A good start begins long before farrowing

As much as lactation, gestation also marks an essential phase in the sow production cycle. With growing litters, it becomes more important to be able to wonder whether existing sow feeding programmes still suffice. Research including monitoring and controlling sow body conditions indicate that novel feeding strategies may soon be here.     Selection on the basis of growth rate and carcass quality, to meet consumer demand, has led to the production of increasingly thin and muscular sow