Hog Production

ABA Launches Advanced Genomic & EPD System to Revolutionize Berkshire Swine Genetics

Fri, 01 May 2026 19:34:55 GMT

The American Berkshire Association (ABA) is ushering in a new era of swine genetics in the purebred industry with the launch of its Genomic and EPD System. This sophisticated platform is designed to provide breeders with real-time data, predictive mating tools, and a renewed focus on the premium meat quality traits that define the breed.

The ABA’s Genomic and EPD system is built on the Helical platform by Theta Solutions, centralizing genomics, pedigree data and Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) into one secure, automated portal. Breeders can now access real-time data, including individual animal percentile rankings, “Top 100" lists by trait, and visual graphics for easier data interpretation.

Predictive Mating

“The new system brings multiple data types together to allow a breeder to view it all in a simple format and easily understand the genetic merit of their animals in real time,” explains Ben Smith, ABA Board of Directors member and Breed Improvement Committee Co-Chair.

Breeders can now “test” a mating on screen before it ever happens in the barn. This allows breeders to see the genetic merit of potential matings prior to breeding and accelerates the timeline for genetic progress.

Accelerating Quality

In addition, this system allows the organization to integrate the data collected from the ABA Progeny Test into the breed’s genetic evaluation system. This will include the inclusion of meat quality and meat eating quality traits that Berkshires are well known for, Smith says.

“We have always been strong supporters of genetic evaluations within the breed throughout its history,” he says. “This move not only enhances the accessibility and quality of data to breeders but strengthens the ABA’s commitment to providing breeders with the most advanced genetic evaluation possible.”

This system combines multiple standalone platforms from past systems into a single system with enhanced analysis to see genetic merit and genomics on a single animal on the same page together.

This chart displays percentiles for each trait. Lower percentiles = bars extending RIGHT and above average performance relative to the reference population for that trait, e.g., percentile 18 = top 18%. Higher percentile numbers = bars extending LEFT and below average performance relative to the reference population for that trait, e.g., percentile 99 = bottom 1%. Note: Some traits perform best in the mid-range, and your breeding goals may prioritize different either high or low percentiles for different traits.

(American Berkshire Association)

“Our new system and the partnership has created a roadmap for the ABA’s genetic improvement plan to move forward to modern evaluation methods with full transparency to the breeders,” Smith says. “These methods will improve the accuracy of evaluations and help breeders increase their rate of genetic improvement.”

Why Now?

As the pork industry evolves to meet changing consumer demands, Smith believes this tool will allow Berkshire breeders to have an even bigger impact.

“The ABA is excited and proud to be the oldest independent swine registry in the world, and to be Helical’s first swine breed client,” Smith says. “As the ABA continues to expand and improve our genetic evaluation system, we look forward to setting the standard of excellence in swine genetic evaluations.”

Here is the public link for viewers.

Innovation and Health Take Center Stage at May and June Swine Conferences

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 13:10:29 GMT

From NC State’s Swine Innovation Forum in May to Iowa State’s back-to-back disease and production workshops in June, these events offer critical updates on research, technology and market trends for pork producers across the country.

MAY: NC State University Swine Innovation Forum
There’s still time to register for the 2026 Swine Innovation Forum on Tuesday, May 5 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Maxwell Center in Goldsboro, N.C.

The annual Swine Innovation Forum features presentations from keynote speakers from both the industry and academia, providing updates about innovations in management, research and technology within the swine industry.

From future-proofing swine sprayfield irrigation to pit management and indoor air quality impacts, attendees will hear about new research findings and production practices to improve your herd’s profitability. During the afternoon sessions, Lee Schulz of Ever.Ag will share a pork market economic outlook before Eric van Heugten shares about sow anemia and Mark Knauer unveils nutritional solutions to enhance sow livability.

JUNE: 2026 ISU McKean Swine Disease Conference
Save the date for the 2026 ISU McKean Swine Disease Conference on June 23-24, followed by Iowa Swine Day on June 25. This powerful lineup of events will kick off with a deep dive into enteric disease and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) management.

What and When:

Tuesday, June 23 (morning) – International Workshop on Enteric Diseases at the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine
Tuesday, June 23 (afternoon) – International PRRS Management Workshop ISU College of Veterinary Medicine
Wednesday, June 24 (whole day) – ISU McKean Swine Disease Conference (focus on swine health) at Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames, Iowa
Thursday, June 25 (whole day) – Iowa Swine Day (focus on production) at the Scheman Building in Ames, Iowa

McKean Conference attendees are also invited to attend the Iowa State University Swine Networking Social, the welcome reception for the ISU Swine Day conference, at the Hansen Agricultural Student Learning Center on the evening of June 24. Although the McKean Conference is a separate conference, it will be held back-to-back with Iowa Swine Day again. Conference organizers say this allows attendees to participate in two exceptional conferences in Ames in one trip.

Conference program information will be finalized soon, with registration to follow. For more information on the event, please visit the conference website .

How Geopolitical Disruption is Tightening Pork Supply Chain Margins

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 20:22:40 GMT

Indirect effects from geopolitical disruption are increasing cost pressures across pork supply chains, even as near term supply and demand remain stable, says Christine McCracken, senior animal protein analyst with RaboResearch, in the latest RaboResearch’s Global Pork Quarterly. Second- and third-order effects from energy, logistics and feed markets are becoming the defining risks for pork producers and traders in 2026.

1. Global pork markets face growing indirect cost pressures.

Although global pork markets entered the second quarter with generally stable supply-demand fundamentals, rising geopolitical tensions are increasing uncertainty across costs, trade and consumption, McCracken says. Even though direct exposure to the conflict in the Middle East is limited, margins across the sector are tightening from higher energy prices, logistics disruption and fertilizer-driven feed risks.

“Feed markets remain relatively well supplied after strong global harvests, keeping near-term costs contained,” she explains. “Yet rising energy prices and improving biofuel economics are pushing oilseed markets higher, gradually eroding feed affordability.”

The result is increasingly cautious hog producers, especially in regions facing disease challenges or high capital costs. It’s also affecting packers with higher costs for energy, packaging and logistics that will likely get passed on to consumers.

2. Consumer caution is rising in some markets.

Consumers are being cautious, too. The heightened global uncertainty is resulting in cautious consumer spending in some markets. McCracken says inflationary pressures are just beginning and may weigh more heavily on purchases in the coming months. Pork availability should remain steady and affordable for most consumers, but she warns that demand could soften as households look to economize.

“We expect consumers to take a more cautious approach to spending in the coming months. Foodservice sales and spending on premium products will likely see the greatest initial impact, and total spending on proteins is expected to decline as consumers work to manage their overall spending,” McCracken says.

She believes pork sales could see a modest benefit as consumers shift to in-home food preparation and trading down to pork as a value protein. As a whole, the protein segment is expected to come under modest pressure.

3. Markets face disease-related disruptions and trade frictions.

The devastating effect of diseases such as African swine fever (ASF) continue to slow production and add costs for the global swine industry. However, the industry is making improvements in the detection and control of disease spread. For example, the Philippines has reported a sharp drop in the number of ASF cases in Q1 2026, with the number of affected regions falling from nine to three, she says. Industry repopulation efforts remain slow due to high costs and limited financial support.

“As a result, supply in some markets remains tight, producers increasingly rely on the remaining herd and increasing productivity gains, and import volumes are rising to meet market needs,” McCracken says. “But shifting alignments and rising geopolitical turmoil are creating incremental trade frictions, bringing the potential for more protectionist trade policies that could impact the cost of key inputs, especially in the animal feed, equipment and animal health industries.”

Dynamic Pig Health is Changing the Rules of the Game

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 20:11:50 GMT

For decades, swine health research often focused on a single pathogen. However, experts pointed out during a recent Boehringer Ingelheim webinar hosted by Farm Journal that producers are actually dealing with the interplay of multiple health challenges over time. Nick Gabler, DVM, professor in animal science at Iowa State University, started researching these factorial health challenges about a decade ago.

He believes the sow farm is the true starting line when it comes to swine health. Although disease often manifests in the nursery or finisher, the root cause frequently traces back to the sow farm.

“We’re seeing that sow farm health has a big impact on that first three to four weeks in the nursery,” Gabler says. “There’s a lot of multi-factorial health challenges there. That’s where I see opportunity for the swine industry to clean up the sow farm and create a downstream impact on health and performance of the pig.”

The Multiplier Effect

Most research focuses on the onset of an infection. However, the economic impact isn’t just about how many pigs get sick, but how quickly and efficiently they recover, Gabler says. A pig that “lingers” in a subclinical state is often more expensive than one that recovers quickly, as it continues to consume resources without gaining weight.

This approach of dynamic pig health, or understanding the full picture of the problem, requires producers and veterinarians to ask some tough questions.

“What is the pathogen or stressor involved?” Gabler asks. “When is it coming into your operation? How does it interact with your management decisions (feeding, marketing, people movement, truck movement, medication and vaccine use)? What pathogens are present?”

Just as importantly, it’s important to consider if the pig can recover and get to full value in time, he says. In short, it’s understanding the big picture and then intervening where you see the most benefit.

But that’s not easy math.

“One plus one does not equal two with the disease world. One plus one equals three, and a lot of times, four,” says Clayton Johnson, DVM, director of health for Carthage Veterinary Services. “That’s tough for a farmer to hear that the pieces of the puzzle don’t fit together well, but that’s the honest answer you’ve got to give them sometimes.”

No Two Pigs Are Alike

Dynamic pig health understands that no two pigs are going to get sick in the same way, says Lance Mulberry, an economist with KnowledgeVentures.

“Between no impact to mortality, there is a huge range of effects that can happen,” Mulberry says. “Dynamic pig health is a shift in mentality away from thinking of our herd as one unit, where every pig gets sick at the same time, has the same impact and recovers at the same time, to a population with complexity. This impacts that opportunity cost at the end because you’re going to have some pigs that just struggle a lot – I call those opportunity pigs.”

In a low-margin industry, the difference between profit and loss often lies in the “opportunity pigs” or the 20% to 30% of the herd that struggles to reach target weights due to health burdens.

