Feedstuffs in Focus

Last week the 2024 Farm Progress Show took place in Boone, Iowa. Coming into agriculture’s largest farm show of the year, Rabobank took the opportunity to bring its global grains and oilseeds team together to tour Midwest fields and talk with growers and agribusiness leaders. Joining us in this episode to share their insights and global perspectives are Rabobank researchers Stephen Nicholson and S...

Cameras are used for many purposes. They are frequently used to monitor such things as traffic flows, weather patterns and even to provide security in a number of different ways. But what about in pig barns? What benefit might camera technology and the resulting data collection have when it comes to managing pigs in a breeding program? Joining us today to talk about camera technology in the pig ba...

Traceability continues to be a key priority for the National Pork Board.  AgView, the industry’s contact-tracing tool, has reached an all-time high of more than 1,200 producer-user adoptions, and nearly 1.5 million pig movements, since its launch in November 2020. The National Pork Board is continuing to explore advancements and opportunities while maintaining data security and integrations that m...

The greatest risk for the livestock sector in the remainder of 2024 is that which is related to politics and the uncertainty around what the new administration’s policy will be on the economy and agriculture.  What will end up being in the farm bill? What about support for such things as foreign animal disease monitoring and prevention? How, too, can more resiliency be created in the overall suppl...

Is liquidation in the beef cattle sector finally slowing? What about the aging of the cow herd? What might this fall calving season hold?  Herd rebuilding, drought, consumer demand and preferences as well as cost of feeding and the dairy on beef trend. These all are topics we tackle as we dig into the beef industry and what’s likely ahead. Joining us today to discuss the state of the beef industry...

Joining us in this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus to discuss new research findings related to how quickly EXCEDE ® for Swine reaches therapeutic plasma concentration levels in pigs is Dr. Micah Jansen, Managing Technical Services Veterinarian for Zoetis Pork. Dr. Jansen details research presented at last fall’s Leman Swine Conference and why it's relevant to veterinarians and pork producers w...

The last time the estimated economic impact of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, or PRRS, was investigated was in 2013. What is the current impact of the disease on herd health and production?  Feedstuffs Ann Hess caught up with Drs. Henry Osemeke and Derald Holtkamp of Iowa State University during this week’s Iowa Swine Day to find out more. This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus...

Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) causes an estimated $800 to $900 million annually in economic losses from death, reduced feed efficiency, and treatment costs. Newly weaned calves are especially susceptible to BRD and other respiratory concerns. As a cattle producer, what are your options and solutions?   Joining us on this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus to talk about trace minerals and immunity i...

Early feed intake. How important is it to nursery pig performance and getting pigs off to the right start? What might it mean when it comes to supporting pigs through future health challenges? Joining us today to provide tips to help swine producers better evaluate, monitor and improve nursery pig performance is Rachel Johnson, swine technical sales specialist with Purina Animal Nutrition This epi...

Fifteen research projects have now been funded as part of the Swine Health Information Center’s Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program. It is a program that is being conducted in collaboration with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Pork Checkoff. What does the program mean for the US pork industry? What are the lessons learned to date? And what’s ahead? Joining our Ann Hess f...

Swine health concerns can challenge pig livability and various avenues of sustainability like animal wellbeing and business continuity.  There are Checkoff-funded tools producers can use to improve animal health, protect pigs and people with strict biosecurity, implement traceability standards, learn from already-established resources and explore potential solutions like gene editing.   Among the...

A prop 12 fix of the farm bill, additional funding for foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness and year-round H2a visas to combat ongoing labor challenges. What does the pork industry have on its radar screen in this legislative session? During this week’s Global Hog Industry Virtual Conference, our Ann Hess caught up with National Pork Producers Council CEO Bryan Humphreys to get more...

