The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Fernanda Perosa discusses the results of an extensive necropsy survey across nursery farms in southern Brazil. She outlines the diagnostic strategies used, the leading infectious agents found, and how findings informed vaccine protocols. Listen now on all major platforms! "Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death and illness...

In this special episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Lukas Schwarz, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, explores a highly relevant topic for the summer season:  the risks and impacts of stable flies in pig production. He shares new insights into disease transmission and provides strategies for effective pest control. Learn what swine professionals...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Mariana Kikuti shares the latest findings on PRRSV variant trends, genetic diversity, and time-to-stability challenges across U.S. production systems. She explains the monitoring process behind variant classification and the obstacles faced when collecting epidemiological data. Discover practical insights into managing multi-strain outbrea...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Evan Grusenmeyer from the University of Missouri breaks down what genetic engineering really means for the swine industry. He outlines key concepts like transgenics, gene editing, and introgression, and discusses where this technology could take us, especially regarding disease resistance. Learn how these tools might help producers face to...

In this episode of the Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Bob Rowland from the University of Illinois shares key insights on the genetics behind PRRS resilience in pigs. He discusses the development of CD163-edited pigs and how understanding virus-host interactions can support future strategies. Discover how genome research is contributing to swine health innovation. Listen now on all major platf...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Anna Forseth, Director of Animal Health at the National Pork Producers Council, discusses the ongoing efforts to enhance live swine traceability. She provides an update on the status of the mandatory traceability standards, reviewing the progress of the process and where things currently stand with USDA approval. Dr. Forseth highlights act...

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, we revisit our conversation with Dr. John Patience, Professor Emeritus of Animal Science at Iowa State University, who shares findings from a case study evaluating the financial impact of different health statuses on pig performance. From mortality rates to feed conversion efficiency, discover how health challenges affect profita...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Erin Kettelkamp from Swine Vet Center shares key strategies for improving transport biosecurity in swine operations. She explains how using real-time data, GPS tracking, and trailer movement records helps identify biosecurity risks earlier and improve response to potential disease threats. Dr. Kettelkamp highlights the importance of intern...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Jack Dekkers from Iowa State University explores the genetics of disease resilience in pigs. He explains how measuring stress hormones like cortisol in hair can serve as a powerful tool to identify animals better equipped to handle health challenges. Discover how these heritable traits can support smarter breeding strategies and promote st...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Marcello Melini from the University of Minnesota shares his research on alternative sampling strategies for monitoring PRRSv and other swine pathogens. He explains the potential of tongue tip fluids and other specimen types to improve pathogen detection and sequencing in grow-finish pigs. Listen now on all major platforms! "Tongue tips may...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Jay Johnson from the University of Missouri explores the bioenergetics of heat stress in gestating sows and how it affects growth and fat deposition. He discusses energy partitioning, thermoregulation, and genetic strategies to improve thermal tolerance without compromising productivity. Listen now on all major platforms! (00:00) Introduct...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Tyler Bauman, Veterinarian at The Maschhoffs LLC, discusses strategies for enhancing immunity in grow-finish pigs, focusing on the effectiveness of full-dose versus half-dose protocols in high-density pig production areas. He shares insights on lateral PRRS pressure, diagnostic approaches, and data-driven decision-making for improving swin...

Preparing ahead of time can greatly diminish the impacts of an outbreak. With the right tools in place, we can prepare, prevent, and minimize the effects of a Foreign Animal Disease outbreak. In this second part of the Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast special episode on disease preparedness, Dr. Anna Forseth, from the National Pork Producers Council, continues her exploration of African Swine Fever...

Preparing for a Foreign Animal Disease outbreak continues to be one of the most discussed topics in the pork industry. In this special episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, highlighting the critical importance of disease preparedness, Dr. Anna Forseth, Director of Animal Health at the National Pork Producers Council, delivers an essential update on African swine fever (ASF) and its implic...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Ana Paula Silva from Iowa State University shares insights on the POMP (PRRS Outbreak Management Program) and how it helps producers manage PRRS outbreaks more effectively. She explains the program’s approach to tracking outbreak data, measuring recovery, and optimizing health interventions. Learn how participation can benefit your operati...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Xiaomei Yue from the University of Minnesota explores the role of oral fluid sampling in swine disease surveillance. She discusses its growing adoption, benefits, and challenges, including industry variations in sampling frequency and handling. Tune in now on all major platforms! "Oral fluid sampling is simple, effective, and less stre...

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, we revisit our conversation with Dr. Elisa Crisci, from North Carolina State University, who joins us to discuss groundbreaking approaches in the fight against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv). Dr. Crisci shares insights into the "Predict and Protect" project, aiming to enhance disease forecasti...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Tara Prezioso, a PhD candidate at the University of Illinois, explores how network modeling is improving disease prevention in the swine industry. She explains how movement data from farms, feed mills, and processing facilities can help predict and mitigate outbreaks like PEDV and ASF. Listen now on all major platforms! "By analyzing m...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Joel Sparks, a veterinarian at AMVC Management Services, shares insights from a PRRS case. He discusses key lessons in biosecurity, herd management, and the diagnostic challenges encountered when dealing with different viral strains. Tune in on all major platforms! "Biosecurity and husbandry are essential foundations of good animal car...

This special episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast celebrates International Women’s Day with Dr. Janice Zanella, a researcher from EMBRAPA (Brazil) and visiting scientist at Iowa State University, who highlights the importance of One Health in veterinary medicine. She shares how the health of animals, humans, and the environment are deeply interconnected and how this impacts global policy,...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Locke Karriker from Iowa State University discusses the evolution of antimicrobial stewardship within the swine industry. He covers the core principles of responsible antibiotic use and provides practical insights on building biosecurity plans that align with regulatory expectations. Dr. Karriker stresses the importance of a proactive appr...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Courtney Archer, from the University of Minnesota, addresses the ongoing issue of tail biting in pigs—a challenge impacting welfare and productivity across the swine industry. She explores key stress factors, practical enrichment tools, and feeder space management strategies to help producers reduce tail-biting issues. Listen now! "Tail bi...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Maria Pieters, from the University of Minnesota, discusses strategies for managing mycoplasma infections in swine herds. Dr. Pieters shares her expertise on the complexities of mycoplasma, exploring nomenclature, eradication techniques, and diagnostic tools designed for swine health. Listen now on all major platforms! "We know systems...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Abbey Canon, from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), discusses the importance of swine veterinarians as champions for pig health and welfare. Dr. Canon shares insights into the planning of the AASV annual meeting, focusing on topics that cover every facet of swine health. Tune in to hear why showing up and advocating f...

In this episode of The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Reid Philips, Associate Director of Technical Marketing at Boehringer Ingelheim, discusses research on PRRS vaccination. He shares insights on study design, key findings, and how vaccination improves pig health outcomes! Listen now on all major platforms! "We saw a level of protection with the PRRS MLV vaccine in all those major measur...