lesions of vasculitis, fibrin thrombi, fibrinosuppurative polyserositis, and intralesional bacteria were consistent with acute bacterial septicemia. Bacterial culture isolated Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) from multiple organs, including spleen, lung, and kidney. PCR tests were negative for African swine fever virus, classical swine fever virus, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, porcine circovirus 2, and Salmonella spp. Porcine circovirus 3 was inconsistently detected at low levels by PCR, with a lack of associated lesions. Next-generation sequencing identified S. zooepidemicus and porcine partetravirus in the serum sample of the feeder pig from the buying station. Phylogenetic analysis of the szP gene indicated that the S. zooepidemicus isolates from Ohio and Tennessee are in genotype VI. We conclude that the cause of these high mortality events in swine was S. zooepidemicus septicemia.

Clinical and behavioural consequences of on-farm mixing of cull sows after weaning

In modern pig production up to 50% of the sows are slaughtered each year. Typically, the period from the decision to cull and until a sow is slaughtered consists of a stay in an on-farm pick-up pen (hours to weeks), transport (eventually passing buying stations or similar) and lairage. However, even though cull sows are often mentioned as vulnerable toward challenges such as transport, the behaviour and welfare of these animals have received very limited scientific attention.The aim of this study was to examine clinical and behavioural consequences of keeping cull sows in on-farm pick-up pens before transport to slaughter. The observational study took place in a private Danish sow herd with loose-housed gestating and lactating sows. The study included 103 sows with a mean parity of 5 (range 1–9) and a BCS of 3 (range 2–3). On the day of weaning, the sows were examined clinically, and walked to pick-up pens in another part of the same building, each pen holding 3–4 sows. In the pens, the sows had free access to water from a water cup and were fed on the floor twice a day with a total 2.5 FU per sow. The mean room temperature was 21.0 °C (range 18–25.6 °C). After 24 h in the pick-up pens, the clinical condition of the sows showed signs of deterioration, as judged by an increased number of superficial skin lesions (median 0 (range 0−22) v. a median of 9 (range 0−75); P < 0.001) and increased gait score (median 0 (range 0−1) v. a median of 0 (range 0−2); P < 0.001). The median occurrence of aggressive interactions per pen during the initial 6 h post-mixing was 33, ranging from 11−55. Overall, the results suggest that a 24 h stay in a pick-up pen may be a challenge to the welfare of cull sows. Further studies are needed in order to understand effects of a stay in a pick-up pen, as well as other phases of the pre-slaughter logistic chain, on welfare during this period of the production cycle and to understand possible links to fitness for transport.

Virus detection using metagenomic sequencing of swine nasal and rectal swabs

Advances in DNA sequencing have increased our ability to generate large amounts of sequence data at lower costs. These developments have enabled microbial detection and characterization directly from clinical specimens, known as metagenomic sequencing. Viral metagenomic sequencing was performed on five nasal- and five fecal-swab pools collected from each of two primary and two secondary market slaughterhouses and a cull-swine buying station in the southeastern United States. Sequences were assembled de novo and analyzed by BLASTN to identify viruses present in the samples. Twenty seven different viruses were identified. Reads similar to a diverse family of single-stranded circular DNA viruses were identified in nearly every sample (47 of 50). Other viruses identified at all five sampling sites and in over half of the samples were bocavirus, torovirus, posavirus, torque teno virus, IAS virus, picobirnavirus, and teschovirus. Viruses identified in multiple sites in greater than 20% of the samples included enterovirus, parvovirus, influenza A virus, sapelovirus, and Senecavirus A. Other significant swine viruses detected less frequently include porcine circovirus type 2, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, and porcine deltacoronavirus. Together, these results suggest that metagenomic sequencing is a powerful tool for virus detection and characterization.

