A strong weaned-pig market this summer indicates the magnitude of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) 1-4-4 variant outbreak in the U.S. pork industry.
Sow reproductive performance drops off in the summer, and this year will be no different, according to Paul Yeske, DVM, Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minnesota.
Hog producers who may be discouraged to learn foggers don’t fully disinfect a supply room should not close the door on the biosecurity method yet. New research led by Erin Kettelkamp, DVM, found a better solution.
Eliminating porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus from a breeding herd is not a simple task, and no herd acts exactly like the next, says Brad Leuwerke, DVM, with Swine Vet Center, St. Peter, Minn.
Research conducted by Alyssa Betlach, DVM, with Swine Vet Center and graduate student at the University of Minnesota, showed differences in the ability to detect a recent M. hyo infection based on sample types used.
Raising pigs without antibiotics requires extra management and different tools compared to traditional commercial hog production, reports Laura Carroll, DVM, veterinarian with Four Star Veterinary Service.
Biosecurity ranks high on the list of concerns for swine veterinarians who want hog units tightened up to reduce disease. Improvements can be expensive but the cost of not making those improvements could be much higher.
The pork industry entered one of its darkest periods in spring 2020 when COVID-19 forced the shutdown of several pork packing plants. Paul Yeske, DVM, Swine Vet Center, helped hog producers work through the closures.
A veterinarian weighs in on filtration systems and shares how air filtration can reduce outbreaks of disease like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.
