In the last year, High Plains Pork has partnered with
PureTek Genetics in the use of purebred genetics in a commercial test herd. This
partnership is proving to be a win-win-win situation, with High Plains Pork,
PureTek Genetics, and National Swine Registry (NSR) all realizing the genetic
benefits of collaboration and data sharing between the commercial and purebred
industries.
For Jim and Steve, they not only receive genetic services
from NSR through Clint Schwab and Justin Fix, but they are also making advances
in their commercial herd that would be difficult to attain outside of this
partnership. “We’re speeding up that process because we’re getting the best
boars on a third of our herd, so around 600 sows a year,” Jim says. “That’s a
big thing. We look at this as a long-term relationship with PureTek, and we
want to build that up.”
Every three weeks, semen from top level PureTek Genetics
nucleus sires is sent to the High Plains commercial sow herd for single sire
matings. These pigs are individually tagged at birth, tracked for mortality
through finishing barn closeout, and weighed and scanned for body composition
just prior to harvest. All of this data collected from the commercial test herd
goes back into the STAGES database, which in
turn provides greater information for selections within the nucleus populations
of PureTek Genetics.
Data tracking: from single sire matings to individual piglet identification at farrowing. |
All pigs in the High Plains Pork commercial test herd are individually tagged within 24 hours of birth. |
The individual ear tags allow data to be tracked for each pig from farrow to finish. |
“With the known existence of
G x E interactions that result in genetics responding differently to the nucleus
versus commercial environment, commercial test herds are a necessity to
maximize genetic improvement. This advantage to genetic progress is further
complimented with the ability to capture a greater number of observations for
each sire used. The testing herd differentiates itself from others in that it
is a complete program – obviously, all nucleus sires used in the test herd are
connected to the database, but because the commercial sow herd is of known
parentage, it can be connected to the genetic database as well.”
This collaborative effort between a successful commercial
producer and a reputable group of purebred producers is not only a testament to
the future of the purebred industry, but it also serves as a great model for
other producers to follow. For the full story on the High Plains Pork commercial
test herd and their collaboration with PureTek Genetics, make sure you check
out the 2012 GeneLink magazine that
will be out in April.
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