A growing wild pig population sparks fear as threats of African swine fever (ASF) hitting U.S. soil are publicized. In Texas, the number of wild pigs could soon be nearly as large as the U.S. sow population of six million sows. Wild pigs can vector 21 some odd diseases we are aware of – communicable to all livestock animals Source: PORK, December 14, 108. Link. When … [Read more...]
Manage swine disease risk at the truck wash
Biosecurity measures literally hit the road when considering the health of the U.S. swine herd. Ann Hess relates the experiences of Illinois third-year vet student, Megan Bloemer, whose work was awarded the first Morrison Swine Innovator prize at the 2018 Allan D. Leman swine conference. Bloemer’s presentation, Protecting the Inevitable Risk: Biosecurity at a Truck Wash. … [Read more...]
When euthanizing livestock is necessary
JoAnn Alumbaugh shares some perspective on the potential challenges of euthanizing livestock following weather events, wildfires and in the face of an epidemic disease following the 2018 USAHA meeting. Unlike a foreign animal disease outbreak. . . the reason to euthanize after a fire or blizzard is to end animal suffering. Source: Dairy Herd Management, October 31, … [Read more...]
Texas landowners get feral hog reporting tool
Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute has released a new online tool <link> to help in the growing effort to control the feral hog population in the state. The wild pig website offers Texas landowners and homeowners an easy-to-use tool to report sightings of feral hogs and the damage they may have caused. Source: National Hog Farmer, November 29, 2018. … [Read more...]
Late season rains increase risk for mycotoxins
The swine team at the University of Minnesota provides a review of mycotoxin risks in fed grains following late season rains and regional storage issues. Mycotoxins produced by fungi molds in grains are particularly problematic for swine, poultry and dairy cattle. Source: PORK, November 23, 2018. Link. Broken and damaged kernels are generally highest in mycotoxin … [Read more...]
Feeding weed by-products to pigs
No! the pigs don’t get high but some say the market for legal cannabis by-products may add value to pork production. What I do taste is juicier pork, and a more resistant texture – there’s no mushiness involved.” Source: PORK, November 2, 2018. Link. Feeding byproducts of the legal marijuana industry is of interest to many in the pork industry,” says Anna Dilger, associate … [Read more...]
Learning from the Leman conference
The annual Leman conference has consistently been a place of discovery, sharing and a focus on improving swine management and pork protein production. Jennifer Shike and JoAnn Alumbaugh share an overview from this year’s conference. Source: PORK, October 2018. Link. INSIGHTS: Last year’s theme of co-opetition, the balance between cooperation and competition, is evident in … [Read more...]
It’s time to review farm biosecurity plans (includes video)
Heavy swine disease pressure outside the U.S. is real. African swine fever, classic swine flu and foot and mouth disease are all being reported. Swine and cattle are implicated. All of these threats underline the need for U.S. producers and feed suppliers to review and increase biosecurity protocols to keep disease threats from affecting U.S. herds. The scale of dealing with … [Read more...]
USDA outlines next steps for advancing animal disease traceability
USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs Greg Ibach announced the agency's four goals for advancing disease traceability to protect the long-term health, marketability and economic viability of the U.S. livestock industry. The goals are part of the animal disease traceability program (ADT). Advance the electronic sharing of data among federal and state … [Read more...]
So, a Jewish dietician walks into a pig farm. . .
Leia Flure writes about her experience of learning about swine production. She had no knowledge about raising pigs and had questions of her own. They included: What’s a “factory farm” really like? How are the animals treated? How sustainable is animal agriculture? And, of course, are piglets as cute in person as they are in the movies? (note the anthropomorphic … [Read more...]
Antibiotics and vaccines are critical to livestock production
Those of us in the U.S. are well-aware of efforts to vaccinate for disease prevention and use antibiotics judiciously. Some organic and antibiotic-free operations operate with them. Perspectives from other parts of the world offer insight into why antibiotics remain necessary for humane livestock production. Kenneth Wameyo, secretary of the Kenya Veterinary Association, shares … [Read more...]
