What is the impact of heat stress on breeding herds’ farrowing rate?

Although the underlying mechanisms of heat stress remain unknown, the swine industry requires commercially viable solutions to reduce early pregnancy disruption of sows weaned and mated in summer. Heat stress compromises pig production efficiency in breeding herds. It also causes low farrowing rates in sows mated in summer due to high frequency of early pregnancy disruptions. A low farrowing rate is associated with significant annual economic loss in the swine industry. Alteration in estrus-t