“If you’re a producer and you’re trying to optimize your profits, you’re trying to hit a moving target that is changing from day to day and week to week,” Mulberry says. “When we throw disease in, especially a co-infection, we are making that target – that optimal profit point – move even more. Hitting that target in the best of scenarios is difficult to do, but with disease it can become a real challenge. Anything we can do to get a better idea of what is happening to individual pigs will make optimizing profit a little bit easier.”

PRRS is the “Trojan Horse” of the Barn

Even when pigs from different sources appear healthy and have no “bad actors” on a diagnostic report, mixing them often triggers disease, Johnson says. Mixing populations is a major catalyst for dynamic health challenges.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) remains the primary driver of coinfection complications because of how it systematically dismantles the pig’s defenses.

“PRRS makes everything else harder,” Johnson says. “PRRS is an excellent Trojan horse. It comes into the immune system and affects macrophages whose job is to be the police on the street looking for the bad guys.”

PRRS gets in those macrophage cells and causes apoptosis.

“Those ‘police on the street’ are now dead men walking,” Johnson explains. “They’re not out there finding the bad guys and bringing them to the immune system anymore. That allows PRRS replicate within the pig, pretty unchecked for several weeks, until eventually, the pig’s immune system figures out what’s going on and builds antibodies.”

During that period, imagine an entire city without police, Johson continues.

“On night one, it’s not a big deal. Night two, not as much of a big deal. But night three, once the bad guys have realized there’s nobody to catch them, that’s where you start to see problems,” he says.

The list is long of pathogens that can’t wait to take advantage of that situation. In short, it’s an “unwinnable battle” because the pathogens have the upper hand.

“We have to figure out a way to change the rules of the game in order to put the pig in a position where it can have the upper hand,” Johnson says.

The “Silent Thief": Subclinical Disease

Not all losses are visible. Subclinical infections are diseases that don’t cause obvious clinical signs or mass mortality. For example, subclinical Lawsonia (ileitis) can significantly worsen PRRS outcomes, even if the producer never sees a bloody gut.

“Subclinical diseases are like your taxes. They take it out before you get the money,” Johnson says.

Dynamic disease contributes to opportunity pigs and prevents producers from optimizing those opportunity pigs.

“What happens at the end of every all in/all out group of pigs?” he asks. “You have somewhere around 15% to 20% of your pigs left. What do you do? You dump them. You sell them all, no matter what weight they are right then, and you take a huge penalty by doing that.”

To minimize subclinical impact around diseases like Lawsonia, Fernando Leite, DVM, associate director of technical marketing at Boehringer Ingelheim, encourages producers to consider how they can optimize immunity and protection to the pathogens the pigs will likely face in the field.

It’s important to keep in mind that not all protection is equal. Using vaccines that are homologous to the field strain where possible can significantly reduce viral load and lesions compared to heterologous vaccines.

The Windshield vs. the Rearview Mirror

Edison Magalhães, DVM, assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University, encourages producers to incorporate more real-time data into health decisions. Closeout reports are “rearview mirror” metrics, but real-time data on water and feed consumption acts as a “windshield” that allows producers to see a health challenge before it becomes a wreck.

When coinfections and health challenges occur, the temptation is to change every variable. However, Gabler warns this prevents producers from finding the root cause.

“If you try to change too many things at once, you’re never going to get to what the true cause was,” he says.

When “Something is Off": Identifying the Subtle Shift of PCV2d

It’s Time to Unravel How Multiple Swine Pathogens Interact in the Pig

Lawsonia: It’s Time for a Gut Check

When "Something is Off": Identifying the Subtle Shift of PCV2d

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 18:46:23 GMT

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) doesn’t look like the devastating ‘wasting’ disease of two decades ago that resulted in high mortality and failure to thrive. Instead, it manifests as a subtle, persistent drag on production today that leaves producers feeling like something is simply ‘off.’

New research confirms the PCV2d genotype is now ubiquitous across the U.S. industry, appearing in over 80% of clinical cases. By matching the vaccine to the dominant field strain, experts say producers can provide the most robust protection possible, effectively taking PCV2 ‘off the table’ so they can focus their resources on more complex challenges like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

Why Modern Circovirus Doesn’t Look Like it Used To

The original PCV2 vaccines included protection against genotype “a” (the most common at the time) and “b.” What had become a major challenge for U.S. pig farmers was fading away because of the successful protection of these vaccines.

But something shifted, as viruses do. Veterinary diagnostic labs discovered less PCV2a and started finding more PCV2d.

“When they were finding PCV2d, they were not seeing the full-blown clinical signs like they saw before vaccines,” says Jana Morgan, DVM, senior key account veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim. “It led us to ask, what’s off? What do we need to look for? What more do we need to understand about PCV2d? We wanted to discover what PCV2d was doing to the system.”

To better understand how widespread this particular genotype was in the industry, Boehringer Ingelheim designed two studies. The first set out to determine if PCV2d was associated with particular flows or production systems from a geography perspective and system perspective. The other study sought to discover if PCV2d was actually leading to disease.

“We took two approaches to assess its distribution across the U.S. and swine-producing states,” explains Fernando Leite, DVM, associate director of technical marketing-swine at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We used oral fluids for simple detection and to see if genotype “d” was present or absent. We found that it was widely present in most swine producing states and across most of the production systems that we evaluated.”

In terms of the disease cases, the researchers followed strict criteria to validate that those pigs had clinical signs – lesions. Then, they sequenced the virus to see which genotypes were present.

“The ‘d’ genotype was present in more than 80% of the clinical cases that we investigated, and the ‘a’ genotype was present in around 15% of the cases that we investigated,” Leite says.

What Does This Mean for Vaccines?

Morgan points out there is cross protection between PCV2a and PCV2d. As the “d” genotype became more prevalent in production systems, the team worked to develop a “d” vaccine so they could have homologous protection.

“Although the ‘a’ is cross protecting, it is not doing exactly what we want it to do,” Morgan says. “We now have the ‘a’ and ‘d’ in the same bottle. It’s important to have that homologous protection to provide the most robust defense. I make sure producers understand that they will still have protection against ‘d’ if they only use the ‘a’ vaccine, but there is an economic impact by putting ‘d’ in there as well. Your production will be better, and you will decrease the clinical signs if you have ‘d’ in your system.”

When PRRS and PCV2d Mix

Recent research also indicates that PCV2d can be more virulent when combined with PRRS, Leite adds. That’s why it’s important to understand which genotype of circovirus is present on your farm.

“The more we understand, the more we can meaningfully intervene,” he says.

As PRRS also continues to evolve and become more frustrating for producers, Morgan says getting a handle on PCV2 helps.

“If we can take that piece off the table by putting a homologous vaccine in the pig that’s going to protect it to the best of its ability (whether it’s ‘a’ or ‘d’), we can start working harder to fight viruses like PRRS,” she says.

Do Diagnostics Align with a Shift in Data?

Producers are encouraged to look critically at small shifts in production numbers. If the “math is off,” diagnostics should be used to see if PCV2d is the underlying culprit, even in the absence of full-blown clinical symptoms.

“Understand what you’re seeing within your system,” Morgan says. “Yes, everyone looks at their closeout numbers. I think with PCV2d, the shift might be small. But if the diagnostics align with this small shift in production numbers, there are tools to shift that back.”

Questions about PCV2d being just in one flow or system in one area of the country have answers now, Leite says.

“PCV2d is really the predominant genotype in the industry today, across different production systems and states and locations,” he says. “Why not use the best tools that are available? If you want to optimize production, the tool is there. As always, work with your herd veterinarian to find the best strategy for your herd.”

Wean-to-Market Filtration: Advancing the Next Generation of PRRS Biosecurity

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:17:07 GMT

“Great innovation only happens when people aren’t afraid to do things differently,” George Carter said.

It has been nearly 20 years since the first commercial sow farms were filtered with the goal of controlling porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus. This was certainly different at the time. Farmers and veterinarians didn’t know if it would work. What they did know was that the survival of many family farms depended on changing the strategy in preventing PRRS.

For generations, the sow farm was a foundational piece to their family farm – a truth that still stands today. Ownership of sows was a way of securing a pig supply, controlling health and genetics, and building equity for the farm. PRRS was threatening that paradigm, as it was frequently infecting sow farms and eliminating the ability to consistently control health. For many farms, high infection rates were becoming unsustainable.

Fast forward 20 years, and filtration has become one of the pillars of sow farm biosecurity at Pipestone, now managing over 50 farms with air filtration. Those individuals who dared to think differently and took that initial leap of faith changed the course of history forever – both for their family farms, as well as for the swine industry.

Now, farmers find themselves asking the same questions about wean-to-market barns:

What can we do to reduce wean-to-market PRRS infection rates? Beyond abandoning or relocating barns?

We believe the time has come to challenge the current paradigms in wean-to-market PRRS control and consider if filtration is part of the next generation of wean-to-market biosecurity.

Examples in operation today, both in the United States and internationally, that have demonstrated proof of concept. In China, Pipestone has had firsthand experience with a concept called micro-filtration that has been effective in reducing both PRRS and African swine fever. Domestically, there are examples in operation that utilize a simple seasonal filtration design that mimics or comes from the basic concepts used in sow farms today. While the sample size is small and the duration is not long, the results thus far suggest the concept can be successful.

Two decades of filtration have taught us a couple lessons that are worth considering:

Filtration mitigates risk and reduces infections but does not eliminate risk. In dense swine-producing areas, filtration has reduced the frequency of breaks on sow farms. Our goal when looking at filtration should be to reduce the frequency of infection, not eliminate all risks.
Filtration only controls infection by air. We must have strong biosecurity in other areas of mechanical transmission as well to reduce PRRS infections. If farms are not going to execute on the basics of biosecurity, filtration is not the solution.

As with any innovation, we will continue to learn from both successes and setbacks. Standards for filtration may need to evolve to fit the unique challenges of wean-to-market settings, but the pursuit of perfection should not hinder progress. This technology will not fit everyone and is not needed for everyone, but for some farmers, this could be the next chapter in biosecurity for those brave enough to think differently.

Adam Schelkopf, DVM, is a veterinarian with Pipestone Veterinary Services.

