The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Chad Hastad from New Fashion Pork explains how mycotoxins and endotoxins influence enteric stability and post-weaning performance. He outlines key risk points in nursery flows, practical strategies to support mucosal integrity, and tools that help mitigate subclinical toxin pressure. Learn how prevention-based nutrition programs strengt...

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sam Gerrard, postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Tech, breaks down how immune challenges shift nutrient use in pigs and impact performance. The conversation covers reduced feed intake, immune-driven nutrient diversion, and how pair feeding models help separate disease effects from intake effects. Dr. Gerrard explains why under...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Charlotte Lauridsen from Aarhus University explains how oxidative stress and inflammation affect pig health and productivity. She discusses how immune activity is shaped by metabolism, weaning, gut microbiota, and dietary interventions. Understand how early nutritional strategies can support immune function and reduce chronic challenges...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Chris Hostetler, Director of Animal Science at the National Pork Board, discusses the work of the Nutrient Utilization Consortium and its impact on the swine industry. He explains how updated data, multivariate diet formulation, and coordinated research are shaping the future of sustainable pork production. Discover how science-driven c...

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Taw Scaff from North Dakota State University discusses the importance of boar nutrition and its direct link to sperm quality and fertility. He explains how energy balance affects libido, semen volume, and motility, and why updating decades-old research is vital to match today’s genetics and technologies. Listen now on all...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Ashley DeDecker from Smithfield Foods discusses the economic and health importance of vaccine compliance in swine production. She explains how proper vaccine storage, administration, and handling can impact herd performance and profitability. Learn practical strategies to improve vaccine compliance and animal health on your farm. Listen...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Lee Johnston from the University of Minnesota, discusses how nutrition during gestation influences fetal programming and lifetime pig performance. He explains the link between birth weight, survival, and productivity, and highlights research on zinc supplementation in sows. Learn how early nutrition decisions can impact herd efficiency...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Ygor de Paula from the University of Saskatchewan explores precision feeding for immunocastrated pigs. He explains how nutrient adjustments can reduce inflammation, improve gut health, and optimize immune function. Discover how individualized feeding technologies influence the microbiome and energy balance in swine production. Listen no...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Anne Huting, a swine researcher at Schothorst Feed Research in the Netherlands, discusses the challenges and opportunities of raising pigs with intact tails. She explains how nutrition, management, and environment interact in tail-biting prevention, and highlights differences between European and U.S. practices. Learn practical strategies t...

In this episode of the Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Gustavo Lima, a PhD student at Iowa State University, shares research findings on high soybean meal inclusion in grow-finish pig diets. He discusses performance impacts, energy efficiency, and nitrogen excretion changes at varying inclusion levels. Learn how pigs adapt to higher soybean meal diets and the management considerations for produ...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Nelson Arias from the University of Illinois shares recent research on the nutritional consistency of extruded full-fat soybeans across different US regions. He explains how minimal variation in amino acids, energy, and phosphorus digestibility can simplify diet formulation. Listen now on all major platforms! "We found that the differen...

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Ashley DeDecker, Senior Director of Research and Extension at Smithfield Hog Production, explores the critical role of day one pig care in improving survival and performance. She shares insights on environmental management, drying strategies, and split suckling practices. Discover what truly matters for piglet success and...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Roman Moreno, nutritionist at Seaboard Foods, shares his perspective on managing summer diets for pigs under heat stress. He explains how energy density, fat inclusion, and feed form strategies can influence growth performance and market outcomes. The conversation also covers ingredient cost challenges and the role of dietary additives...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Diego Lopez from Kansas State University explores the nutritional potential of a cheese coproduct in swine diets. He explains its amino acid digestibility, fat content, and fiber contribution, along with practical considerations such as cost and formulation accuracy. Discover how this ingredient may support pig performance and nutrition...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sam Gerrard, postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Tech, explores how immune challenges affect swine physiology and nutrient utilization. He explains key differences in metabolic responses to bacterial and viral infections and how feeding strategies can improve outcomes. Learn how better nutrition during illness can reduce production losses a...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Young Dal Jang from the University of Georgia continues to discuss the link between weaning weight and biomarkers in piglets. He explains how oxidative stress and gut health indicators impact performance and suggests targeted nutritional strategies to support low-weaning-weight pigs. Listen now on all major platforms! "Low weaning w...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Jeff Hansen from Elanco shares practical strategies to reduce heat stress in grow-finish pigs. He discusses how rising temperatures affect feed intake, growth, and carcass quality, and explains how nutritional tools, such as Skycis, and environmental adjustments can help maintain performance during high-stress periods. Listen now on all...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Young Dal Jang from the University of Georgia explores nutritional strategies for managing low weaning weight pigs. He discusses the physiological stress of weaning, the role of biomarkers, and ways to improve piglet survival and performance. Learn how tailored nutrition can support growth and reduce post-weaning challenges. Listen now...

In this special rerun episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Panagiotis Tassis from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki sheds light on the crucial issue of mycotoxins and their impact on swine production. Dr. Tassis talks about the most harmful mycotoxins, their widespread presence around the world, and the clinical signs they cause at various stages of swine production. Learn how...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sarah Pearce from the USDA explores the importance of intestinal integrity in swine and its impact on animal health and performance. She explains how stressors, such as weaning and heat, can impair gut function and highlights nutritional strategies that help maintain barrier function. Learn practical insights into feed additives and pre...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. John Patience, Professor Emeritus of Animal Science at Iowa State University, continues to explore the latest trends in swine nutrition, focusing on mortality reduction, fiber's role in gut health, and protein digestibility. Dr. Patience highlights key areas of research that are shaping the future of pig health and performance, with...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. John Patience, Professor Emeritus of Animal Science at Iowa State University, discusses significant trends in swine nutrition and management over the last decade. From improvements in housing, nutrition, and genetics to addressing ongoing challenges in disease control, Dr. Patience provides valuable insights into the evolution of the sw...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Natalie Diether from Dalhousie University discusses the complex gut microbiome shifts in pigs during weaning. She explains how stress, diet, and microbial function interact, and what producers should know when selecting feed additives. Listen now on all major platforms! "Stress impairs gut barrier function, increasing permeability a...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Gabi Doughan from Iowa State University explores the overlooked yet critical role of water quality in swine production. She breaks down the science behind biofilms, water line disinfection strategies, and how pathogens can persist in poorly maintained systems. Learn practical steps for monitoring and improving water systems to protect p...

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Sung Woo Kim from NC State University explains how the β-mannanase enzyme functions in swine diets. He breaks down the science behind non-starch polysaccharides, their impact on digestibility, and how enzyme supplementation supports gut health and performance. Learn when and how to use mannanase effectively. Listen now on all major plat...