FAQ

This has been adapted from the June 15, 2001 article in National Hog Farmer

1. What is the health status of the boars in the stud? How do you confirm the product you sell is what you say it is? Are the boars free of psuedorabies and PRRS? What is the health monitoring and vaccination protocol for the boars?
   The health status of the boars in the PAB studs is high health. Semen is PCR tested for PRRS prior to on-farm usage. Semen sold commercially is all from pseudorabies and PRRS negative boars. In addition to PCR testing the semen, boars are inspected weekly by the PAB herd veterinarian and monthly serology testing is conducted. Vaccinations are under the direction of the herd veterinarian and are available upon request.



2. What is the boar stud biosecurity plan for minimizing disease transmission?
   All incoming boars are isolated 60 days prior to entry into the studs. Intensive health monitoring is done at isolation time plus the above mentioned monitoring and testing in the studs. Also no visitors are allowed other than production personnel and herd veterinarian, which are required to have 96 hours away from pigs and/or pig premises.



3. Is the facility isolated from other animals? Are all new boars isolated for at least 30 days prior to entry? Are biosecurity practices in place to keep the boars healthy?
   The facilities are isolated as far as possible from other animals. Yes, new boars are isolated for 60 days and tested twice prior to entry into the stud barn. Yes, there are numerous practices in place to ensure that the boars remain healthy. These practices are frequently scrutinized and monitored.



4. Does the stud have an emergency management plan should there be a need to shut down the operations? Where can I get an alternative supply of semen if the boar stud suffers a health crisis or emergency?
   With 4 sites in operation, PAB maintains its own contingency plan in case of a stud closure. In addition to our own back-up supply, PAB is part of the PIC Affiliate Boar Stud Contingency Plan, which allows PAB to source PIC genetics from other PIC Affiliate Studs. These contingencies assure customers that they have an un-interrupted supply of semen in case of a stud health challenge.



5. Is sperm count objectively measured? Are measurements done with a hemocytometer or photometer?
   Sperm count is now being measured by Sperm Vision™, which is a Computerized Semen Assessment (CSA) program. This is a highly objective, accurate, and consistent method to analyze semen. Back-up measurements can be done with a spectrophotometer.



6. Is each semen collection evaluated for acceptable motility or morphology?
   Every collection is evaluated for motility, abnormalities, and droplets. A composite score is calculated and used to come up with the number of doses of live-motile sperm cells from each collection.



7. What are the cutoffs for keeping or discarding semen based on morphology, motility, sperm concentration, dose volume and total sperm/dose?
   The composite is calculated by multiplying the following formula: Motility X %Normal Tails X %Normal cells without droplets=Composite Score. The composite score must be over .7 to be used.



8. Are samples stored from each collection for subsequent evaluations?
   Samples are stored until the end of the shelf-life of the semen and evaluated daily for motility. If a batch of semen falls below established standards, the customer will be notified immediately and that semen will be replaced by PAB.



9. Are there procedures in place for validating the instruments used for validating sperm concentration per dose?
   Yes, doses are checked pre-extension and post-extension to assure accuracy in each dose of semen produced via Sperm Vision. Additionally, random samples are checked with the Spermaque as a double-check safeguard. Also, samples are frequently sent to three independent outside sources to validate PAB's readings.



10. What is the expected storage life of the semen? What are the total number of sperm cells in each dose and what type of semen extender is used?
    Customers have their choice of the extender that best matches their production system and needs. Here is the storage life of the extenders: 10 days of shelf-life with EnduraGuard™ extender, 5 days with X-cell™. 3 billion live-motile sperm cells are put in each dose.



11. Is the semen from individual boars or pooled and give reasons why this practice is followed?
    Semen is pooled with a minimum of 3 boars and a maximum of 6 boars in a pool. Research shows that pooled semen can increase conception rate and litter size.



12. How old will the semen be when it arrives on my farm? What is the boar stud's collection schedule and what are the usual transport times prior to semen arriving at my farm?
    Semen can be delivered day of collection or following days depending on how the farm wants to utilize the PCR testing that PAB has done at SDSU Diagnostic Lab. Semen is collected Monday through Friday and delivery vehicles leave early mornings so most semen is delivered by early afternoon to customers operations.



13. How is the semen protected during transportation? Are different shipping practices implemented for cold and hot weather?
    Semen is carefully packaged in special plastic bags with cool packs placed in with the semen to help maintain temperature. Semen is delivered in PAB temperature controlled vehicles to ensure careful handling and consistent temperature. Special care is always given to semen being delivered, but extra care is taken in cold and hot weather. Transponders are placed in semen bags upon request and during transition periods to monitor consistency of the temperature of the semen during transport.



14. Are genetically superior boars selected for entry into the stud? Where do the boars rank in the population they were selected from?
    Yes. In all the Sire Line Nucleus Farms, PIC measures every individual boar on test for average daily gain, backfat, loin depth and feed efficiency on large proportion of boars born. Meat quality measurements (pH, color) are taken on sib carcasses. This performance information is analyzed using Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP) augmented by genetic marker information. Resulting Estimated Breeding Values are used to calculate the aggregate economic merit of each boar. AI boars exceed an average of 0.5 standard deviations above the mean of the population. For the past 5 years, annual genetic improvement was $1.57/slaughter pig/year.



15. What is the average age of the boars in the stud and how many are replaced each year?
    All PAB sites have an annual replacement rate of 75% with an average working life of a sire in the stud of 18 months.