Read More:
Finisher Sites Are the Weak Link in Swine Disease Biosecurity
Why Producers Must Lead the Charge Against PRRS
11 Steps to Eliminate PRRS from the U.S. Swine Herd

Summer Marketing Period is More Than Summer

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:54:47 GMT

For 2026, the terminology around “summer marketing” has a slightly different context. Normally, the crush sheets indicate that those few summer months might be the only months of the calendar year that offer a market profit opportunity. However, for 2026, depending on individual production costs, all months have had and continue to have this potential. While all swine operations implement diets and management strategies with the end in mind, 2026 should bring even a sharper pencil to maximize this opportunity.

Real time decision-making economic tools discussed below for stocking rate influence on growth rate, DDGS inclusion recommendations, ideal net energy and amino acid inclusion (lysine and tryptophan), optimal diet phosphorus levels and feed additives use such as Skycis, among other tools are available here .

Try These Post-Weaning Practices

For the first three to four weeks post-weaning, there is a limited opportunity to accelerate growth rate to have a measurable impact on final market weight. In many cases, more time and investment should be devoted to ensuring pigs are started correctly, with properly sanitized facilities, accurate implementation of SOPs for newly placed pigs, proper ventilation and timely treatment of challenged pigs to ensure they are set up for the remainder of their growth stage to market. However, nursery nutritional programs that include in-feed acids, pharmacological zinc, super-dose phytase and other feed and water additives, with consistent data, can increase final body weight by 0.4 to 1.5 lb. at the end of this period.

Late Nursery to Marketing Tips

Once post-wean pigs are about 28 days post-weaned, they often respond to various nutritional practices to increase growth rates that are sustainable until marketing. These practices include increased dietary energy intake and use of growth promoters (some already mentioned in the post-wean section), such as pharmacological copper, ionophores and other feed additives. Some nutritionists formulate dietary phosphorus and various amino acids, such as tryptophan, at slightly higher concentrations to achieve higher growth rate targets.

A commonly used practice is to reduce or eliminate higher-fiber ingredients, such as distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) or wheat middlings, to increase growth. This also allows for increased dietary soybean meal, which can improve growth rates if currently included at low diet concentrations.

The use of added fat is a decades old practice that always gets discussed, but often the resulting improvements are only in the 1.0-2.0 lb. carcass weight basis, but the added feed cost in many U.S. locations can still be greater than the revenue received.

While nutrition is a piece of maximizing profitability in high market price months, management practices can often override nutrition changes for extra weight gain. Practices to increase days to market could include:

Double stocking nursery pigs longer for fall-marketed pigs to allow for more days on feed of finishing pigs during the summer months.
Utilizing a lower stock rate for targets periods of time as possible as a means to improve daily gain.
Altering marketing strategies to maximize days of feed of an entire barn population.

From the Front Lines to the Finishing Barn

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 21:15:13 GMT

The world is a small place. For Michael Williford, serving in the U.S. Army taught him that everything is connected in one way or another. He deployed to Iraq three times. He served in Afghanistan, Korea, Belgium, Germany and Kosovo, among others.

While he was serving as a military police officer all over the world, one thing always remained consistent: his wife Andrea was where he called home.

“College wasn’t exactly recruiting me at the time, so joining the Army seemed like a good fit,” says Michael Williford, the son of an Army veteran. “I was one of three in my class who went into the armed forces, but the only one who went into the Army.”

(Provided by Michael Williford)

“While I was in my first Iraq deployment, Andrea bought a house in Texas,” Williford says. “It’s kind of funny. Everybody was teasing me when we were coming home. They were like, ‘Is your wife going to pick you up?’ I said, ‘Well, I hope so, because I don’t know where I live.’”

During these years, Andrea had to make the majority of the decisions for their family. So, when Williford was nearing retirement after 20 years of service, he decided to go wherever she wanted to go.

Answering the Call Home

Andrea’s parents asked the couple to return home to run their family farm in Clinton, Ky. At this point, Williford was far removed from agriculture and admittedly didn’t know anything about farming.

“There was no succession plan in place for the family farm,” Williford says. “They assured me that it was OK that I didn’t know anything about farming and that they would help me learn. And they’d keep the farm growing while I finished up my service.”

To add value and create a “spot” for himself in the operation, he and his wife, Andrea, decided on contract hog production. While he was on a deployment to Afghanistan, Andrea went to the bank, completed archaeological surveys and went to work on how she wanted to create opportunities to grow and diversify their family farm. She called him to tell him the news while he was stationed in South Carolina.

“I told her, ‘You’ve followed me for the last 17 years. I’ll do whatever you want me to do,’” he says. “Andrea said, ‘I’m building the hog barns, and you’re going to take care of them.’”

The bank was also in favor of the contract hog production opportunity.

“In our area, there’s quite a few chicken farms and Tosh Farms was up and coming in Kentucky at the time,” Williford explains. “The contract differences were pretty tremendous. Your paycheck is locked in stone. Your contract terms are a lot better. I had a 10-year contract when we started out, so as long as I did what they told me to do, then we should be in good shape.”

A Soldier’s Eye for Detail

Returning to the family farm required taking some time to stand back and watch, listen and learn, he says.

“I had to figure out where I fit in and what would work best for the farm,” Williford says. “I asked a lot of questions of myself. What can I improve? What can I make better? What do I need to leave alone and not touch on the family farm? There are some things you probably need to let alone for a while.”

(Kentucky Pork Producers Association)

But when it came to the hog operation, he had the opportunity to make it his own and bring some of his military skill set into the mix.

“As a contract grower, the long-term commitment and structure was appealing,” he says. “Tell me what to do, and I’ll make sure it happens. I’ll execute.”

The repetitive nature of the job is perfect for a retired soldier.

“I enjoy walking through the barns, making sure everything is the way it should be,” Williford says. “If something’s out of place, it stands out. That’s where the military training really helped me the most. If one feeder isn’t as full as the one next to it, I notice. Then, I figure out why.”

Managing the Big Picture

Being a contract grower allows him to work with a talented group of experts in swine health, nutrition, production and more. He enjoys being able to focus entirely on animal husbandry and management without the stress of market volatility or feed costs.

His one piece of advice for people considering contract hog production is to be prepared for the management component. From taking care of buildings and equipment to having a plan for the manure, management is a key part of his day.

(Kentucky Pork Producers Association)

“You’ve just got to look at it with eyes wide open to see the big picture of everything going on and have a plan,” Williford says. “You still have to manage it all. When it comes right down to it, every piece of gravel in the parking lot belongs to me. Every two-by-four in the building belongs to me. You have to make it work in order to pay for it.”

The 20-Bushel Benefit

There’s no question the benefits go beyond the paychecks. For the last 40 years, Andrea’s family has always tried to use as much animal manure as possible to fertilize their farm ground. Everyone was happy to get an extra 200 acres of fertilizer every year from our pigs, he points out.

“We can definitely see a huge difference in soil health overall,” Williford says. “I’m not a scientist or anything, but around here, there’s a difference between white dirt and black dirt. We have white dirt here and we have black dirt here. Some of our dirt that was brown is now actually turning black after a few years. We used to forecast that we were going to make 170-bushel corn, and we’ve since upped that to about 190 because of our pig manure.”

At the end of the day, Williford says his passion for farming connects closely to his passion for serving his country.

(Provided by Michael Williford)

“The military is really big on traditions – remembering the past and preserving the heritage and culture of those who came before us in the military,” he says. “Farming is not that much different. People have great pride in being a multigenerational farmer.”

Preserving a farm in the same location for centuries is an incredible feat. It’s important to the Williford family to do the same.

“Long after I’m gone, I hope there’s some descendant of mine who says this is a 300-year farm,” he says.

Discover more about Williford’s experience in the military, his passion for agricultural advocacy, his thoughts on being a dad and his insights on the pork business by watching “The PORK Podcast” on YouTube or by listening to it anywhere podcasts are found.

Sow Longevity: New Study Confirms Critical Management Triggers for Pelvic Organ Prolapse

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:48:20 GMT

Sow mortality continues to frustrate U.S. pig farmers. One of those key causes of sow mortality is pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Previous studies on purebred sows show that there is no silver bullet to prevent POP, but susceptibility can be reduced by genetic selection because it has a substantial heritability. A new study shows the same correlation exists among the crossbred (F1) commercial sows, but that’s not the only factor contributing to prolapse incidence.

A recent study led by Tricia Haefner, a master’s degree student at Iowa State University, evaluated genetic and non-genetic factors associated with susceptibility to vaginal/uterine POP in crossbred sows. She wanted to validate the non-genetic factors tested in the Iowa State University POP project led by Jason Ross , including the association of body condition score and perineal score measured during late gestation with POP in crossbred sows.

Data were collected on 3,983 crossbred sows during late gestation on two commercial farms in the Midwest during the summer of 2023. The data include:

Body condition score (1-5)
Caliper units (5-24)
Perineal Score (PS, 0=low risk; 1=moderate/high risk)
POP – defined as vaginal or uterine prolapse (0/1)

All sows were housed in group pens 35 days after breeding, except for a subset of sows at one farm, which were placed in groups immediately after weaning and managed according to California Proposition 12 regulations and moved into farrowing within 5 days prior to her due date.

The “Thin Sow” Problem

Using body condition score and the sow caliper tool, this study confirmed a “glaringly obvious” linear relationship between body condition score during late gestation and POP.

“Sows that are too thin during late gestation are at a substantially higher risk of prolapse,” says Jenelle Dunkelberger, a geneticist at Topigs Norsvin USA.

She says that’s an important message for the industry to hear right now.

“Late gestation is just a snapshot in time, but we should consider what her body condition at this time point might imply about her development prior to that point,” Dunkelberger says. “For instance, we need to be aware of, and perhaps even implement changes, regarding how she’s managed prior to late gestation to ensure that she is in the appropriate body condition going into farrowing, to maximize her success for longevity.”

Within parity groups, the data showed higher parity animals are also at a higher risk than gilts or Parity 1 sows.