019 An assessment of swine marketed through buying stations and development of fitness for transport guidelines

019 An assessment of swine marketed through buying stations and development of fitness for transport guidelines

Microwave moisture meter for in-shell peanut kernels

A microwave moisture meter built with off-the-shelf components was developed, calibrated and tested in the laboratory and in the field for nondestructive and instantaneous in-shell peanut kernel moisture content determination from dielectric properties measurements on unshelled peanut pod samples. The meter operates at a single frequency of 5.8 GHz and uses free-space transmission measurement principles for determining the dielectric properties of the peanut pods. From these properties, a dielectric-based algorithm provides peanut kernel moisture content from measurements on pods. Field tests at a peanut buying station showed that moisture content of peanut kernels can be determined with a standard error of performance of 0.82% when compared to the official moisture meter which required the pods to be shelled before kernel moisture content can be determined. When performance of both the microwave moisture meter and the official meter were compared to the oven-drying standard method, values of the standard errors of performance were 0.53% for the microwave moisture meter and 0.87% for the official moisture meter.

The Art and (Some) Science of Trapping Wild Pigs: From Traps to Gates to Triggers and More!

Trapping remains the number one tool for landowners waging war on wild pigs. However, many beginning trappers soon become discouraged, which results in more damage and ultimately, more wild pigs. The Texas A&amp;M AgriLife Extension Service has successfully utilized educational methods to assist landowners with efficient trapping methods to remove wild pigs from their properties. Trap size is largely dictated by the size of the wild pig sounder as confirmed visually or by the use of remote-sensing cameras. The landowner’s goal should be to remove the entire sounder in as few trapping attempts as possible; therefore larger traps generally are more efficient. The design or shape of the trap is dictated by the fate of the pigs: if pigs are to be euthanized within the trap, shape does not matter. However, if the pigs are destined to be loaded from the trap and trailered away from the capture site for slaughter or to a buying station for sale, the design of the trap is of utmost importance. Myriad gate designs have been successfully employed to trap wild pigs. Regardless of the design, many experienced pig trappers have come to realize that wider gates can reduce the “training time” necessary for pigs to accept and enter a trap. Trigger designs are as varied (if not more so) than gate designs. They range from traps that are “triggerless,” where pigs push through flexible panels, to highly sophisticated remote triggers that can release a gate by sending a signal from a computer or cell phone. However, as important as the trap size, design, gate, and trigger may be, landowners should follow a consistent protocol in order to win their war on wild pigs.

The artisanal fishery for East Coast rock lobsters Panulirus homarus along the Wild Coast, South Africa

East coast rock lobsters Panulirus homarus are collected by the indigenous people of the Wild Coast, in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, and are sold to coastal hotels and holidaymakers. The South African government has proposed a small-scale commercial fishery based on P. homarus to improve socio-economic conditions in that region. Catch data and information on fishery operations were collected for the artisanal fishery from Coffee Bay, Presley Bay, Port St Johns and Mbotyi, as well as from a commercial buying station near the Mdumbi Estuary, between March 2003 and October 2005. The catch per unit effort of rock lobster poling varied from 13.5 ± 7.7 fisher–1 outing–1 at Port St Johns to 5.9 ± 3.1 fisher–1 outing–1 at Coffee Bay, but the number of fishers or fishing frequency could not be verified. About two-thirds of the lobsters caught (69%) were smaller than the minimum legal size. Hotels and the buying station complied with size limits, but cottages and campers often bought undersized lobsters. Smaller lobsters (females) are caught by poling than by diving. Geographical variations in poling effort and lobster mean sizes could be indicators of heavy fishing pressure on shallow, inshore reefs. The implications of commercialising the fishery and its associated management are discussed.