Boehringer-Ingelheim forum focuses on well-being, not welfare for farm animals
The 11th Boehringer Ingelheim Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-Being recently convened in Australia. Delegates from around the world focused on the intersection between animal well-being and international trade. The discussion centered on how to recognize and measure well-being, and how this relates to introducing standards in a global market where appetite and capacity for … [Read more...]
Modern livestock production practices are environmentally friendly
A new study in published in Nature Sustainability shows that modern, high-yield agricultural practices that produce as much food on as little land as possible is good for the environment. Researchers associated with Cambridge University looked at the effects of Asian rice and European wheat cultivation, Latin American beef and European dairy production. They then measured the … [Read more...]
Rebecca Robbins, DVM, receives 2018 Science in Practice Award
Dr. Robbins is the senior production veterinarian for Seaboard Foods. She sees the ultimate goal of what she does as serving the betterment of a healthy swine industry. She believes the problem-solving focus of swine practitioners sets the swine industry apart from other livestock segments. You cannot do this by yourself . . . It seems silly for me to receive this award when … [Read more...]
African swine fever advances. NPPC releases paper.
African swine fever (AFS) is advancing worldwide. It continues to be present in Europe and has now entered China, the world’s largest pork producer. Despite near eradication in Europe in the 1990s, ASF has been spreading rapidly. This current outbreak began in central and eastern Europe in 2014. German farmers are calling for a cull of 70 percent of the wild boar population, a … [Read more...]
The quest for more piglets has eroded quality
Litters of 15 or more piglets sounds good until you only wean 10. Mark Knauer reviews production practices and survival data, focusing on improving piglet birth weights to ensure better live-ability. Source: National Hog Farmer, August 9, 2018. Link. Piglet birth weight has clear associations with production throughput and efficiency. An increase of one piglet per litter is … [Read more...]
Get the most from manure
Farmers have started harvesting including cutting hay, wheat and oats and mowing field edges to allow for better air circulation. This is also time when manure can be broadcast on fields. Sara Brown previews an app that calculates a manure application rate, based on the choice of nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) limits and the N, P, and potassium (K) that will be applied to the … [Read more...]
How gut health promotes animal welfare in monogastrics
Jackie Roembke reviews how changes in production systems and animal welfare expectations challenge nutritionists and producers to maintain healthy animal populations. Focusing on immunity first to reduce antibiotic use requires a gut health perspective. With 70 percent of an animal’s immunity concentrated in the gut, fostering a strong gastrointestinal system will improve its … [Read more...]
Modern technology helping to manage smelly pigs
The battle between swine producers and their neighbors over the hog production smells may be getting some new technology beyond tree and bush windbreaks. Electrostatic precipitator technology from commercial industries is being tested at Iowa Select Farms. Source: National Hog Farmer, June 19, 2018. Link. John Stinn, environmental projects manager, says, “the electrostatic … [Read more...]
30-year milestone for World Pork Expo in the books
“It’s hard to believe Expo has been around for 30 years,” says Jim Heimerl, NPPC president and producer from Johnstown, Ohio. “Just as the U.S. pork industry has evolved over the years, so too has Expo.” In search of new ideas and solutions for today and tomorrow, more than 20,000 producers, employees and industry professionals attended the 2018 World Pork Expo. Among the … [Read more...]
GlobalVetLINK Joins Amazon Web Services for cloud solutions
GlobalVetLink (GVL), Ames, Iowa, has migrated its online animal health documentation platform to Amazon Web Services (AWS) joining companies such as Airbnb, Netflix and GE. The transition from a traditional data center to AWS allows GVL to better support current users, improve certificate creation, enhance technology and features and gain help with customer data security and … [Read more...]
World Pork Expo underway (slide show)
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...]