The World Pork Expo closes tomorrow at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. It is the world’s largest gathering dedicated to swine production. You can learn more at worldpork.org. Source: National Hog Farmer, June 5, 2018. Link. Willie Vogt walked around the expo as preparations were being made for the opening on Wednesday, June 6, 2018. In addition to new technology … [Read more...]
Flies spread PEDV year-round
Pig producers have another good reason to think about fly control. A study conducted earlier this year confirms that even a few flies have the ability to infect pigs with porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). Source: PORK, May 23, 2018. Link. This new research shows flies pose a year-round risk for disease transmission, creating a new paradigm. A disease risk reduction … [Read more...]
Virtual pig farm tour educates grade-schoolers (includes video)
The Nebraska Farm Bureau virtual field trip program recently helped second grade students in Nebraska experience some swine production steps. Students used the internet to interact with the swine producer and learn more about where their food comes from. Source: Nebraska Farm Bureau, May 11, 2018. Link. Getting an up-close look at a pig is not something everyone gets the … [Read more...]
Tom Gillespie, DVM, named among 2018 Pork Masters
Passionate aptly describes Dr. Tom Gillespie. Whether it is the pigs, production challenges, pork producers or global industry colleagues he can be counted on to help make pork production more efficient, safe and valuable. He is always ready for the next challenge. Source: National Hog Farmer, May 22, 2018. Link. For Gillespie, communication is one of the major challenges … [Read more...]
Erin Brenneman sharing farm life with a new generation
Our industry is blessed to have passionate advocates like Erin Brenneman, the city girl turned pig farmer and social media maven. Her story is lived out across the country on farms and livestock production locations, but few dedicate themselves to educating a new generation. This is a must-read for animal health pros. Brenneman’s passion helps people from all backgrounds … [Read more...]
Smithfield: every pig, every pen, every day (includes video)
Consumer pressure and perceptions routinely challenge animal care and food production practices. To support the release of the Animal Care section of its "2017 Sustainability Report," Smithfield released a new 360-degree virtual reality video, which transports viewers to one of the company's wean-to-finish hog farms. The company recently used the technology to take viewers … [Read more...]
30-plus years of pork industry milestones, issues
Neil Dierks, CEO of the National Pork Producers Council, reflects on the development of the pork industry. He highlights these issues as the most memorable: Mandatory pork checkoff Pseudorabies eradication program H1N1 flu pandemic of 2009 Application of technology Animal ID/premise ID Growth of exports Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome … [Read more...]
The view from the gut
There has been ongoing confusion about microbe management in the gut. Continuous research is helping determine which bugs are good or bad, what happens during the production cycle and how antibiotics affect gut microflora. We determined that recent information published by National Hog Farmer would be best presented in its entirety. Animal health pros can anticipate parallel … [Read more...]
What did veterinarians learn at AASV? (slideshow)
It has only been five weeks, but the American Association of Swine Veterinarians 2018 annual meeting may seem a distant memory. Realistically, there has likely been little time to act on the information learned there. Now is a good time to refresh the action items from the meeting, discuss them with colleagues and industry representatives. Source: National Hog Farmer, March … [Read more...]
Bacon: America’s meat candy (includes slides)
For bacon’s sake! For years, we’ve been in the age of bacon mania where consumers can’t get enough of delicious cured pork belly and bacon-flavored foods. Sara Brown shares a slide deck that shows bacon’s rise to fame. Source: Pork, March 26, 2018. America's favorite meat has a long history of making people smile. … [Read more...]
Wild pig invasion affects Japan
Southern U.S. residents aren’t alone in their frustrations with wild pig invasions. Rural Japan is inundated by them and the problem is growing. As the country’s aging population dies or moves from farms, wild pigs quickly move into the abandoned rice patties and buildings. The feral critters have been common in southern parts of the country for years, showing up in train … [Read more...]
Stockmanship: natural talent or learned skill?
Raising livestock has become a skilled trade with the advent of more technology being deployed in livestock operations. Cheryl Day discusses the challenges and opportunities of training a new swine industry work force in the art of stockmanship. Source: National Hog Farmer, February 13, 2018. Looking at textbook definitions, animal husbandry is the science of breeding and … [Read more...]
Vaccine or vaccine failure?
It’s hard to put a price tag on preventing an animal from suffering, says Cheryl Day, National Hog Farmer editor, in her comments about the February issue. Her team has collected a series about vaccination and herd health that is worth review, regardless of what species dominates your time. These articles include: What would the world be like if we didn’t vaccinate pigs? … [Read more...]
Survey shines light on pork industry’s biosecurity investment
A new survey study from Iowa State University (ISU) reveals the challenges of biosecure swine production and the variations of adoption of biosecure measures. It also highlights opportunities to help increase biosecurity measures. For animal health pros, the challenges in these results further underscore the themes of compliance across all species. Specifically, note the … [Read more...]
46th annual Iowa Pork Congress sells out (slide show)
Iowa Pork Congress, one of the first livestock events of year takes place annually. The activities and seminars address the issues of the pork market, production challenges and often set the tone for the upcoming year. Among the notable topics Cheryl Day highlights are: Are we manure poor? Increasing the Pork Checkoff rate Trade and exports Pork and table fare … [Read more...]