Interrelationships Between Headspace Volatile Concentration, Selected Seed-Size Categories and Flavor in Large-Seeded Virginia-Type Peanuts1

Abstract During the 1987 crop year a quality survey using the organic volatile meter (OVM) was conducted at six (A-E) peanut buying stations located throughout Northampton County, NC. Three different frequency distribution patterns were observed for sample headspace volatile concentration (HSVC) levels. At locations A and B about 66% of the samples analyzed had an HSVC of 8.8 mg/kg air or less. An HSVC of 8.8 mg/kg air is considered to be a volatile concentration at which peanut samples are marginally acceptable. Locations C, D, and F had about 58% of the samples with an HSVC of 8.8 mg/kg air or less while Location E had approximately 45%. At an HSVC level of 24.8 mg/kg air or less the percentages were approximately 88, 87, and 69%, respectively. Most of the difference in frequency distribution patterns is thought to result from environmental factors which influenced the average maturity of the crop at harvest. Trained taste panel profiling of a roasted peanut paste made from selected screen-sized seed fractions and HSVC levels indicated that the fruity character note was most characteristic of the off-flavor associated with increasing HSVC values. Low intensity levels were characterized as sweet fruity and higher levels of intensity as an alcohol-fermented fruity character. Further flavor evaluation of roasted peanut paste from selected screen-sized seed fractions showed all fractions with an HSVC of 7.6 mg/kg air or above were unacceptable while fractions with HSVC levels between 5.3 and 3.1 mg/kg air were marginally acceptable. Fractions with HSVC levels at 2 mg/kg air or less were acceptable.

An Analysis of Adjustments Made by Local Livestock Marketing Agencies to Packers-and-Stockyards Regulation Prohibiting Service Charges

HE impact of regulatory activities is difficult to assess because policies usually evolve rather slowly and once established may not be changed for long periods. In some cases, firms' reactions to regulatory activities may also be of an evolutionary character. Only rarely do basic and abrupt changes in regulations present the opportunity to examine clearcut adjustments made by firms on before-and-after basis. This study examines the effect of recent regulation promulgated by the Packers and Stockyards Division of USDA on conduct and performance of local livestock-marketing agencies.' Effective March 25, 1963, section 201.98 of Regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture Promulgated under the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921, provided that no packer or dealer shall, in connection with the purchase of livestock in commerce, charge, demand, or collect from the seller of the livestock any compensation in the form of commission, yardage, or other service charge. Prior to the effective date of this regulation, service charges of varying amounts were collected from sellers of livestock in many local livestock-dealer markets and some packer buying stations (hereinafter referred to as dealers and packers). The intent of the regulation prohibiting service charges and the results envisioned by various interested parties are difficult to document. A USDA press release dated December 26, 1962, explained that a packer or livestock dealer who maintains his own yardage facilities to conduct buying operations does so for his own benefit, not for the benefit of producers. Charging fee for such unperformed service is therefore an unfair practice in violation of the P & S Act. It also referred to comments received alleging that such charges were detrimental to the financial inter-

Trostler on Transportation

One and one-half fare for the round trip on the certificate plan, from all points in the United States and eastern Canada, will be in effect for the Twelfth Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society in Milwaukee, Nov. 29 to Dec. 4, 1926, inclusive. The Western Canada Passenger Association is the only association to refuse to grant the reduced rate. Members from this region may take advantage of the rate by buying local tickets to the nearest station in the United States, and from that point buying tickets for Milwaukee and getting the convention certificate, which will enable them to buy return tickets to the last buying station for half fare. It is altogether likely that there will be a special rate to Chicago from western Canada at that time, and it may be possible to save a considerable amount by taking advantage of it. This should be inquired into before buying tickets. All who attend this meeting, including the wives and families, should secure Certificates when buying tickets for Milwaukee. These Certificates should be deposited with the railroad clerk at the registration desk at the meeting place (the Auditorium). After these certificates have been signed by me for the Society, they will be validated by the representative for the railroads—if 250 have been presented—and should then be reclaimed by the owners. These validated certificates will then be good for one-half fare returning to the place where issued, over the same route. Announcements will be made from time to time during the meetings relative to this. Watch for them. Ask your local railroad agent for particulars. The Plankinton Hotel has been selected for headquarters, and Dr. A. R. Altenhofen, of Milwaukee, Wis., is Chairman of the Hotel Committee.