December offers a great excuse to pause and reflect on the past year. With that in mind, we have compiled a list of our favorite blogs from 2017 and why we love them; just in case you missed them the first time around!

If you’ve been in the pork industry for any length of time you know one thing to be true: global pork markets are changing. European markets have moved to loose sow housing and Canada is following closely behind. While the US markets have not yet demanded all producers move in this direction, the writing's on the wall.

Feeding gestating sows is arguably one of the most important tasks within the sow farm. I know what you are thinking… anyone can feed a pig. And although this is likely true, if you want the best performance for your sow and her piglets, precision feeding is required.

Farrowing crates have been around a long time, and pigs have been around longer. Check out our newest blog to see how they have evolved! 

Canadian pork production is undergoing a lot of changes as a result of the National Sow Housing Conversion Project. The NSHCP is a collaborative research project that was developed to share information with producers, and ease the transition to group housing by providing education and research on best practices. Dr. Jennifer Brown is the project leader of the NSHCP and she and her team are working on the front lines with these producers. Over the next few months we will be exploring some of Dr. Brown's work. Learn more about her background and research below. 

We often find overlap between our work life and our personal life. For us, and maybe for you, we see lots of connections between managing pigs on the farm and everyday life. We recently posted an article on how sows are like our in-laws, and it got me thinking about another connection I see every day - how being a good father and a good husband relates directly to successfully managing loose sow housing.

Learn how Kent Mogler and the staff at Pig Hill Farm in northwest Iowa have implemented data collection systems in their sow barn to help them make timely and accurate decisions.

Not just anybody can design a hog barn. Or at least not just anybody can design a hog barn well. Each barn must be thought out and strategically planned with all parties involved in designing, building, and operating the barn.

Okay, we know you came to read this article because this cake looks amazing - so don't worry - we included a special cake recipe just for you. If you did come to read about loose sow housing, great! We're sorry we're tempting you with these images. Either way, the point is when it comes to performance and animal welfare in group housing, you can have the both of best worlds.