The Swine it Podcast Show

For years we have used ingredient databases such as the NRC to estimate nutrient levels for formulating diets for our pigs, but what if I told you that there is another database out there with recently updated values that also has some modeling capabilities? In this episode with Dr. Phillip Miller, we talk about a database he and his colleagues have been working on, the National Animal Nutrition P...

Animal welfare is one of the main concerns for animal producers all over the world. Sometimes however, it is hard to maintain efficiency while maximizing animal welfare. In this episode, I talk with Jason McAlister to find out how we can improve animal welfare while simultaneously improving the efficiency of our production facilities. We may just need to get down on all fours and think like a pig...

There are a ton on areas in the swine industry where you can be an asset. Working in a feed mill is another example of being a critical step in the industry without having to actually work directly with pigs. In this episode, I talk with Victoria Wilson about her work as a feed mill coordinator and her experiences getting involved in swine production with no prior swine experience. "There are...

Mycotoxins in swine feed are something that requires constant monitoring to accurately identify the concentrations of individual mycotoxins and to decide how best to respond. New studies have shown that some mycotoxins affect our pigs even at lower levels than we previously thought. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Chris Parks and Dr. Don Giesting about how mycotoxins can affect pigs and at what t...

Part of keeping our industry strong is performing quality research to ensure we are getting the most out of our pigs as possible. To do that, we need quality researchers and institutions that are willing to work together. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Bob Thaler about the role that universities and production systems play in the industry and how we can work together and train grad students to a...

Pigs will only be able to grow at their max potential if they are in good health, and an important component of having good health is having proper air quality and airflow in your barns. In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. Brett Ramirez about proper airflow, the importance of air quality in new and old barns, and other things to consider when designing a new swine facility. "Ventilation is imp...

We all know that we aren’t only a swine industry - we are also a people industry. We need people to keep our farms running and we need these people to be properly trained and enjoy what they do so they stick around. In this episode, I talk with Sara Pardall about her experiences as a swine farm manager as she shares insights and techniques to train employees and how to build a strong team of swine...

What will the future of pig farming look like? That is an old question with many different possible answer. Some people imagine more robots and technology, but what about some changes that you may not see coming? In this episode, I talk with Dr. John Carr about his take on what the future of our industry will look like and what areas of swine production we need to further emphasize. Some of his an...

Arguably the best thing that the swine industry can do today to plan for the future is to get the next generation interested in agriculture. With less families having a background in agriculture today than in past generations, it is much more difficult to introduce children to the swine industry. In today’s episode with Dr. Joel DeRouchey, we talk about the importance of this subject and the oppor...

Proper virus classification is necessary for the swine industry to ensure we can track nearby viruses' lineages and update vaccination and biosecurity protocols as needed. In this episode with Dr. Kim VanderWaal, we discuss classification processes today and new technology available that may help increase the accuracy of proper classification. "We need to better understand the phenotype of...

No matter what part of the swine industry you are a part of, you are ultimately working towards the same goal as everyone else - to produce affordable pork that the consumers want to buy. But what exactly do the consumers want to buy? In this episode with Dr. Marissa Hake, we work towards answering that question and learning how to build trust with the consumers so we can all work together to prod...

Some pig traits can be easily improved with nutrition, but other things are better left to geneticists, and genetics can have quite a large impact on the performance of the sow and her offspring. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Mark Knauer about different sow selection parameters and which parameters the industry is focusing on for the next couple of years. "When it comes to gestation feeding...

Learning, adapting, and overcoming challenges are constant battles everyone has to go through several times in life. The lessons learned from these experiences are extremely important in helping us find success throughout our careers. In this episode, I talk with Dr. James Kober about some of the lessons he has learned from being a practicing veterinarian for the last 35 years, as well as some iss...

Research is one of the most important ongoing goals of the swine industry. Performing these large-scale trials helps us find the best ways to keep our growth performance strong and our pigs healthy. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Brandi Burton about her field research trials on mycoplasma inoculation and mortality correlated biomarkers as well as good practices and mindsets we need to have as re...

Ever since Covid began, grain and hog prices have been a whirlwind of fluctuations that have had some serious impacts on swine production. With the current market having seen such large fluctuations in price, it is important that we understand where we are at and where we will be in the next quarter. In this episode, I talk with Joe Kerns about those exact topics: where we are economically, where...

Dr. Mote holds an Assistant Professor and Swine Extension Specialist position at the University of Nebraska. In this episode, he discusses the longevity of replacement gilts and sows, including how critical it is to maintain balance and monitor gilt growth and what its effects are on the animals' structure. Have you watched this episode? *Watch the full episode: https://www.swinecampus.com/blo...

Dr. Levesque’s principal research interests of are protein and amino acid metabolism during pregnancy and maternal nutritional influence on offspring growth and development. In this episode, she shares her experience in nutrition for developing gilts and highlights how we must consider the differences between them and finishing pigs when addressing nutrition. What do you think about that? *Watch t...

Dr. Daniel Columbus is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan and a Research Scientist of Nutrition at Prairie Swine Centre. In this episode, Dr. Columbus talks about how nutrition affects pig health. Have you watched it? Please, share your thoughts on that with us! *Watch the full episode: https://www.swinecampus.com/blog -----------...

Here, Dr. Rademacher discusses ways to improve pig survival by identifying diseases in the herd earlier. Identifying a disease early, no matter what it is, will allow you to take better care of the pigs. As a result, the sooner you identify those at-risk pigs, the sooner they will be treated. What are your thoughts on this topic? Share them with us. *Watch the full episode: https://www.swinecampus...

Dr. Levesque earned her Ph. D. at the University of Alberta and her post-doctoral training at Prairie Swine Centre and the University of Guelph. She now holds the position of Assistant Professor of Monogastric Nutrition at South Dakota State University. She shares some of her thoughts on gilt development and its differences from finishing hogs. Interesting, right? *Watch the full episode: https://...

In applied pork production, Dr. Vande Pol received her M.S. in 2016 and her Ph. D. in 2020 from the University of Illinois. In this episode, she discusses the most effective ways to increase piglet survival. Additionally, she describes how teats are classified based on pre-established criteria. Were you aware of that? *Watch the full episode: https://www.swinecampus.com/blog ------------- The Swin...

Dr. Jay Johnson holds a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Missouri, a Ph. D. from Iowa State University, and a Postdoc from Purdue University. He works for USDA, with research on heat stress in multiple species, primarily focused on swine. Dr. Johnson discusses his expectations regarding genetic programming for gilts under heat stress. Have you watched this episode? *Watch the full episode: htt...

Transitioning the gilt into a successful sow is not always a simple task. They require particular attention and we cant treat them just like any other finishing pig. Similarly, graduate students often need quality education and preparation for their next step in their career. In this episode I talk with Dr. Crystal Levesque about raising the developing gilt as well as how to best prep graduate stu...

Maintaining a high health status on our farms is essential for good production outcomes. Dr. Corzo talks about the Swine Health Monitoring Program and how it has been given pieces of information on PRRSV, PEDV, and other diseases. This monitoring helps minimize disease spreading and supports farmers' decisions. Have you heard about the Program before? *Watch the full episode: https://www.swine...

How confident do you feel about your testing results when investigating PRRS cases? Dr. Corzo highlights how crucial it is to investigate and test PRRS in the herd. The greater the testing sample or frequency of the testing events, the more trustworthy results we will have. If you want to understand that, watch the full episode with Dr. Corzo. *Watch the full episode: https://www.swinecampus.com/b...