Perineal Scoring as an Indicator

Researchers used a 1–3 scale developed by Iowa State University’s Jason Ross and former graduate student Zoe Kiefer to score the perineal region for swelling and redness. They found a high genetic correlation between perineal score and actual POP, indicating that these are, genetically, the same trait. More specifically, genetic predisposition for an unfavorable perineal score is strongly correlated with genetic predisposition for POP. Because perineal issues occur at a higher frequency (33%) than actual prolapse (2.4%), it can be considered a higher-resolution “indicator trait” for early identification of susceptibility to POP.

“POP is a binary trait – you either have a prolapse or not,” Dunkelberger explains. “Unless you have a high incidence rate, statistically, it’s tricky to analyze these types of traits. That’s why a trait like perineal score, which appears to have a higher incidence rate, may be an attractive indicator trait for POP.”

For this study, they did not see a large incidence of 3 scores, so they grouped together scores 2 and 3 and called them a moderate to high risk.

“We want to use this perineal score to try to develop an indicator of prolapse because you don’t get to see the incidence of it until it actually occurs,” Haefner says. “This helps identify it a little sooner so we can develop mitigation strategies.”

Prop 12 and Group Housing Stress

A significant finding showed that sows in Prop 12-compliant systems (weaned directly into groups) had a higher risk of POP and high perineal scores compared to sows kept in stalls for the first 35 days post-breeding.

“That was a little bit of a shock, but also we know that there’s a lot of stressors occurring around that time frame,” Haefner says, noting that there was limited data for this subset of animals. “It’s a critical time point of breeding and just getting off of lactation, wanting sows to recover their body condition. Even though those sows in that group were at this higher risk, we actually saw higher average body condition scores and caliper scores for them at late gestation.”

The sows were recovering, but Haefner says more research is needed to determine what’s different during that 35-day period as compared their non-Prop 12-compliant sows. She suspects hierarchy, including competition for feed, to be a key factor.

Still More Genetic Work to Do

After compiling this data, Haefner performed a genetic analysis on the tissue samples she collected.

“We were looking at perineal score and actual prolapse incidence,” Haefner says. “We were able to find moderate heritability for both of those traits, validating the heritability of POP in a commercial, crossbred population.”

Haefner says there’s still more that genetics can contribute to reducing the incidence of POP and improving perineal score.

“Perineal score and prolapse together being highly correlated means that we can utilize perineal score to also help mitigate against prolapse and select for perineal score alongside prolapse as well. Or, potentially, use perineal score in place of POP, to select for reduced incidence of POP,” she adds.

In other words, the same genes that control susceptibility to an undesirable perineal score are the same set of genes that control POP.

A Multi-factorial Approach is Needed

“Genetics can be part of the solution, and should be part of the solution,” Dunkelberger says. “But moderate heritability indicates that the majority of phenotypic variation in that trait is actually influenced by non-genetic factors. Therefore, you need to address both the genetic and non-genetic factors influencing POP to make a substantial reduction in the incidence rate of POP.”

Topigs Norsvin USA has been performing direct selection against susceptibility to POP since 2021. Dunkelberger says that should continue to reduce the genetic susceptibility to that trait, but effort should also be invested into looking at these non-genetic solutions as a way of complementing that approach.

“The lowest hanging fruit is body condition,” Dunkelberger says. “There are different ways to go about managing body condition and different things that can influence it. Having awareness of the relationship between body condition during late gestation and susceptibility to POP is important. I really believe that proper management of body condition will pay for itself in terms of sow retention.”

March Hogs and Pigs Report: Record Litter Rates Offset Smallest Breeding Herd Since 2014

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 23:18:49 GMT

The total hogs and pigs inventory in the March 1 USDA Hogs and Pigs Report was 74.3 million head, up 0.4% last year and a little below analysts’ pre-report estimates.

“These quarterly reports always help us reset our market expectations,” says economist Lee Schulz during a webinar hosted by the National Pork Board. “We have a quarter’s worth of slaughter data, production data and demand data that comes at us, and this gives us a chance to reevaluate those expectations.”

He praised the December Hogs and Pigs Report for being “spot on.”

“USDA only missed by 6,000 head,” Schulz says. “That’s astonishing, given that we slaughter about a half a million head a day ... that margin of error was very small. I think that gives us a little more confidence as we look at this latest report and how those market hog inventories may play out over the next six months.”

He notes numbers in this report are close to a year ago .

“I think one interpretation of the market is that we’re not seeing larger supplies now, but we’re also not seeing shrinking supplies,” Schulz explains. “Relative to pre-report expectations, overall we would see tighter levels than what those pre-report expectations would tell us. Now, how much and for how long our markets react to that is to be debated.”

A Look at the Numbers

The total inventory for all hogs and pigs on March 1 was 74.3 million head, up slightly from a year ago, and down 1% from Dec. 1, 2025.

The market hog inventory on March 1 was 68.4 million, up 1% from 2025 but down 2% from the previous quarter. The total number of hogs under contract owned by operations with over 5,000 head, but raised by contractees, accounted for 53% of the total U.S. hog inventory on March 1, up 1% from 2025.

The breeding inventory came in at 5.89 million head, down 1% from a year ago, and down slightly from Dec. 1. The December 2025 to February 2026 pig crop, at 33.2 million head, was up 1% from 2025. The number of sows that farrowed during this three-month period was down 1% from 2025 at 2.79 million head, which represents 47% of the breeding herd. The average pigs saved per litter was 11.90 for the December 2025 through February 2026 period, compared to 11.65 last year.

U.S. hog producers intend to farrow 2.86 million sows during the March through May 2026 quarter, up slightly from the actual sows farrowing during the same period in 2025, but down 2% from the same period in 2024. Intended sows farrowing for June through August 2026, at 2.90 million sows, are down 2% from the same period in 2025, and down 3% from the same period in 2024.

“Revisions were very minor from the December report,” Schulz says. “I think that’s really important, because if there’s not a lot of revisions to the report, that means that there’s not a lot of moving parts when we think about how to interpret the report, as well as how the market may react to the report.”

All inventory and pig crop estimates for March 2025 through December 2025 were reviewed using final pig crop, official slaughter, death loss and updated import and export data. The revision made to the December 2025 all hogs and pigs inventory was 0.2%. The net revision made to the September 2025 all hogs and pigs inventory was 1.3%. A net revision of 2.8% was made to the June-August 2025 pig crop.

A Smaller Breeding Herd with Record Productivity

The breeding herd came in 1.5% below March 2025 levels, a larger contraction than analysts expected. Schulz notes this is the smallest March 1 breeding herd since 2014.

“The size of the breeding herd makes sense relative to the slaughter data,” he says. “We’ve seen an annualized slaughter rate of 48.5% that is lower than what the five-year average is, but you did see some notably large slaughter culling rates back in 2020, 2023 and 2024 but it is higher than we’ve seen over the 10-year average. That is indicative that there is still some contraction in the industry.”

Despite a smaller herd, productivity continues to climb and offset some of that contraction. Litter rates jumped 2.1% year over year, setting new records, Schulz says.

“It’s like when you start setting records in a race,” he says. “You don’t set records by a really large gap; usually it’s by milliseconds. What the latest litter rate data would say is, again, we’re jumping back up to setting those records by a wide margin.”

According to the report, producers intend to farrow fewer sows in the coming quarters compared to previous estimates. He says this is likely due to the shrinking breeding herd and market uncertainty.

Is There an Incentive to Add Weight?

Schulz points out that hog slaughter is down 0.9% year to date, according to the latest data. However, he says it’s important to remember this is unadjusted data.

“We need to adjust for slaughter days, which can change interpretation here,” he says. “Yes, hog slaughter is down 0.9% year over year, but we’re not necessarily comparing apples to apples.”

When adjusting for slaughter days, it shows that slaughter is actually up compared to 2025 year to date, depending on the metric that you like to use, Schulz explains. Weekly slaughter would suggest slaughter is up about 0.5% since the beginning of the year.

“I would really encourage you when we make some of these comparisons, when we’re looking at slaughter levels, when we’re helping benchmark the Hogs and Pigs Report, know what you’re comparing,” he says. “I like to use the daily data adjusted for slaughter days, or it’s pretty easy to use the weekly data, and that helps smooth out some of those comparisons year over year.”

Market weights are roughly 2 lb. heavier than 2025 levels. Low feed costs and available finishing capacity provide a strong incentive for producers to add weight, he says.

Profitability Outlook

Cash prices for weaned and feeder pigs are at or near record levels, signaling strong demand for barn space and optimism regarding forward margins, Schulz says.

Costs remain elevated, roughly 31% higher than in 2020, driven by inflationary pressures on non-feed variables.

The forecasted average profit for 2026 is approximately $15 per head. While positive, Schulz emphasizes that producers are still in a “healing” phase for their balance sheets after the heavy losses of 2023 and 2024.

“Favorable margins with some upside are possible, but there’s notable downside potential based on historical levels,” he says. “During the 2016-2026 period, the range in profits was -$57.97 to $57.31. During the 2016-2025 period, 60% of months were profitable and 40% were unprofitable.”

Over the 74 months since 2020, the average per head marketed is $2 per head, according to the most recent actual data in February 2026.

“Balance sheets continue to recover,” Schulz says. “As you think about where these inventories are in the latest Hogs & Pigs Report, the 1.5% decrease in the breeding herd and not a whole lot of growth in the inventories, I think this is a bit indicative we’re still healing some of those balance sheets out there.”

Finisher Sites Are the Weak Link in Swine Disease Biosecurity

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:45:34 GMT

The U.S. swine industry relies on a multi-site system where pigs are moved between separate farms for different growth phases. Although efficient, this constant movement of pigs, people and equipment creates significant pathways for disease transmission.

“While sow farms often follow strict biosecurity protocols, there is limited information on how these practices are implemented and their impact on pathogen introduction in growing pig populations,” Mariah Negri Musskopf, DVM, said at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.

Wean-to-finish sites play a critical role in disease dynamics but are less frequently studied. Musskopf and a team of researchers at Iowa State University set out to identify bioexclusion practices associated with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) outbreaks in U.S. wean-to-finish sites.

