It seems like we never know what kind of late summer we are going to get. It could be hot and dry, it could be unseasonably cool. For most people, hot and dry summer days are a reminder to relax and lounge around the pool, but if you're a barn owner, you should be thinking about how you can use those hot summer days to clean your barns. Here are some tips to help your summer barn cleaning run a bit more smoothly.

We recently had the exciting opportunity to work with Topigs Norsvin as they opened their groundbreaking Delta Canada boar testing barn in Woodlands, Manitoba. This project marks an exciting time in boar research, where intricate data analysis and responsive genetic selection can improve stock in less time. Below we share a time-lapse of the project and an explanation of the overall impact on the pork genetics landscape. 

As the graphic designer at 5j Marketing + Design, I spend most of my day hidden behind a computer screen creating pretty things to post on the internet (okay maybe I do a little more than that but you get the picture). So of course I jumped at the chance to get out of the office and into a new environment when New Standard invited us to tour their sow barn design at Pig Hill Farms! Little did I know what I was getting myself into! I have compiled a list of a few things that surprised me about getting out of the office and into the barn.

If you took psychology in high school or college you've probably heard about Pavlov's dogs, but swine are just as suggestible as dogs. With a little creative thinking you can avoid potential training mishaps and prevent your gilts from developing bad habits.

In the last few years Meishan boars (pronounced May Shan) have grown in popularity with producers across North America, and it isn't just for their dashing good looks. While Meishans aren't much to look at—they honestly look like a mix between a basset hound, a pug, and a pig—their breed characteristics are well-suited to open checks and boar stations with automatic heat detection. 

Steve Horton has been working with Thomas Livestock for eight years. He currently serves as the farrowing supervisor for four sow barns. In his 42 years in the hog industry, Horton has seen plenty of barn management styles and observed firsthand how that can impact worker and sow productivity. We sat down with Horton and asked him about barn management habits that negatively impact sow production. Keep reading for Horton's thoughts. 

This will probably seem like a no-brainer, but one of the biggest factors determining success on a hog farm is making sure the sows that are supposed to be pregnant are actually pregnant. In traditional gestation stalls workers are tasked with performing ultrasound on each bred sow, a job that can be dangerous both for workers and pigs. Time consumption is a big factor with this method.

Even after switching to group housing, some farms still struggle to find a good system for identifying sows in heat. Watching for visual signs of estrus is a skill that takes time to develop and require close staff monitoring. Thankfully with New Standard and Nedap Livestock Management, the task of identifying and dealing with open sows gets a whole lot easier. 

It is no secret that Europe markets lead the way in swine regulations. So if something is happening in Europe it is worth our attention, as North American trends usually fall in their wake. Read on for three notable regulatory trends that we are seeing in Europe. 

When we think about creating efficient poultry barn ventillation systems, many times the focus is on the hot summer temps. But winter can be an issue for birds too. After all, heat rises and turkeys spend their time on the ground. In this video we use a fog machine to show how establishing a good ventillation system can redirect the air flow down to your birds to keep them warm, even during the coldest winter months. 

If there is one thing that we consistently hear from customers it is that they appreciate our excellent support through our staff. With that in mind, we wanted to introduce you to the people who help New Standard maintain that excellence.

Over the next few weeks and months we will be featuring the faces of New Standard in several question and answer posts. If you're a current customer, most of these staff faces won't be strangers, but we think some of their answers might surprise you!