The Swine it Podcast Show

Making a career choice can be challenging, especially when we are still young and inexperienced. When we bring that discussion into the swine industry in particular, we realize that not many students know all the possibilities on the table beyond becoming veterinarians. Besides, not all of them come from an ag background. With that in mind, we must do our best to introduce them to our reality – an...

Despite the many advances throughout the years, influenza still cannot be fully controlled and represents a major economic threat to the swine industry. Therefore, we can never discuss it enough and it's never too late to tackle this challenge. Regarding the topic, I have a great conversation in this episode with Dr. Jeremy Pittman and Dr. Marie Culhane, who have excellent commercial and resea...

A lot has been going on in the US soy market nowadays: a major expansion in the soybean crushing industry, which is mainly driven by the current and potential demand for renewable diesel. That scenario implies some uncertainties for the soybean market in the upcoming years, as we see a critical shift in the industry from "crushing for meal" to "crushing for oil." Thus, what should...

To honor the International Women's Day, we have prepared a very special episode for you! This week, I had a great conversation with Dr. Karine Talbot, who is currently the Director of Animal Health at HyLife Ltd., Canada. From the basics of biosecurity to strategies for making it work as effectively as possible, she shares with us her vast practical experience with biosecurity protocols on pig...

Everyone in the swine industry is ethically responsible for protecting our animals as well as promoting their welfare, safeguarding natural resources, and producing safe food. Once we do that, we keep building and improving our customer relationships, because we receive their trust. That's why internal and third-party audits and certification programs are so essential – and to answer many of t...

As swine producers, nutritionists, and veterinarians, we all know that sow mortality is a complex challenge, since many factors influence it. Indeed, high mortality rates and poor sow performance greatly impact farm profitability, including feed costs. So how can we improve sow retention and longevity in our production systems? Are there nutritional strategies that can be employed to optimize sow...

While temperatures are dropping, concerns are being raised for many swine producers. We are talking about Porcine Reproductive & Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), one of the biggest challenges for swine health because of its tremendous worldwide economic impact on pig production. In that scenario, we must keep an eye on the way PRRS viruses evolve year after year. So you might ask yourself: " W...

We all know that research is one of the forces that pushes the swine industry forward. Experiments are designed to test new products, check the efficiency of drugs and vaccines, evaluate animal behavior, improve farm practices… the list goes on. That's why swine research is conducted at so many of our universities across the country, integrates companies' strategies, and is the object of i...

Influenza viruses are a huge concern for swine producers around the globe: firstly, because they cause high levels of illness in the herds; secondly, because they are very contagious and evolve very quickly. Although swine (and human) influenza viruses can circulate throughout the entire year, most outbreaks do occur during late fall and winter – so there is no better time to talk about them! In t...

There is a lot we need to consider when managing nursery pigs. Swine producers, nutritionists, vets, and everyone else involved in the process must do their best to protect the pigs from stressors after weaning while raising robust and healthy animals. However, it is common knowledge that there is not a single answer or a silver bullet to solve all the issues in nursery production, since every sys...

It is common knowledge that any biosecurity program must be well designed to both minimize the impact of endemic pathogens to which the herds have been exposed and fend off pathogens to which they have not come into contact yet. But even though we recognize the importance of biosecurity processes, we sometimes forget that they must change from season to season: the cold months bring different dise...

Certainly, we are asking a lot of our professors, especially the new ones, since meeting both their teaching and researching agendas as part of their roles at the university can be quite a challenge. Additionally, they must keep an eye on what is happening in the swine industry and on the ways they can better coordinate their students' training and research goals with the industry demands. In...

It’s quite true that the US hasn’t been hit by ASF yet. However, if there’s one thing we can know for sure is that we need to be prepared for it in case it does cross our borders. In order to stop ASF from spreading, first we must be able to identify it, a process which begins with proper sampling. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Justin Brown about a new sampling certification that anyone who wor...

The more diseases emerge, the more we have to rely on antibiotics to fight them. However, fighting back with antibiotics can, of course, result in the development of antibiotic resistant strains, which makes it even harder to eliminate diseases on your farm. In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. Noelle Noyes about her research on microbiome and antimicrobial resistance. We also discuss what measures...

The usage of fiber in swine diets has come a long way in the past 50 years. Throughout this time, we have been continuously learning more about how it can positively affect swine growth and what nutrients it can actually provide. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Marc Decoux about how fiber is used differently across the globe, how we can continue to learn more about all of the available types, and...

When we analyze a population of pigs, oftentimes the average pig is considered the most important statistic, and efforts are directed to improving them in the barn. However, if improving the entire population is our goal, maybe that shouldn’t be our main focus. In this episode, I talk with Dr. John Deen about his experience with increasing the total value and potential success of pigs in the barn...

All facets of a swine facility need some form of maintenance from time to time – that includes the pit underneath the pigs. Certain conditions in the pit can cause the manure to foam up, which may lead to both safety and logistical issues. In today’s episode, I talk with Matthew Schutte about pit foaming and what we need to do to ensure it doesn’t occur in our barns. “Make sure to take measurement...

The genome of swine (of any animal, as a matter of fact) holds what seems to be an endless amount of information – and the future of swine production as well. Therefore, the knowledge we have gained so far about the pig genome could, in theory, be used to improve sustainability and performance in the industry. But how can we accomplish this? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Max Rothschild about hi...

Dr. Ken Stalder was a legend and an icon in the swine industry. He dedicated much of his life to bettering the lives of pigs and the lives of the people working with pigs. Just as he dedicated his life to the pork industry, we are dedicating this episode to him. In this episode, Dr. Steve Moeller comes on to share some thoughts and memories about Dr. Stalder to reminisce on all he has done for all...

Everyone performing swine research loves to see one thing: p<0.05 . We love to discover those significant differences and hope to find something that will be beneficial for our nation's swine producers, but sometimes there’s still value in no significant differences. In today’s episode, I talk with Gene Gourley about the value of swine research in our industry, what we can extract from the...

In a broad spectrum, we all know what welfare is. However, how can we measure it in our animal facilities? And once we have established what the weak points are, how can we improve them? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Antonio Velarde about the parameters and causes of welfare concerns in swine facilities, the best ways to provide enrichment, and how to minimize stress in order to improve pig wel...

If you think about your career plans back when you were in highschool or college, you’ll probably realize that, just like most people, you aren’t doing exactly what you thought you would. It’s funny how life has a way of leading you down paths that you may had never considered before, but ends up enjoying. In this episode, I talk with Erica Lain about her switching from the beef industry to the sw...

As soon as a sow is designated as a cull sow, it is very easy to mentally move her down on the priority list. However, just like all pigs in a swine facility, they deserve proper care and actions to mitigate stressors as they make their way to the market. They have earned that! In today’s episode, we talk with Dr. Cecilie Kobek-Kjeldager about her work studying the factors that cause stress for th...

Labor shortages in the swine industry are now worse than they have been in a long time. For the issue, there are several solutions, such as learning to adapt to the new generations of workforce as well as seeking out employees from other countries. In this episode, I talk with Victor Ochoa about how the TN Visa works and how it can bring in more employees, as well as what Millennials value the mos...

No ‘silver bullet’ can ever hope to solve the complex issue of biosecurity. That’s because it requires cooperation among everyone involved, as well as lots of time and patience to make it as effective as possible. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Derald Holtkamp about his experiences in mitigating risks of disease and helping veterinarians handle and prepare for outbreaks in their area by using stan...