When it comes to minerals, what should cattle producers consider for their herds? How best to achieve the mineral intake that the cows needs or that a product is labeled for? How best to get peak herd performance and results? Joining us on this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus to talk about minerals and how to get the best performance results is Wesley Moore, Beef Technical Lead for Cargill. This po...

The feed industry and regulatory officials are challenging media reports alleging the HPAI virus has spread to dairy cattle as a result of the consumption of chicken litter on farms.  Neither the U.S. Department of Agriculture nor the Food & Drug Administration have found a link to HPAI virus transmission in dairy cattle through chicken litter. Wild migratory birds are widely thought to be the...

Raw materials are the key to any feed or feeding operation. They are also one of the largest costs. How best for feed manufacturers and animal production operations to manage those costs and what does the future hold when it comes to feed manufacturing and ingredients acquisition. In this episode of Feedstuffs in Focus, we catch up with Dr. Adam Fahrenholz of North Carolina State University to tal...

When people work to see the value in each other and feel connected, the world becomes a better place. When people feel disconnected, daily 'threats' of uncertainty, doubt, and change, become all that they see.  During PEAK 2024 in Minneapolis we caught up with Brian Fretwell, founder of Finding Good. Fretwell lead a three-part business and leadership program focused on helping to build t...

In order to optimize your porcine breeding process, a number of factors need to come together to ensure success. High-quality semen collection, extension, packaging and storage are a must along with good hygiene and proper handling. Equipment and infrastructure also are essential.  This episode of Feedstuffs in Focus is brought to you by Topigs Norsvin, the second-largest swine genetics company in...

Global demographics are rapidly changing. Global population is rapidly shifting. Countries like China are ramping up pork production. What about the aging of the population in general and how might that impact demand for pork products in the future? It is no longer about how we feed the world but rather what does the world want from us. Hosts for this episode are Sarah Muirhead of Feedstuffs and M...

Last week, California dairy producers requested that the State of California use its authority to ban all cattle coming into California from HPIA-infected states until further notice. Following the industry's request for additional action, the California Department of Food & Agriculture increased its health certificate requirements. Those requirements were effective immediately. What does...

Of the food we grow annually, 40% is lost or wasted. Globally, food loss and waste is responsible for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, rates of food insecurity continue to skyrocket. In 2022, nearly 828 million people faced acute food insecurity, an increase of more than 60% since 2019.These numbers are only expected to grow. So are there opportunities and for that matter reasons...

Novus International, Inc., announced its acquisition of enzyme company BioResource International, Inc., also known as BRI, in March. Under the terms of the agreement, NOVUS became the owner of all BRI’s products and intellectual property and takes control of the company’s facilities. In making the announcement, the leader in intelligent nutrition cited supply chain optimization, product diversific...

Food waste and loss are a growing concern around the world. Food left in the fields. Food not pretty enough for supermarket display cases. The list goes on and on. All too often perfectly good food ends up in landfills or is left to rot in the field. But, is there a role for animal agriculture when it comes to possibly providing a solution to the food waste situation and, if so, what might that lo...

2023 was a year marked with numerous challenges for the pork industry but along with those challenges came opportunity. Opportunity to step back and reevaluate. Opportunity to have conversations that needed to be had with government regulators and policymakers. Opportunity to move forward with the continued objective of making the world a better place for the industry and consumers overall. The go...

The pork industry took a proactive step to protect animal health and producers’ livelihoods this week with the approval of a resolution aimed at enhancing the country’s live swine traceability system. The goal of the new standards is that of better controlling the spread of a foreign animal disease and lessening the economic impact of an outbreak should one occur.  Joining Feedstuffs’ Ann Hess in...

For those farms that became Prop 12 compliant, the industry is eager to learn about the challenges, opportunities, production considerations and lessons encountered along the way. Joining Feedstuffs’ Ann Hess in this episode to discuss Country View Family Farms’ journey to become Prop 12 compliant is Dr. Carlos Roudergue, a veterinarian in the company's Production Department.  CVFF includes m...