A prospective observational study was conducted on 95 wean-to-harvest sites managed by eight companies across six states, including 33 nursery, 17 finisher and 45 wean-to-finish sites. All flows were either PRRSV-negative or PRRSV-positive stable vac¬cinated with modified-live vaccine at placement, Musskopf explains. Sites completed a detailed biosecurity survey covering 17 categories, including local swine site density. Oral fluid samples were col¬lected every four weeks from placement to market, refrigerated, and submitted to the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for analysis.

The “Finisher” Problem

The results showed finisher sites were the most vulnerable, with an 82.4% outbreak rate, compared to wean-to-finish (66.7%) and nurseries (33.3%).

“These findings show that site type and farm density are key driv¬ers of PRRSV outbreaks, with finishers in dense areas at greatest risk,” says Musskopf, a graduate student at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Some of the top risk factors discovered include:

Local Farm Density: For every additional swine farm within a one-mile radius, the odds of a PRRSV outbreak increase by 62%.
Carcass Disposal: Using rendering services was associated with a 6.47 times higher odds of an outbreak.
Human Connections: Employees who live with others who also work in the swine industry face a 6.15 times higher odds of bringing the virus to their site.

Proven Protective Measures

There’s power in downtime. Implementing overnight downtime for employees who work across multiple sites significantly associated with lesser outbreaks, providing a critical window to prevent cross-contamination.

The study suggests prioritizing biosecurity and surveillance on high-risk finisher sites is beneficial, especially those located in “swine-dense” geographic areas.

Controlling PRRSV requires looking beyond the sow farm, Musskopf says.

“Veterinarians and production systems can use this knowledge to improve surveillance and biosecurity on high-risk sites, review practices adopted during carcass disposal and employee downtime, and cohabitation,” Musskopf says. “Targeting these factors can reduce opportunities for virus introduction and improve regional PRRSV control.”

The Path from PRRS Control to Elimination

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:13 GMT

The “why” behind elimination of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is clearer than ever, veterinarian Reid Philips said during the Alex Hogg Memorial Lecture at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting.

The statistics are staggering, he points out.

• PRRS costs the U.S. industry $1.1 billion annually.
• Acute breaks lead to a 278% increase in injectable treatments and pre-weaning mortality rates as high as 100% in some weeks.
• A single system can lose $1 million to $3 million in the 10 weeks following a break.

So, what holds producers back from eliminating this devastating virus? Philips believes the fear of reinfection is heavy on the minds of some pork producers. Only after controlling the virus and reaching a stable status can producers decide if they want to eliminate it or not, he adds.

“The fear there may be having a naive herd and then having a reintroduction of a new heterologous virus, and experience the break,” he says. “That’s the fear I would have. Can I prevent the rebreak?”

That’s a tough question to answer, Philips says.

Moving Beyond the Silver-Bullet Mentality

The industry has gained a lot of information and knowledge through research and experience since the “mystery disease” made its entrance in the late 1980s.

“We know there is not one tool in our toolbox that is a silver bullet, but if we can apply all the tools in a systematic and coordinated fashion, we can move the needle,” he says.

The industry should strive to get breeding herds to a stable status where they are weaning negative pigs, Philips says.

“We need to focus on managing the virus and in wean-to-finish flows, beat it down to a more manageable level and reduce the viral risk,” he adds. “I think we can employ pilot projects, whether they be system-based or regional-controlled pilot projects. We have the knowledge, tools and protocols to do that and prove that we can achieve not only regional control, but even regional elimination and minimize rebreaks.”

He knows this won’t be easy, but he believes it’s doable.

A Five-Step Checklist

In his mind, this is not just a science- and evidence-based discussion. It’s a business one. He encourages producers to consider a step-by-step approach to PRRS:

Step 1: Identify the goals of the program.
Step 2: Determine current PRRS virus status.
Step 3: Understand current constraints.
Step 4: Develop solution options.
Step 5: Implement, monitor and measure preferred solution inclusive of complementary components of a PRRS virus control program.

The Impossible Just Takes a Little Longer

Through the efforts of field-applied research and continuous learning, Philips says the industry is overcoming obstacles and turning them into opportunities.

“We have the tools (biosecurity, immunity management and diagnostic monitoring) and knowledge to apply what we’ve learned in a systematic, coordinated process to improve our ability to control and eliminate PRRS virus,” Philips says. “The components of regional control offer framework for programs to mitigate its economic, health and welfare impact.”

The effort will require industry leadership as well as patience and persistence. It will also take time, along with collaboration, coordination and communication with all stakeholders.

“It’s a long journey to the top of the mountain,” Philips says. “It’s never easy, but when you get there, the view at the top is well worth the trip. As the U.S. Marines often say, ‘The difficult things we do immediately; the impossible, it just takes a little longer.’”

Barn Hero Hannah Bevins Proves the World is Run by People Who Show Up

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 21:56:43 GMT

Growing up in a family of 10, Hannah Bevins is no stranger to hard work and collaboration. In fact, it’s what she lives for every day. Whether she’s chasing her kids around or leading her team in the barns, it’s obvious she’s all in.

“I watched my dad work his nine-to-five job and then come home and work on our farm until bedtime,” she says. “As they say: ‘The world is run by people who show up.’ I learned at a very young age that you’re going to show up and do your best. My dad always said when one of us was hired, our employer would always get more than what they paid for.”

As the senior supervisor for Tyson Foods’ genetic nucleus farm in Wetumka, Okla., Bevins leads a team of eight staff and oversees 1,300 sows. From breeding and farrowing to selecting replacement gilts for internal replacements and multiplier farms, she sets out to provide the utmost care for the animals and people under her watch every day.

“Hannah truly cares about what she does,” says Kenny Romero, POD business manager for The Pork Group with Tyson Foods. “She is constantly monitoring the welfare and well-being of the animals on the farm. She also does an excellent job letting her team know she cares for them and wants what is best for them as well.”

In Romero’s mind, that’s one of the many reasons Bevins is worthy of being called a barn hero.

Though she admits she feels undeserving of this title, she’s proud of how far she’s come in the pork industry.

“My team and I work very hard to be successful,” Bevins says. “I could go out into my barns and grab eight more barn heroes right now.”

An Unorthodox Journey

Bevins didn’t grow up around pigs, but she did grow up on a hobby farm where she was homeschooled until high school.

“The land was our classroom,” she says. “I’ve had a love for agriculture and the country way of life from the beginning.”

After attending Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, she transferred to Oklahoma State University to obtain a degree in animal science. She intended to find a career in bovine embryo transfer. However, during the summer between her junior and senior year, she interned with Seaboard Foods and uncovered a passion for the pork industry.

“I honestly took that internship just for the credit and notch in the belt,” she says. “But I ended up falling in love with it. After I graduated, I took a job with Seaboard in western Oklahoma for a few years.”

In 2015, she took a few years off to stay home with her young children before returning to the pork industry in 2018 when she discovered an opportunity to work closer to her home for Tyson as an assistant farm manager.

Working up the ranks has helped Bevins in a few ways. Most importantly, it has allowed her to better understand the roles she is training her team to do.

“I have a good perspective of what every job requires,” Bevins explains. “It’s also helped me understand the people better, too, because I know what I expect out of a leader when I’m in those roles.”

Safety First

Joe Locke, Tyson’s director of operations, says Bevin’s leadership impact is noteworthy. He adds that her farm has gone more than two years without losing an employee and 10 years without an injury. That’s partially due to the emphasis her team places on biosecurity and safety.

“Not only are we trying to keep our pigs safe, we’re trying to keep our people safe,” Bevins says. “Having those conversations with team members and making sure that we’re doing things in the safest way possible is important. If we have a big task to do for the day, we’re talking about it beforehand and identifying potential safety issues. We all want to go home in the same condition we got to work in.”

Her crew has been together for a long time. They often joke that they spend more time with each other than they do with their families. She thinks the strength of their team starts with good communication and making sure they are all on the same page and working toward the same goals.

“One of the best things I can do for my team is to help them see the big picture and their role in it,” Bevins says. “Everybody will show up to work for a paycheck, but people will really get passionate for the job if they understand why they are doing what they are doing.”

In addition to good education and proper training, she says it’s important for team members to understand their role and receive credit when they do a good job.

“Make sure they get the pat on the back when deserved so they understand, ‘Hey, this is because of you. We can do what we do because you do what you do,’” she says. “That’s a great way to get people to give it their best on the job.”

Her approach works, Romero says.

“Hannah’s team always responds very well to her and are extremely loyal,” Romero says. “I believe this is because they know she cares for them as people and not just a team member. She’s a great example for young supervisors in our industry.”

What Leads to Success in the Barn?

Being observant is one of the most valuable traits she looks for in a team member. In her mind, that’s not only being very situationally aware but also being able to notice anything that’s out of place.

“When you’re in these barns, the animals aren’t going to verbally tell you if something is wrong,” Bevins says. “But they will give cues, and you have to be able to pick up on those cues the animals are giving you.”

She says being a mom gives her a little leg up in this area.

“That nurturing and caring side is instinctively part of me when I walk into the barn,” Bevins says. “Whether I’m taking care of kids or pigs, it’s the same. I’m making sure that they’re fed, healthy, comfortable and that all of their needs are being met. It’s understanding what they need and prioritizing it.”

The animals come first. Locke says that is one of Bevins’ superpowers. She makes sure the environment of the farm is the best it can be for the animals and people in all aspects, he adds.

“It doesn’t matter if there’s a foot of snow on the ground or not, we’re coming in and we’re checking on our animals,” Bevins says. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Christmas morning, we’re coming in and checking on our animals. From a production standpoint, you’re not going to be successful if you don’t have a herd that’s taken care of. Animal welfare must be at the top of your list.”

Locke also says her leadership extends far beyond her own team and the nucleus farm.

“Hannah is unique because she’s very process-driven, data- and detail-oriented and very outgoing,” Locke says. “Her farm is always at the top, which pushes the envelope in two ways: They show others what is possible and drive genetic change.”

Do Scary Things

There’s no question that Bevins values a hard day’s work. She thinks raising pigs and guiding her team every day is a rewarding way to live. She’s recently joined the Oklahoma Pork Council as a board member to give back to the industry.

