The Swine it Podcast Show

When developing and evaluating new technologies for pig farms, finding the best way to measure their success is crucial, as conventional scientific approaches may not apply. Dr. DeDecker discusses how we, as scientists, can test and implement new technologies. Very interesting, right?

The colder weather this time of the year is not only harder on us, but also harder on our pigs. One issue is that we typically see increased incidences of virus outbreaks on farms such as PRRS and PED. In today’s roundtable episode with Dr. Ritter from Cargill and Dr. Strobel and Dr. Yeske from the Swine Vet Center, they talk about ways we can mitigate the effects of PRRS and PED on our farms and...

Although we have seen so many changes in sow production over the last few decades, some things remain constant. Given his extensive experience in the swine industry, Fred Kuhr shares his perspective on the elements of swine operations that don't change over time. Among them is the need for quality people to work in the barns. What other topics would you add to that?

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services defines antibiotic stewardship as the effort to measure and improve how antibiotics are prescribed by clinicians and used by patients. Dr. Karriker brings that discussion into the swine industry and shares his thoughts on how the concept can be applied to our field. Have you heard of this concept?

Dr. Cortus's position as assistant professor and extension engineer is to provide engineering expertise in the area of sustainable animal agriculture systems. As air emission monitoring is very challenging, Dr. Cortus discusses how we can measure that. Interesting, right?

As a scientist, Dr. DeDecker is very interested in how new technologies, like robotics, automatization, and data analytics, can affect pig performance and labor. She points out that there are significant efforts in the swine industry to understand how those technologies can work from a practical perspective. Do you use any new technology on your pig farm?

We all know that antibiotic use has become a significant area of focus for the global swine industry in recent decades. Among the main questions that arise is whether it is a new topic. Dr. Karriker is a specialist on that subject, and he shares his thoughts on that question. What questions come to mind regarding antibiotic resistance?

Dr. DeDecker grew up on a third-generation family pig farm and grain farm in West Central Illinois, and she now serves as the director of production research for Smithfield. With that outstanding experience in the field, she highlights the main points we must consider in the following years in the swine industry, especially in regard to adopting new technologies. What other topics would you add to...

Technology in our swine barns is becoming more and more prevalent. Through research and innovation we are discovering new ways to collect and utilize data. In today’s talk with Dr. Greiner, Dr. Ashley DeDecker discusses some limitations with current technologies along with methods for discovering and better implementing more technologies on the farm. "Research shouldn't always be based on...

Antibiotic use has become a major area of focus for the swine industry in the last few decades. With more and more resistance genes appearing, we need to do our best to limit the use of antibiotics so we can continue to use them as long as possible. In today’s talk with Dr. Karriker, he talks about the proper use of antibiotics in the swine industry and how we can maximize health while decreasing...

Piglet survivability is a very important factor for all producers because those first few days can heavily influence the growth and feed efficiency of the pig for the rest of its life. Farrowing is also an extremely hectic period with a lot to do in a very short time frame. That is why we need to make sure we are using the best methods available to keep our piglets healthy and to maximize growth....

An important aspect of pig production is being environmentally aware of the decisions you make so that pork production can continue to grow for the foreseeable future. Sustainability is a topic that we are constantly learning about and improving. In today’s talk with Dr. Erin Cortus, she discusses what sustainability means today, and how we as a community can continue to produce pork while minimiz...

All across the world multiple industries, including the swine industry, have been struggling with labor shortages. It is not only our job to create a healthy environment for our pigs, but for our people too. In this episode, Dr. Greiner talks with Dr. Seth Krantz about how to not only properly hire and train new employees, but also how to create an encouraging and inviting environment to keep the...

One of the most discussed topics in the swine industry currently is African Swine Fever. We are terrified of this disease spreading through our country due to the economic devastation that it leaves in its wake. That is why we need to have measures actively in place to help monitor this disease across the US so if it makes its way into our borders, we can eradicate it before it spreads. In this ep...

Mycotoxins have always been a hassle to swine producers, especially with high concentration in the feed for the last few years. Therefore, it is important for us to understand how mycotoxins affect our pigs, and how best to manage high concentration in our feed. In today’s talk, Dr. Don Giesting and Dr. Chris Parks from Cargill discuss how to best mitigate the negative consequences from mycotoxins...

Gilt development has been a struggle in the industry for years. In a sow operation it is often regarded as one of the most important pieces, as the largest group of animals bred are typically gilts. In his talk with Dr. Greiner, Dr. Keith Aljets discusses some of the most difficult challenges with gilt development, and important factors we need to consider when trying to overcome these hurdles. &#...

No production facility, or any business, can be effective without quality employees. Arguably the most important part of any manager’s job is to understand your employees and to provide an environment that is conducive to efficiency, flexibility, and technological adaptation. In today's talk with Fred Kuhr, he discusses how best to address labor challenges, keys to finding quality employees, a...

The swine industry has adapted with each decade to improve the efficiency of the industry as a whole. Over the years we have made some mistakes as well as many advances, and learning from those mistakes and repeating those successes are the keys to continue improving. In today’s talk with Dr. Connor, we learn about how we have managed diseases in the past, and how to use what we have learned to be...

Any good swine nutritionist knows that they are not only a nutritionist, but also an economist. Optimizing cost efficiency is the overall goal of a swine production facility, and with the unpredictable markets we have today with covid, we need to be aware of how best to maximize our net profits for our facility. In today’s talk Dr. Greiner chats with Dr. Glynn Tonsor on how the swine markets have...

Preventing bacterial infection in the young piglet is critical for all farmers as they have weakened immune systems in the early stages of their life. In the past we used antibiotics until antibiotic resistant strains became more prevalent. Now zinc oxide is the most used antimicrobial feed additive during the nursery period but is it the most effective method? In today’s talk with Dr. Schweer, he...

In hotter climates and seasons, heat stress can have a large effect on pig performance, regardless of their stage of production. Dr. Jay Johnson has been a wonderful asset to the swine community with his work on the effect of heat stress on pigs and shares some insight on his research findings. In today’s episode, he discusses the importance of understanding heat stress and different strategies we...

As research continues to develop new ways to improve the swine industry, our farms have to find ways to feasibly implement these new developments. Some new technologies look good on paper, but are not feasible due to the cost of the extra labor. In today’s talk, Dr. Ken Stalder discusses different ways of defining sow productivity, the necessary training required to implement new technologies, and...

PRRS virus has affected herds across the United States for over 30 years and has been a major cause of economic losses across the industry. As many farms are now PRRS positive, or are very likely to eventually contract PRRS, it is important to understand how to monitor, control, or even eliminate PRRS on our farms. In today’s talk with Dr. Daniel Linhares, he discusses several methods of dealing w...

When you think about improving nutrition, you typically measure your success with growth performance, but that should not always be the only goal. Today Dr. Laura Greiner talks with Dr. Dan Columbus about how nutrition affects pig health and how we should formulate our diets differently when faced with certain health challenges. Nutrient uptake can be altered during a disease outbreak, and adaptin...

Pre-weaning mortality is one of the most detrimental issues the swine industry is currently facing. In todays’ talk with P.J. Corns, we discuss ways to properly manage sows, piglets, and farm staff to reduce pre-weaning mortality and maintain high health standards in a farrowing facility. Proper pig care is extremely important and it all begins on day 1. "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘨𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵...