Source: JoAnn Alumbaugh, Farm Journal’s Pork, 20 April 2021, photo credit: WATTAgNet
Water doesn’t get the attention it deserves because it is abundant, easy to access and inexpensive, but that will change in the future, said John Patience, PhD, professor of animal science at Iowa State University.
“We’re going to see… increasing conflict for limited water resources between urban populations, industrial users and agriculture,” Patience told Pig Health Today.
“Now is the time for us to think about how we can use water most efficiently and effectively because it isn’t always going to be abundant, and it isn’t always going to be inexpensive.” It’s difficult to think of functions in the body that don’t involve water.
About 10% to 15% of the water a grow-finish pig consumes every day is generated by metabolism, Patience said. The pig can produce some of its own water to help meet its needs — but by no means all of it.
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The South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) coordinates industry interventions and collaboratively manages risks in the value chain to enable the sustainability and profitability of pork producers in South Africa.
