Table 5.

Recommendations for future research needs in production of heavy weight market pigs

Item	Future research needed
Nutrition
Protein and AA	Lysine and other AA requirements for pigs greater than 140 kg
Protein and AA	Minimum CP (CP:Lys ratio) requirement for pigs greater than 140 kg
Energy	Effect of decreasing and increasing dietary energy on growth performance
Energy	Effects of restricted feeding (feed intake and energy intake restrictions) on energy and nutrient utilization
Fiber	Assess the ability of heavy pig to maintain feed intake and utilize dietary energy when fed high-fiber diets
Gender effect	Applicability and necessity of split-sex feeding and housing
Meat quality
Color	Effects of increasing carcass weight on meat color and customer preference
Sensory property	Effects of increasing carcass weight on sensory property
Food safety	Antibiotic treatment timing and duration on resistance in heavy pigs
Food safety	Pathogen (e.g. Salmonella) shedding during transportation of heavy pigs
Animal health
Immunity	Validation of duration of protection by major swine disease vaccines
Immunity	Effects of an additional vaccine booster on disease control of late finishing pigs
Bone structure	Macro and micro mineral requirements for pigs greater than 140 kg
Facilities
Floor space	Effects of serial marketing on the space requirement as marketing weight increases
Ventilation	Effects of increasing BW on barn ventilation requirement
Transportation	Effects of increasing marketing weight on transportation efficiency and loss
Packing plant	Industry survey for the maximum carcass weight that packers and cull plants can currently process
Economics	Effects of increasing marketing weight on profitability of finishing pig production
Meta-analysis	Effects of marketing weight on cumulative growth performance and carcass characteristics