“I consider myself very fortunate to be a part of this industry,” she says. “Every person you meet in the pork industry has an amazing story to tell, and they’re such good people. I’m honored to be a part of it.”

But for those who may need a little more convincing, she offers up this advice: Don’t be scared to do something scary.

“That sounds dumb, but if an opportunity presents itself, put yourself out there and take it,” Bevins says. “You don’t know what you don’t know, but sometimes you stumble across something while you’re just expecting to check a box and put it on the resume. Then, before you know it, it ends up being your path. Be willing to take the jump even when it scares you.”

With fewer people growing up on a farm, let alone a swine farm, the unknown is a definite factor working against young people discovering careers in the pork industry.

“We live in a world where comfort is king. Everybody wants to be comfortable,” Bevins adds. “It may be uncomfortable to try something new, but from my perspective, this industry allows me to put my strengths and passions to work in a way that brings meaning to my life every day.”

Sows and Gilts May Need More Calcium and Phosphorus Than Previously Thought

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 14:59:46 GMT

The needs for calcium and phosphorus by growing pigs have been researched extensively and recommendations for requirements for digestible calcium and digestible phosphorus have been proposed. These recommendations have been validated in performance experiments, and the recommended levels were confirmed to be accurate.

However, there is a need to determine the requirements for calcium and phosphorus for developing gilts and sows, too. Due to the rapid increase in productivity of sows over the last decade, it is believed that requirements for all nutrients including calcium and phosphorus have increased. Still, research to determine the requirements for calcium and phosphorus for reproducing animals is lacking.

What Do Developing Gilts Really Need?

From the extensive work to determine requirements for calcium and phosphorus by weanling and growing-finishing pigs that was conducted over the last two decades, it is possible to estimate the levels of calcium and phosphorus that will maximize bone development. Because developing gilts need to stay in the herd for several years, it is important that they have maximum bone ash and bone strength when they enter the breeding herd.

The requirements for calcium and phosphorus that maximize bone ash should, therefore, be used in diets for developing pigs (Table 1). It appears from these data that the ratio between digestible calcium and digestible phosphorus that is needed during the growing phase increases as pigs get older because less and less phosphorus is needed for soft tissue growth as pigs get older and the optimum ratio in diets for mature gilts is, therefore, close to the ratio in bone ash.

How Are Gestating Sow Needs Different?

The needs for calcium and phosphorus by gestating sows represent the sum of the needs for maintenance, maternal growth, fetal development, and growth of placenta and other reproductive tissues. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of data to demonstrate the needs for calcium and phosphorus for all of these requirements and estimates, therefore, can only be made based on a number of assumptions that may or may not be completely accurate. However, there are a few data for the endogenous losses of calcium and phosphorus by gestating sows and it is likely that these losses are representative of the maintenance requirements for calcium and phosphorus by gestating sows. There are also estimates for requirements for maternal gain, which are believed to be closely associated with the requirements for gain of bone ash from the first to the fourth parity of sows.

Estimates for requirements for fetal growth and growth of reproductive tissues have been published and although these estimates are variable among experiments, these data represent the best possible estimates for these requirements. As expected, requirements for fetuses and reproductive tissues are much greater from day 90 to farrowing than they are before day 90 because of rapid growth of fetuses late in gestation. Based on these estimates it is possible to make estimates for requirements for digestible calcium and digestible phosphorus by gestating sows (Table 2). Because these estimates are based on the daily requirements, the concentration of digestible calcium and phosphorus needed in the diets depends on the daily feed intake and will change with changes in feed intake.

The requirements for digestible calcium and phosphorus can be estimated, but there are considerable difficulties in formulating diets based on digestible calcium and phosphorus because there is a lack of data for the digestibility of calcium and phosphorus in feed ingredients fed to gestating sows. The digestibility has been determined in most feed ingredients fed to growing pigs, but gestating sows have digestibility values that are very different from those observed in growing pigs (Figure 1), and as a consequence, it is not possible to use digestibility values obtained in growing pigs when formulating diets for sows.

It may be necessary to formulate diets for sows using values for total calcium and phosphorus rather than digestible calcium and phosphorus, and requirement estimates in Table 2 are indicated both as digestible and as total calcium and phosphorus. In addition, values for total calcium and phosphorus are indicated both for diets without microbial phytase and for diets with microbial phytase, and it needs to be taken into account that the response to microbial phytase is different in sows than in growing pigs.

Lack of Data for Lactating Sow Digestibility of Calcium and Phosphorus

The requirements for calcium and phosphorus by lactating sows represent the sum of the requirement for maintenance and the requirement for milk production. As for gestating sows, the requirement for maintenance can be estimated from the requirement for endogenous losses and the requirement for milk production is largely determined by the amount of milk produced every day, which is strongly influenced by the number of pigs suckling the sow.

Under practical circumstances, most sows will likely have an average milk production of 12 liters per day during lactation and daily feed intake usually vary between 5 and 7 kg per day. It is possible to calculate the needs for digestible calcium and phosphorus in lactating sows producing 12 liters of milk per day and consuming 5, 6 or 7 kg of feed daily (Table 3).

As for gestating sows, there is a lack of data for the digestibility of calcium and phosphorus in feed ingredients fed to lactating sows, and it may be necessary to base formulations on total calcium and phosphorus rather than digestible calcium and phosphorus, as is also indicated in Table 3. Responses to microbial phytase by lactating sows are different from growing pigs and also different from gestating sows, and there is also a need to generate data for responses to phytase by lactating sows.

More Work to Be Done

Estimates for requirements for calcium and phosphorus by developing gilts are based on strong scientific data, but for gestating and lactating sows, there is a lack of data for which requirements can be based. The above estimates were based on calculations of requirements and a number of assumptions had to be made and there is therefore a need for these numbers to be validated under practical conditions. Likewise, there is a need for generating values for the digestibility of calcium and phosphorus by gestating and lactating sows in all feed ingredients and the impact of microbial phytase needs to be verified as well.

Small Decisions Drive Big Victories for Disease Elimination

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:06:24 GMT

In the world of livestock health, the “impossible” is often just a goal that hasn’t been met yet.

Years ago, as a veterinary student at Iowa State University, Dusty Oedekoven spent his days bleeding pigs on sow farms and spinning down samples in the lab. At the time, the industry was locked in a battle with pseudorabies. Many producers believed the virus was too pervasive to ever truly disappear.

But Oedekoven watched as the industry rallied, developed vaccines, and made the thousands of small, disciplined decisions required to win. In 2004, the U.S. was finally declared free of the disease.

This isn’t his only experience with disease elimination. For nearly 20 years, he worked for the South Dakota Animal Industry Board, serving 13 of those years as the state veterinarian. From bovine tuberculosis in cattle to scrapie in sheep, Oedekoven is no stranger to the “impossible.”

Now, as chief veterinarian for the National Pork Board, he is facing a new “impossible” in the swine industry: the elimination of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV).

The Psychology of Elimination

In March 2025, the National Pork Board (NPB) received an advisement at National Pork Industry Forum asking the industry to facilitate the creation of a producer-led national swine health strategy.

During 47 listening sessions across 36 states, Oedekoven heard a recurring theme from producers. They were “PRRS fatigued.” The disease had made raising pigs “not fun anymore.” It was a heavy, endemic weight that felt permanent.

But Oedekoven saw a parallel to this struggle in a place far from the barn: the wrestling mat.

“This year was my son Alex’s fifth time to wrestle in the state tournament,” he says. “This was his third time in the championship match. He’s lost that championship two other times, and while we were so glad he made it that far, when you get to that point and you lose, it is hard.”

It might have been easy to accept that a title just wasn’t in the cards. Instead, Alex used those losses to fuel a year of disciplined, small decisions—extra practices, better nutrition and mental focus. Last week, Alex finally stood at the top of the podium as the South Dakota State A Champion at 144 lb.

Oedekoven believes the pork industry is at a similar crossroads. He presented an update on the next steps for the National Swine Health Strategy at the National Pork Industry Forum. He says this isn’t just a set of technical goals; it’s a mindset shift. The strategy aims to keep foreign diseases like African swine fever out while aggressively moving to eliminate PRRS and PEDV that drain producer morale.

Moving From Management to Eradication

Just as Alex’s title was won in the extra time and attention to detail in the practice room months before the tournament, Oedekoven argues that the battle against endemic disease is won in the mundane, daily adherence to biosecurity protocols.

Eliminating PRRS won’t be easy, he adds. It’s a significant challenge and there is a long list of reasons why this disease causes so much heartache in the industry.

“We know we can eliminate PRRS from a single farm,” Oedekoven says. “We have several examples of what happens when appropriate resources, knowledge and training are all in place – you can eliminate PRRS. Now, how long can you keep it from being reintroduced? I think there’s a lot of factors to that, but we know it can be done.”

The tools are already in place for elimination, but the real power doesn’t live in a lab, Dusty points out. It lives on the farm. It’s in the hands of the producer who enforces a strict biosecurity protocol one more time, or the system leader who chooses transparency over silence.

“It’s a mindset,” he says. “It’s believing that we can do it, believing that we should do it, and taking actions that align with that belief.”

Bringing everybody together around common goals is at the heart of the National Swine Health Strategy. It will take coordination, communication, collaboration and making difficult choices in some cases, Oedekoven says.

“We have a lot of work to do in understanding how we contain the disease on the farm,” he says. “What are the alternatives to moving pigs from a known positive sow farm to an area that was just getting over an outbreak? How do we share information within the industry to protect confidentiality, protect liability, and yet give producers the information they need to make the best decisions? We know that coordinated effort to reduce the viral load is going to pay dividends for everybody.”

Again, those are things the industry doesn’t have all the answers to, Oedekoven adds. But if we don’t change our actions to align with our beliefs, then we’re going to continue to struggle with these viruses.

The road to eliminating PRRS and PEDV will be long, and there will likely be setbacks. But as Oedekoven looks back on the victory over pseudorabies and his son’s journey to the podium, he remains optimistic. Success isn’t found in one giant leap; it’s found in the hundreds of small, purposeful decisions made every single day.

Check out the National Swine Health Strategy tactics here and engage with your state pork associations.