Space, a new frontier in nursery pig management
There has been significant research studying the effects of space allowances on grow-finish pigs. But little information is available regarding the effects on them. With increasing concerns for animal welfare and getting weaned pigs off to a good start, finding appropriate space allowances based on animal behavior, health and performance considerations will be … [Read more...]
Human capital an issue for hog industry
Human capital has long been a challenge for the protein sector overall, but has recently become a real concern for the swine business within industry and academia, said Maynard Hogberg, Iowa State University. He noted the pressing issue for both is that of the increasing need for scientifically trained personnel. This comes at a time when there are fewer swine faculty within … [Read more...]
2017 swine research reviewed
Sow space, boar pheromones, sow barn energy consumption, cool sows and flu’s cyclical nature are part of topics reviewed in this research-specific issue of National Hog Farmer. Flipping through the pages exposes a picture of the intensity of maintaining swine health while improving production conditions with the pigs in mind. Source: National Hog Farmer, December … [Read more...]
Senecavirus A gaining a foothold in the U.S. swine industry
Dr. Jack Shere, a DVM with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is concerned about the increasing prevalence of Senecavirus A (SVA) in the U.S. swine herd. SVA is a disease that mimics Foot and Mouth disease (FMD). This is why producers need to be more vigilant than ever when they see signs of blisters or lesions on pigs’ skin . Source: Pork, December 8, … [Read more...]
PEDV, PDCoV have taught hard lessons
Aaron Lower, DVM, reminds us that the swine industry is embarking on its fifth winter of managing porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and porcine deltacoronavirus. As we enter the seasonal epidemic, it is important to review the key exclusion and management principles learned over the past five years. Source: National Hog Farmer, November 22, 2017. Sit down with your production … [Read more...]
Producers learning to live with VFD
Those in the swine business discovered in the last year that the VFD process is more than just having a veterinarian’s signature on a piece of paper. Because there is no allowance for using feed-grade medications in an off-label manner, veterinarians completing the VFDs have had to pay extreme attention to every detail on the label, including the dose, duration of feeding, … [Read more...]
Wild pigs march across the U.S.
The wild pig population explosion shows no signs of slowing. It has expanded from 19 states in 1985 to 39 states in 2016. Recent testing of using sodium nitrate in the form of a new oral toxicant is showing promise to help curb wild pig populations. Dale Nolte, national coordinator for the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program, said, “Recent research results suggest … [Read more...]
Biosecurity takes a team
Diligence, teamwork, research, technology and collaboration are required to maintain biosecurity on farm and within the collective U.S. swine populations. Kevin Shultz distilled the frequently cacophonous elements of biosecurity efforts in this article. It truly takes a team willing to be cooperative, even though they are often competitive. Together, biosecurity remains a key … [Read more...]
Opinion – Immune response and nutrient metabolism swine research evolving rapidly
This research information should interest to any animal health pro as whose focus is on prevention and managing disease. The immunes system has high biological priority. When pathogens are detected, the immune response becomes the animal’s energetic priority and changes how dietary nutrients and calories are utilized. Source: National Hog Farmer, October 2017. Any energy … [Read more...]
October is National Pork Month (slide gallery)
The designation of October as pork month marks a time of year when hogs were traditionally marketed. The United States is the third-largest pork-producing country, following China and the European Union. Pork is safe, efficient, environmentally friendly and a superior source of protein. Source: National Hog Farmer, October 1, 2017. According to an analysis by the USDA, pork … [Read more...]
Leman conference honors Morrison, urges co-opetition
The 2017 Leman Swine Conference, which ended September 28, was dedicated to the legacy of Bob Morrison, a student of Allen D. Leman who died recently in a tragic accident. His concepts of learning and working together were evident throughout the sessions. Source: National Hog Farmer, September 22, 2017. Kevin Shultz reports that Leman 2017 did not disappoint. It offered … [Read more...]
Journal of the AVMA
We linked you to the table of contents for this issue of the Journal. Two papers caught our team’s attention: Comparison of clinical findings between dogs with suspected anaphylaxis and dogs with confirmed sepsis Movement patterns of exhibition swine and associations of influenza A virus infection with swine management practices Source: Journal of the AVMA, … [Read more...]
Pig show persons stay connected to the industry
The show pig business is a world where people love their pigs. Those who fall short of the prizes try harder the next year. These farmers are not disconnected from the industry production practices, however. Our team wanted to share this site to share with you, especially these entries: Pig show 101 and Top 5 reasons why showing pigs is the best. Source: Real Pig … [Read more...]
Pig transformation changing with the times
In a fun and informative retrospective, Pork’s JoAnn Alumbaugh reviews the history of pig confirmation and the societal influences that shape a hog as we know them today. Source: Pork, August 10, 2017. Genetics, diet, marketing trends and once more, consumer tastes, continue to evolve so the composition of modern pigs evolves as well. Pig farmers now consider all of the … [Read more...]
Pig’s personalities may play role in welfare
Professor Kristina Horback is an animal-cognition expert with the Department of Animal Science at the University of California-Davis. She is building on her pioneering research that examines the role personality plays in the welfare and sustainable production of farm animals, like cattle, sheep and swine. Her work is driven by new legislative and marketplace demands to raise … [Read more...]