16 July 2021 - Cargill Animal Nutrition and Illinois-based Carthage Veterinary Services have entered into a multi-year commercial sow nutrition and health research agreement.
The partnership will look at optimising sow performance and health and will include four to five research studies per year. Results of trials conducted at Carthage’s facilities in Illinois will be shared with the broader swine industry. The first research trial of this agreement is set to begin in September 2021.
“Sow research at this scale is extremely limited in the industry,” said Dr. Brent Frederick, swine innovation lead, Cargill Animal Nutrition. “It’s expensive, time-consuming work, and given the economics of pork production today, the near-term ROI just isn’t there for producers to invest on their own.”
Beau Peterson, general manager for Carthage Veterinary Services, added: “We’re executing scientifically sound trials ranging from 200 to 400 sows per treatment, with commercially-relevant genetics, in a commercial environment, allowing us to produce results that can drive decision making immediately in commercial production systems.”
The joint agreement will also expand Carthage’s sow research staff from 12 to 18 individuals.
