The Round Barn

In this episode of The Round Barn, Kaylee Hillinger has a conversation with Dr. Martin Mohr, a swine veterinarian and the owner of Mohr Vet and Mohr Vet Research in Minnesota. Recently, Dr. Mohr achieved his Master of Veterinary Science degree from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. They discuss his capstone project on the management of veterinary diagnostic data. Dr. Mohr...

In this episode of The Round Barn, Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger dive into the dynamic world of pet care, discussing the recent entry of retail giants Walmart and Amazon into the veterinary telehealth space. From Walmart's acquisition of the telehealth firm PAWP to Amazon's considerations for offering veterinary telehealth, the hosts explore the implications for the veterinary profession. They...

In this episode of The Round Barn Podcast, Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger discuss gene editing and its potential to revolutionize animal welfare and agriculture. The hosts explain the difference between gene editing and genetic modification and explore the recent advancements in CRISPR technology. They highlight the progress made in creating disease-resistant animals, such as PRRS-resistant pig...

In this episode of The Round Barn Podcast, hosts Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger explore the important role that checkoff programs play in supporting the animal agriculture industry. They discuss how checkoff dollars are used to promote, educate, and drive consumer demand for pork and other products, both domestically and globally. Join them as they unravel the complexities of this essential fun...

In this episode of the Round Barn podcast, hosts Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger delve into the intriguing world of lab-grown proteins, challenging the popular notions of "fake meat." They share their candid thoughts on the environmental and dietary implications of these alternative meat products. From flexitarian choices to the evolving science behind cultured meat, Kaylee and Jim explore it al...

Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger have a conversation about the fresh start that the fall season brings to the University. They discuss the varied learning experiences that the first-year veterinary students will have compared to their senior peers, the fourth-year students who began their veterinary school journey at the onset of the pandemic.   After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn by f...

Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger converse about the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine's involvement in the Illinois State Fair. The fair serves as an exceptional platform for veterinary students to learn and gain experience. Additionally, it provides a valuable opportunity to engage with children and inspire them to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. After the podcast, co...

Walmart takes another step towards its goal of an end-to-end supply chain for Angus beef with a $257 million investment into a processing and packaging facility in Olathe, KS. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger discuss how this change will allow Walmart to have more control over the product in the meat case. After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn by following: The Round Barn at Illinois or visi...

Amazing things are happening at The Round Barn and we have good news to share! Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger introduce the "Virtual Care Hub". They talk through how the Virtual Care Hub will integrate technology into animal care and the new learning opportunities that will be available at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn...

Chat GPT (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) and AI chatbots are popping up across various platforms. Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger talk through how these tools work, their current challenges and future opportunities for utilization in the agriculture industry. After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn by following: The Round Barn at Illinois or visit us at online.vetmed.illinois.edu to...

Feral swine in the US have a long history of being a risk to health of commercial pigs, destructive to the land in which they populate and in a recent news story of a feral pig in North Dakota, dangerous. Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger talk about the history, challenges and risks of feral pigs in the United States. After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn by following: The Round Barn at I...

In 2024, Mexico intends to phase out genetically engineered corn and glyphosate. Mexico is a major importer of US corn, corn that is primarily genetically engineered with glyphosate use. Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger talk about what that means for Mexico, Mexico livestock producers, US grain farmers and livestock producers. After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn by following: The Round...

Dr. Jim Lowe and Kaylee Hillinger set the record straight on the social media claims that cattle are vaccinated with mRNA vaccines. Does this new frenzy of misinformation have any impact on cattle producers? After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn by following: The Round Barn at Illinois or visit us at online.vetmed.illinois.edu to discover additional learning opportunities

Foreign animal disease preparedness is a top priority for anyone in the livestock industry and for the organizations that support them. Kaylee Hillinger and Dr. Jim Lowe have African Swine Fever on their minds, but expand the conversation to other foreign animal diseases. Are we ready and what’s the plan?   After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn by following: The Round Barn at Illinois or...

The US has not become infected with African Swine Fever, why? In order to understand this, Dr. Jim Lowe educates us on the African Swine Fever virus, transmission and systems in place to prevent ASF infection in the US. As we learn from Jim, the answer to this question isn't very simple. After the podcast, connect with us on LinkedIn by following: The Round Barn at Illinois or visit us at online.v...

Acceptance into veterinary school is highly competitive. The College of Veterinary Medicine recently launched our Certificate in Veterinary Science to help students on their journey to veterinary school. Join Dr. Brian Aldridge and Crystal Zulauf as they discuss the certificate program and how it was designed to benefit students.

What is impacting the record high price of turkeys in the United States? In order to answer this question, you must understand the implications of avian influenza, gas prices, holiday dinners, and customer needs. Dr. Jim Lowe answers all these questions as he breaks down the supply chain from egg to turkey dinner in this episode of The Round Barn Podcast.

The prices of gasoline, diesel fuel, and groceries have been astronomical recently. Dr. Jim Lowe is joined by Crystal Zulauf in this episode of The Round Barn where they reveal how the sticky cost of transportation affects the amount we pay at the register.

The cull sow market in the United States has a surveillance problem. Drs. Lowe and Mitek are joined by Dr. Ben Blair to discuss his investigation into the cull sow marketing channel. Join them as they reveal the devastating implications of an ASF outbreak in cull sows and how it could affect the swine industry as a whole.

Egg prices are the highest they have been since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in April, 2020. Learn how migratory water fowl have started circulating the H5N1 virus in commercial chicken flocks resulting in high egg prices. Join Drs. Jim Lowe and Ashley Mitek as they discuss the cause and effect of a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak.

Guest host Dr. Suzanna Storms talks about her and Dr. Lowe’s research detecting COVID in meat packing plants in the first year of the pandemic. Learn more about their process, and what the data they collected suggests about COVID transmission.

Ukraine is one of the world’s top producers of wheat, and the war is going to have ripple effects all over the world. In this week’s episode of The Round Barn podcast, Drs. Ashley Mitek and Jim Lowe talk about the tangled web of the international commodities market – how the grain shortage will affect farmers and livestock producers, how this will squeeze consumers even more, and what might happen...

A man received a pig's heart. What does that mean for the future of medicine? Dr. Jim Lowe explains how this was made possible with current technology and discusses with Dr. Ashley Mitek the future medical and ethical implications of genetically altering animals in this recent episode of the Round Barn podcast.

If you’ve been in a U.S. grocery store lately, you’ve probably noticed your grocery bill has increased significantly. “Food supply is an incredibly complicated logistical process,” states Dr. Jim Lowe as he unpacks how the food supply chain, supply and demand, and changes in our behavior are affecting retail prices. If you want to know why you can’t find bacon at the grocery store or what you can...

In this week's episode of The Round Barn podcast, Dr. Ashley Mitek and Dr. Jim Lowe talk about the Omicron variant, and what it could mean for COVID and humans going forward. Dr. Lowe digs into his animal infectious disease background to explain why this virus keeps mutating; why vaccines for it might need semi-annual boosters, instead of being good for years or decades like other vaccines; and wh...