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The Rural Voice, 1995-03, Page 24NATURALLY PIGsl EXCELLENT *** HERD HEALTH CLASSIFICATION ALWAYS A GOOD SELECTION OF TOP QUALITY YORKSHIRE BOARS IN STOCK YXLFI GILTS -HXDFI BOARS PERFORMANCE TESTED - GUARANTEED BREEDERS - FREE DELIVERY TIM AND ROSA SMALL RR 6, GODERICH, ONTARIO N7A 3Y3 519-529-3240 The Axis -Air Blender • Uniform temperature • Corrosion Resistant • Easy maintenance • Uniform air pattern With An AVC -5 Computerized Controller • Integrated heater control • Programmable tempera- ture reduction • High and low temperature alarms Call Axis Products 1 -800 -833 -AXIS (2947) Axis services Axis Air or Martin Air products See us at the .. . Western Fair Farm Show March 8 - 10, 1995 Western Fairgrounds, London Axis Products Ltd., Brodhagen Ont. NOK 1B0 Fax (519) 345-2575 20 THE RURAL VOICE higher levels of amino acids than needed with conventional weaning. While it's the lowest cost diet, its also the one that the pigs will eat the most of, totalling 50 per cent of total feed cost from weaning to 50 pounds. Ingredients such as blood meal, fish meal or dried whey are cost prohibitive and, research shows, are unnecessary for maximal performance during this stage. Research into SEW is just beginning, Tokach said. "We are only beginning to discover the growth and efficiency potential of high health pigs. The interaction among stocking density, nutrition program and performance must be investigated. Future research will allow us to further refine amino acid requirements and recommendations on protein and carbohydrate sources as they relate to each stage of production. Improvements in our understanding of the interaction between diet complexity and health status show pigs with a low level of immune stimulation have higher amino acid requirements. We must know which portion of the increased requirement is due to improved feed intake and which portion is due to lower activity of the immune system. We also must explore the possibility that the increased feed intake with SEW pigs will allow us to decrease diet complexity and cost. "Feed budgets are a critical component of an SEW nutritional program to avoid excess feed costs. Future breakthroughs will allow us to further reduce feed cost while maintaining the delicate balance between performance and economics." Not every producer in the audience was enthralled with the idea of SEW. In a long, rambling question that was more like a speech, one producer berated Tokach for the effect that three site production could have on producers. But Tokach argued the benefits of the technology for smaller producers. "This is the first technology we've seen to help farmers get the same advantages as the integrators," he said. By co -mingling pigs from several producers, small farmers co- operating can get the same efficiencies of scale as the major integrators in the U.S. 0