You can listen to more of Oedekoven’s personal experience with disease elimination and his perspective on PRRS on “The PORK Podcast” on YouTube or follow The PORK Podcast anywhere podcasts are found.

Can Cloud-Based Cameras Solve the Compliance Puzzle in Barns?

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 15:21:22 GMT

Growing up on her family’s 500-head farrow-to-finish sow farm in Illinois, Jacqueline Springer understands and appreciates the importance of biosecurity and the challenge of maintaining consistent day-to-day compliance.

To explore better ways to provide objective, actionable feedback to producers and farm employees at the farm level, Springer, a veterinary student at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, set up a study to evaluate how continuous monitoring and targeted feedback could influence behavior. She discovered that camera-based monitoring, when paired with targeted feedback, can drive meaningful and sustained improvements in biosecurity compliance.

Cameras and Compliance

“Traditional biosecurity monitoring relies heavily on periodic onsite inspections by veterinarians or production managers,” she explained at the 2026 American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting. “While these visits provide valuable assessments, they capture only snapshots of farm operations during inspection windows, potentially missing violations between visits.”

In addition, the “announced” nature of many inspections often leads to temporary compliance improvements that may not reflect day-to-day practices, she adds. Not to mention these visits take time and labor required, which are always a premium at any operation.

“Cloud-based security camera systems have created new opportunities for continuous biosecurity monitoring,” Springer says. “These systems provide objective surveillance of critical control points where biosecurity protocols are most crucial. Motion-triggered recording allows efficient review by focusing human attention on periods of activity rather than hours of empty facilities.”

Still, questions remain about the thoroughness of footage review, consistency of violation detection and whether identified violations lead to meaningful improvements in farm practices.

Objective Feedback Works

Springer evaluated camera-based biosecurity monitoring in two commercial 6,000-head sow farms. Over two 28-day periods, before and after a targeted management intervention, she reviewed motion-triggered footage from five critical access points.

“I compared my findings to those of the third-party auditing service reviewing the same footage to evaluate detection consistency,” Springer explains. “I also assessed whether feedback reduced violations and documented the time and resources required to implement this approach in a commercial setting.”

For six to eight hours per day, Springer monitored these two sites. She admits this exceeds what most production veterinarians could dedicate while maintaining other responsibilities.

However, several approaches could improve scalability: intensive review periods (one week per quarter) rather than daily comprehensive review, distributed video review among multiple personnel with coordinated standards, integration of artificial intelligence-powered violation detection to automatically flag potential violations for verification, or sampling protocols using random selection of time periods or locations.

“Integration of AI systems could provide real-time alerts rather than retrospective review, enabling immediate intervention,” Springer notes. “Additionally, integration of camera monitoring data with other production data could provide comprehensive insights into biosecurity effectiveness and its relationship to herd health outcomes.”

During the 28-day baseline period, she documented 245 total violations across both farms. Following a management intervention, violations in the 28-day post-intervention period declined to 69 total violations.

“After a single data-driven intervention, violations decreased by 71.8% across both farm,” she says. “This suggests that objective feedback, not just written protocols, plays a critical role in changing day-to-day behavior.”

Springer believes this research provides producers with a data-driven approach to identifying compliance gaps at critical control points, such as employee entry, live animal load-out areas and supply entry zones.

Does It Add Up?

Economic considerations for implementing camera-based monitoring systems include both initial and ongoing costs. Installation costs for cameras and Wi-Fi infrastructure on 6,000-head sow farms range from $10,000 to $12,000. Ongoing expenses for maintenance, camera system access and weekly third-party auditing services based on the standardized training protocol cost approximately $1,150 per month, or $13,000 to $14,000 annually per farm.

“These costs must be weighed against the potential financial impact of disease outbreaks,” she says.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) alone costs the U.S. swine industry $1.2 billion annually[JS1.1], so Springer says even preventing a single disease introduction could justify the monitoring investment for a production system over several years.

“By addressing these gaps early, producers can reduce the risk of disease introduction and spread,” she says. “Preventing a single outbreak, such as PRRSV, could justify the investment in monitoring for multiple years, making biosecurity not only a herd health priority but also a sound economic strategy.”

This project highlights a shift from periodic, reactive audits to continuous, proactive compliance monitoring. As technology advances, particularly with the integration of artificial intelligence-assisted review, Springer believes camera-based monitoring could become a scalable tool that strengthens biosecurity culture across the swine industry.

“Ultimately, protecting herd health starts with consistent daily behaviors, and this research reinforces the value of measurable feedback in achieving that consistency,” she says.

Springer says study limitations included the camera outage demonstrating that monitoring is only effective when cameras function reliably, requiring prioritized maintenance and rapid repair protocols. Protocol refinements during baseline monitoring improved relevance but complicated interpretation of baseline results. The learning curve for monitoring personnel should be anticipated when implementing these systems. Farm-specific violation patterns support the value of individualized feedback and training rather than generic systemwide interventions.

Don’t Leave the Feed Mill Out of Your Farm’s Biosecurity Plan

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 21:20:01 GMT

Biosecurity programs in commercial swine production typically focus on animal housing and the immediate farm perimeter. However, upstream inputs — particularly feed and ingredient supply chains — represent critical and sometimes under-recognized pathways for pathogen introduction.

Feed is unique among production inputs because it is delivered directly into animal environments and consumed daily. As veterinarians supporting the Carthage System’s 30-plus sow farms, our collaboration with feed mills extends beyond diet formulation. It also includes verification of ingredient sourcing, mill biosecurity design, and delivery logistics to minimize infectious disease risk.

Making feed safer

Modern swine diets include not only major ingredients such as corn, soybean meal and distillers byproducts, but also a range of micro-ingredients — including amino acids, trace minerals and vitamins — that are frequently sourced through global supply chains. Some originate from regions where foreign animal diseases (FADs) not present in the United States, including foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever and classical swine fever, are endemic.

To mitigate this risk, mills supplying Carthage System farms preferentially source ingredients from FAD-negative regions. When procurement from affected regions is unavoidable, imported micro-ingredients are held in segregated, climate-controlled storage to allow time-temperature inactivation of potential viral contaminants. Inventory planning is structured so incoming ingredients can complete the designated holding period before use.

Feed mitigants are also incorporated during manufacturing, particularly during higher-risk seasons when environmental survivability of enveloped viruses may be extended.

Feed mills themselves operate with internal and external clean-dirty line (CDL) separation, analogous to farm biosecurity zoning. Within the facility, traffic flow and personnel movement are structured to prevent cross-contamination between raw ingredient receiving, processing and finished feed load-out. Externally, physical separation of incoming ingredient trucks and outgoing feed delivery vehicles reduces cross-contact risk. In some mills, traffic lanes and access points are designed so inbound and outbound vehicles never intersect, with only the truck scale shared.

Safety in deliveries

While FAD exclusion remains a top priority, endemic U.S. swine pathogens — particularly porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus — continue to drive production losses. Feed delivery vehicles moving among farms represent a recognized mechanical transmission risk.

To reduce this risk, Carthage System mills and farms use a structured delivery sequencing model referred to as a biosecurity pyramid. Farms are categorized by health status, and delivery routes are scheduled from highest-health to highest-risk sites to avoid reverse contamination.

Health status classifications are reviewed at least weekly and adjusted as outbreaks occur or sites recover. If logistical constraints require deviation from sequence — for example, urgent delivery to a lower-status farm — the vehicle undergoes full wash, disinfection and downtime before returning to higher-health routes, in addition to routine sanitation protocols.

Seasonal environmental contamination also requires management. Winter road conditions in the Midwest can accumulate organic debris on truck undercarriages that may harbor pathogens. Mills typically require removal of this material before trucks enter load-out areas or pass over delivery pits. Farms may also increase on-site feed inventory ahead of forecast thaw events (“sludge days”) to reduce delivery frequency during high-contamination periods.

The importance of mill–farm relationships

For independent producers, the primary takeaway is the need for structured communication with feed suppliers. Vertically integrated systems with dedicated mills can implement unified protocols more readily, but toll and cooperative mills serving multiple clients can also operate at high biosecurity standards when expectations are clearly defined.

Producers should work collaboratively with their veterinarians, nutritionists and mill managers to establish and verify feed-related biosecurity measures. Within the Carthage System, veterinary teams conduct mill biosecurity audits every 6-12 months to verify compliance and incorporate emerging science and technologies. At minimum, annual review is recommended.

Another risk-reduction strategy involves eliminating porcine-derived animal byproducts in swine diets. Ingredients such as spray-dried plasma, serum and other blood products provide highly digestible protein and energy, but also present significant pathogen transmission risk within species. Carthage System diets use alternative sources to reduce this exposure pathway.

Feed biosecurity is not solely a mill responsibility or a farm responsibility. It is a shared system that requires alignment across the entire supply chain.

Simple Strategy Could Reduce Pre-Weaning Mortality

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 16:07:06 GMT

Does caffeine and a little sugar jumpstart newborn piglets like it does for college students? That’s a question one student set out to answer through her research to refine strategies to support the most vulnerable piglets and improve overall herd productivity.

“Research conducted under commercial farm conditions is important,” says Bryn Van Winters, a veterinary student at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph.

Van Winters, the 2026 winner of the Top Student Presenter Award at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting, says this helps ensure results are practical and applicable to real-world production systems.

Her presentation titled “Effects of early-life energy supplementation on survival and growth in pre-weaned piglets” earned her a $5,000 scholarship from the Zoetis Foundation.

Can Early Energy Supplementation Improve Piglet Growth?

Prior experience working with neonatal calves, particularly “dummy calves,” where inadequate energy and oxygen delivery around birth can compromise early vitality, sparked Van Winters’ interest in how similar early-life physiological challenges affect piglets.

“In pigs, newborns have limited energy reserves and are highly dependent on early energy intake to maintain body temperature and activity,” she says. “I wanted to explore whether providing a readily available energy source at birth could help support piglet survival and early performance in a commercial farrowing environment, and was interested in evaluating practical strategies that producers could realistically implement on farm.”

