The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Jana Morgan, Senior Key Account Veterinarian at Boehringer Ingelheim, explains large-scale PCV2 surveillance across U.S. swine systems. She highlights dominant genotypes, consistency across regions, and the role of vaccination in herd stability. Dr. Morgan connects sequencing insights to practical disease control strategies. Listen now on...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Amanda Reever, Veterinarian and Director of Research at Suidae Health & Production, explains how a collaborative sire line trial fairly compared boar lines under commercial conditions. She discusses collaboration with genetics companies, trial controls, data sharing, benchmarking, and how producers can use evidence to make better sire...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Maria Hakimi, PhD student at Iowa State University, explains the history of swine dysentery, the complexity of identifying Brachyspira species, and current insights into antimicrobial resistance and genomics. She highlights diagnostic advances and research gaps affecting disease understanding and control in modern swine systems. Listen now on...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Edison Magalhaes from Iowa State University presents findings from a large-scale retrospective cohort study evaluating the causal impact of full-dose PRRS immunization on nursery mortality. Using production data and advanced analytical methods, he explains how confounding factors changed the interpretation of results and highlights practic...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Brent Sexton, Associate Veterinarian at Suidae Health & Production, explains how communication shapes farm execution. He discusses veterinarian roles, client relationships, audience alignment, communication preferences, and practical AI use that supports clear messages without replacing professional judgment. Listen now on all major pl...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Angela Bosco-Lauth from Colorado State University discusses zoonotic disease risks affecting swine production, including Japanese encephalitis virus and H5N1 influenza. She explores topics including wildlife reservoirs, swine surveillance, immunization challenges, biosecurity strategies, and emerging global threats, such as African swine f...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Magdiel Soriano, Assistant Extension Professional in Swine at the University of Missouri, explains how TN visa professionals support U.S. swine operations. He shares survey insights on workforce education, skills, and motivations, highlighting strategies to improve training, integration, and retention. Learn how labor research can strengthen p...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Mariah Post, Research Assistant at Iowa State University, explains practical biosecurity strategies to reduce disease outbreaks in wean-to-finish systems. Key measures include managing indirect contact, improving workflow compliance, and focusing on simple, effective practices like designated parking and bench entry. The discussion highlig...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Eduarda Braga, a veterinarian and researcher at Iowa State University, explores the genotypic landscape of PCV2 in the United States. She explains circulating genotypes, genetic diversity, capsid selection pressures, and implications for disease surveillance in swine production. Learn how these patterns support better health monitoring dec...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Joaquin Alvarez Norambuena, PhD student at the University of Minnesota, explains why influenza remains a constant challenge in swine production. He discusses virus evolution and practical biosecurity strategies, including hand sanitation, mask use, and personnel protocols. He also highlights implementation gaps on farms and long-term contr...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Rienske Mortier, swine veterinarian at Prairie Livestock Veterinarians in Canada, shares how critical thinking and data analysis improve herd health decisions. She explains how to use farm data, avoid common analysis mistakes, and measure intervention results effectively. Dr. Mortier highlights the value of structured thinking in modern sw...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Guillermo Vidal, Full Professor at the University of Murcia, explains the lung gut axis and its role in swine health. He highlights how immune communication between systems influences disease outcomes, including respiratory and intestinal interactions. Dr. Vidal shows how probiotics and early-life interventions can affect health. Listen no...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Taylor Engle, veterinarian at Minton Veterinary Services, shares practical strategies to improve nursery pig start-ups. He explains how minimizing stressors, optimizing barn environments, and encouraging early feed intake can strengthen pig health and performance. Get key insights, including sanitation, preparation, and management practice...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Ana Paula Silva, epidemiologist and research scientist at Iowa State University, explains how manure pumping and land application influence PRRS outbreak risk in grow finish systems. She shares findings on timing, proximity, and management strategies that affect disease spread. Learn how adjusting operational decisions can support better b...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Brian Richert from Purdue University and Dr. Russell Fent, Swine Technical Director at Ralco Nutrition, discuss research on phytonutrient feed additives in sow diets. They explore impacts on litter performance, birth weight distribution, gut health, and sow productivity. Results from a commercial sow farm study highlight improvements in pi...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Mark Estienne, Professor and swine research physiologist at Virginia Tech, explains how a novel nitrogen management system improves barn air quality by reducing ammonia emissions. Lower ammonia levels enhanced nursery pig growth, feed intake, and early post-weaning performance, while supporting respiratory health and worker conditions. Lis...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Emma Helm, Research Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech, explains how Lawsonia intracellularis infection alters the swine gut microbiota and microbial metabolism. She shares findings on microbial shifts, nucleotide synthesis, amino acid biosynthesis, and impacts on feed efficiency. Learn practical insights on biomarkers, nutrition strateg...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Brent Pepin from the National Pork Board explains how New World screwworm awareness fits into broader foreign animal disease preparedness. He outlines key clinical signs, response expectations, and the value of strong traceability systems. Learn practical steps producers can take to strengthen readiness across swine operations. Listen now...

In this special episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, marking International Women’s Day, Dr. Andreia Arruda, Associate Professor at The Ohio State University, discusses foreign animal disease preparedness in Puerto Rico. She explains outreach workshops, tabletop exercises, and biosecurity planning tailored to small swine farms. The conversation highlights disposal challenges, resource gap...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Rodrigo Paiva, PhD candidate and anatomic pathology resident at Iowa State University, discusses a rare and unique case of Toxoplasma gondii infection in pigs. The conversation explores why this organism is a concern for swine health but not a food safety risk in U.S. commercial pork production. Dr. Paiva explains diagnostic findings, risk...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Aaron Lower from Carthage Veterinary Service walks through the mechanism of diarrhea caused by E. coli and how this pathogen has changed over time. He explains how to teach barn teams to diagnose outbreaks earlier and why feed removal can be an effective treatment option during acute breaks. Learn how timely intervention can change outcome...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Sarah Boelke from the University of Minnesota Extension explains how to organize and conduct Certified Swine Sample Collector (CSSC) trainings. She outlines why CSSC programs are critical for foreign animal disease response and how non-veterinarians can support veterinarians during high-demand events. The discussion focuses on program standard...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Matheus Costa from the University of Saskatchewan explains the science behind ear necrosis in pigs. He breaks down how stress, behavior, and a specific infectious agent interact to drive disease development. The discussion highlights breakthrough research that finally reproduces ear necrosis under controlled conditions. Learn what this mea...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Jessica Risser from Elanco explains new research leveraging artificial intelligence to evaluate PRRSV strains using whole-genome data. She explains how challenge studies, host immune responses, and sequencing data inform a model that predicts how emerging strains may behave. Discover what this work means for PRRS management and future deci...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Ben Blair from the University of Illinois explains how AI is reshaping disease modeling, real-time monitoring, and data interpretation in swine health. He breaks down practical tools producers can use today, the challenges behind data quality, and how other industries guide the future of AI in livestock systems. Tune in now on all major pl...