In this section:
Training Services
Consultancy Services Provided by Rural Solutions SA Staff Within PPPI
PIRSA’s Rural Solutions (external link) staff within the Pig and Poultry Production Institute (PPPI), provide the following consultancy services, on a fee for service basis, to the South Australian pig industry
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Pig Industry Training Packages
Several Pig Industry Training Packages are available through PIRSA Rural Solutions, PPPI:
Herd manager
- Decision making
- Throughput planning
- Stockpersonship and welfare
- Attitudes and behaviours of stockpeople and their consequences on productivity and welfare of pigs
- Coaching on the job
- Mating and farrowing
- Nutrition and feeding strategies
- Herd health
- Genetics
- Emerging technologies and industry changes
Stockperson training
- Introduction
- Stocksense and welfare
- Handling pigs
- Farrowing management and pre-weaning mortality
- Oestrus detection and mating
- Weaner health
- Grower/finisher management
Health
- The cost of disease
- Herd health
- Healthy vs Sick Pigs: medication and hygiene
- Grower/finisher health
- Respiratory disease complex
- Weaner health
- Reproductive failure
- Destruction, disposal and post-mortems
Mating and reproduction
- Mating management objectives
- Oestrus detection and mating
- Gilt pool management
- Boar management
- Weaned sow management
- Pregnancy
Artificial insemination of pigs
- Introduction to artificial insemination
- Artificial insemination techniques
- Handling semen and breeding programs
- On farm semen collection
Farrowing
- Farrowing house targets
- Pre-farrowing management, sow and environment
- Farrowing management and pre-weaning mortality
- Post farrowing management
Weaner, growers and finishers
- Cost of production
- Grower/finisher health
- Grower herd performance
- Emerging technologies and industry changes
Nutrition
- The basics of nutrition
- Nutritional performance
- Feed intake and feed quality
- Designing feeding programs
Human resources
- Induction programs and coaching
- Occupational health and safety
- Self image
- Working in teams
Effluent and housing
- Housing design principles
- Water and cooling
- Building components
- Accommodation
- Handling and PSE
- Effluent planning and pre-treatment
- Effluent treatment systems and land application.
Piggery Consultancies
PPPI’s Rural Solutions SA staff are able to provide a wide range of individual consultancy services. These can involve any of the issues covered by the training packages:
- Herd management
- Stockperson training
- Health
- Mating and reproduction
- Artificial insemination
- Farrowing
- Weaner, growers and finishers
- Nutrition
- Human resources
- Effluent and housing
- Quality assurance
Individual consultancies to producers or industry services can also include non-production related areas such as planning development for new or expanding piggeries and in-house experimental trials.
Artificial Insemination Courses
In association with the SABOR Artificial Breeding Centre at Clare, PPPI offers the most recognised pig artificial insemination course in Australia and New Zealand. The full day, theory and practical course offers certification to those attending and enables immediate on-farm use of artificial insemination. Producers learn about
- Reproductive physiology of the boar and sow
- Principles of ovulation and conception
- Oestrus stimulation and detection
- Semen physiology and morphology
- Care and storage of semen
- Artificial insemination techniques
- Post-insemination care of the sow
- Trouble shooting problems with reproductive performance.
Piggery Quality Assurance Facilitation and Audits
PPPI’s Rural Solutions SA offers the services of a qualified and certified facilitator and auditor of the national Australian Pork Industry Quality (APIQ) Program. This highly recognised program enables producers to formally meet the requirements of processors, retailers, overseas importers and consumers with regard to food safety and animal welfare. This service helps producers to:
- Understand the principles of HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) quality assurance systems
- Create farm specific quality assurance (QA) manuals
- Implement QA systems on-farm
- Be audited in order to become certified APIQ pigmeat producers.
PigPulse
PPPI’s Rural Solutions SA staff offer a bureau service for producers wishing to use PigPulse software to analyse their piggery data records.
PigPulse is a PRDC/QDPI developed program able to analyse piggery data and quickly pinpoint areas of significant change over time. This saves time for producers and helps define areas of operation that may require attention. PigPulse can also help producers to benchmark performance and production aspects of their herd against others herds.