Her research evaluated the effects of providing different energy supplements to piglets at birth on survival and growth performance in a commercial farrowing barn. Piglets were organized by birth weight and assigned to one of four treatment groups, including dextrose, PiggyBoost, caffeine + dextrose solution and a control (water). Outcomes such as pre-weaning mortality, average daily gain, and weaning weight were monitored to determine whether early energy supplementation improved piglet performance.

“The most important takeaway was that providing readily available energy to newborn piglets reduced pre-weaning mortality,” Van Winters explains. “Our results suggested that dextrose supplementation showed promising effects in improving piglet outcomes.”

This research highlights a relatively simple management strategy that could help reduce pre-weaning mortality and support early piglet growth, she says.

“If effective interventions can be implemented easily in the farrowing room, they have the potential to improve both animal welfare and overall production efficiency,” Van Winters says.

AASV Recognizes Top Veterinary Student Presentations

In addition, Elanco Animal Health provided $20,000 in additional funding, enabling the AASV Foundation to award scholarships for 2nd through 15th place.

Four veterinary student presenters received $2,500 scholarships: Maeve Powis, University of Guelph; Jacqueline Springer, University of Illinois; Jinnan Xiao, Iowa State University; Emma Zwart, Iowa State University

Five veterinary student presenters received $1,500 scholarships: Ginny Bass, North Carolina State University; Emily Evans-Stevens, Kansas State University; Ben Hollis, Iowa State University; Kara Linder, Colorado State University; Johanna Vandenack, Iowa State University

Those student presenters receiving $500 scholarships were: Sean Dullard, University of Illinois; Lila Minnick, University of Illinois; Rebecca Smith, University of Georgia; Nicole Villalon, Iowa State University; Samantha Wagner, Midwestern University

In addition to the $5,000 Top Student Presenter award, the Zoetis Foundation provided $11,250 in grant funding to support $750 awards for each student selected to participate in the oral session. Forty-one veterinary students from 14 universities submitted abstracts for consideration by a panel of six veterinarians from private practice, industry and academia.

Emerging Swine Disease Update: Why JEV Remains a Risk to the U.S.

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:37:03 GMT

Global disease monitoring by the Swine Health Information Center has identified Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) as an emerging disease to watch. This zoonotic disease is transmitted through the bite of Culex mosquitoes infected with the virus that’s primarily maintained in endemic Southeast Asia and Pacific Island nations. However, outbreaks in Australia have alerted the entire world to keep an eye on this deadly virus.

“The U.S. is currently negative for this mosquito-borne virus which has waterbirds as a natural reservoir host but can infect pigs, humans, and horses,” Megan Niederwerder, executive director of the Swine Health Information Center, said at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting on March 2. “However, the U.S. represents a geographic region susceptible to the introduction of JEV.”

JEV affects breeding swine herds, causing reproductive failure, delayed farrowing, stillbirths, mummified fetuses, abortions and weak piglets.

“In February 2025, JEV re-emerged in Australia marking the first detections of the virus in Australian commercial swine since July 2022 after no cases were detected in piggeries during 2023 or 2024,” Niederwerder says.

This recent incursion and re-emergence of a new JEV genotype into areas previously free from disease warrants the need for close investigations of this disease and its potential for incursion and establishment in the U.S., she explains.

“One of the lessons learned from the Australian experience with JEV in 2022 was a report that increased mummified fetuses was the most common clinical sign on sow farms and the only clinical sign reported by 100% of veterinarians interviewed about their swine observations during the outbreak,” Niederwerder says. “This is important as it gives U.S. veterinarians and producers firsthand accounts of what they should be watching for on farms for early detection of a potential JEV incursion.”

JEV: What You Need to Know

Biosecurity practices focused on mosquito control are often the most effective way to prevent JEV as it is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.

“Knowing the availability of competent insect vectors, susceptible avian and porcine hosts, and similar environmental conditions in the U.S. compared to JEV endemic countries creates concern for the U.S. pork industry as well as with public health officials,” she says.

The U.S. south was identified as having the highest risk of JEV incursion and impact, according to a SHIC-funded study.

“Research priorities for JEV are designed to further strengthen U.S. swine industry preparedness as well as inform response efforts, should JEV be introduced into the country,” she says. “Understanding the potential impacts of JEV on pork production in the U.S. is critical to protecting the health of the U.S. swine herd as well as mitigating the risk of this emerging disease”.

How JEV Could Impact the U.S. Swine Herd

The potential economic losses to the U.S. pork industry if a JEV outbreak were to occur in this country is estimated to be between $306 to $612 million in a single year, she says.

SHIC partnered with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) to develop and fund a $1.3-Million JEV Research Program. The goals of the Program are to enhance U.S. prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response capabilities for JEV. Learn more here.

Critical research investments are necessary to prevent JEV incursion, Niederwerder adds. Research will continue into how to ensure rapid detection of JEV if introduced, inform stakeholder response, mitigate production losses on sow farms, identify effective control measures, and develop clear messaging to consumers on the safety of pork.

Iowa State Experts Release New Publication on Swine Water Line Management

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:39:09 GMT

In a recent survey of Midwest production sites, only 20% of farms regularly implemented a water line cleaning standard operating procedure (SOP), says Ashley Englin, swine field specialist with Iowa State Extension and Outreach, in a release.

Standardized protocols can help producers improve animal health and performance by reducing biofilms and ensuring animals regularly have access to high quality water.

“Water is a physiological need for pigs, regulating growth, temperature control, and overall behavioral needs,” says Gabi Doughan with the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “Without regular cleaning and disinfection, biofilms can accumulate within water line systems and impact health, production, and water-administered medication.”

A new publication from the Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University is available to help producers evaluate water quality and manage water line systems in swine barns. “ Water Line System Management for Swine Production ” is available for download at no cost from the ISU Extension Store.

Producers will find step-by-step instructions for cleaning and disinfecting water systems and water sample collection protocol within the publication, the release says. Water quality assessments should evaluate the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of water by testing pH, trace minerals and coliforms at minimum. These samples should be collected at least once per year.

“Water lines are one of the main routes for antimicrobial and vaccine administration” Doughan says. “By improving water quality and water line maintenance, producers can more effectively treat their livestock, resulting in less days off feed and reduced production costs.”

In addition, the guide includes protocols for water medication administration and explains how water quality can affect medication efficacy. There are also instructions for how to set up and calibrate flow-activated pump, piston and diaphragm medicators.

Several authors contributed to this publication in addition to Doughan and Englin. They include Chris Rademacher and Locke Karriker with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University and Becca Walthart, former master’s student with the Swine Medicine Education Center at Iowa State University.

Failing Forward: Why Veterinarians Are Looking At Obstacles As Opportunities

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:23:56 GMT

A variety of topics ranging from fall-behind pigs to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) kicked off conversations during the 2026 American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) annual meeting. Swine veterinarians, researchers and industry experts from all over the world gathered together to learn how to “fail forward” and turn obstacles into opportunities.

“I chose this theme to reflect an essential truth of veterinary medicine: progress is rarely linear,” says Rebecca Robbins, DVM, AASV committee chair. “Mistakes and setbacks are not roadblocks; they are pathways to deeper understanding, innovation and better outcomes for pigs and their caretakers.”

When developing the program, she was inspired by Al Leman’s quote, “We’re just not making mistakes fast enough.” This led to a line-up of speakers and topics focused on learning from failure, not avoiding it.

Here’s a quick glimpse of what some of the experts had to say.

(Jennifer Shike)

“Swine diagnostic medicine is an eloquent sequence of trial and error, salted with humility. Don’t be afraid to fail because of uncertainty, it’s always present. It’s not about getting it right, it’s about being wrong less. It’s about learning. Do not be restricted by the fear of getting it wrong. Diagnostic process requires curiosity, adaptability, reflection and collaboration.” – Darin Madson, DVM, with Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, in the Howard Dunne Memorial Lecture, “Diagnostic Airballs: Reserve the right to learn”

“Health is an integral component of all welfare frameworks. We have an opportunity to support impaired animal welfare by minimizing negative impacts, supporting positive experiences that contribute to recovery, providing timely euthanasia if/when necessary. Impaired animals have unique needs and preferences.” – Emiline Sundman, postdoc research associate, Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, in the Angela Baysinger Memorial Lecture, “The Impaired Animal On-Farm: A vision for turning an animal welfare challenge into an animal welfare opportunity”

(Jennifer Shike)

“Through the efforts of field-applied research and continuous learning, we have overcome obstacles and turned them into opportunities. We have the tools and knowledge. We have learned how to apply them in a systematic and coordinated process to improve our ability to control and eliminate PRRSV from farms, systems and regions. The components of regional PRRSV control offer a framework for programs to mitigate its economic, health and welfare impact.” – Reid Philips, DVM, in the Alex Hogg Memorial Lecture, “PRRS: Continuous learning and improvement by turning obstacles (and evidence) into opportunity”

“Disease is an interaction where context determines outcome. Disease is not just a pathogen. Host biology shapes outcome. Development, immunity and stress matter. Understanding disease requires depth.” – Adam Moeser, Matilda R. Wilson Endowed Chair in the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine, in “Thinking Forward, Looking Back: Redefining value in basic research for swine health”

(Jennifer Shike)

“Doing many little things correctly results in measurable success.” – Christine Mainquist-Whigham, DVM, director of health at Pillen Family Farms/DNA Genetics, in “Starting and Managing the Fall-Behind Pig”

“Are we dating or getting married? Provide realistic guidance for culling decisions. What is her true potential for recovery? For me, there is a higher moral value to a cull animal than one that dies or has to be euthanized.” – Ian Levis, DVM and senior operations manager Seaboard Foods in, “One Sytem’s Approach to Improve Sow Mortality”

New Strategies to Combat F18+ E. Coli in Nursery Pigs

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 23:54:10 GMT

Post-weaning diarrhea caused by F18+ Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a growing health and economic challenge in swine production. Not only does it lead to significant morbidity, mortality and growth performance losses in nursery pigs, but emerging evidence indicates that some E. coli strains exhibit resistance to commonly used antibiotics, further complicating treatment strategies and underscoring the need for alternative approaches.

“We need to find new ways to disrupt mechanisms by which ETEC is exerting high toxicity and mortality,” said Joel Spencer with United Animal Health during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Annual Meeting. “If we can knock down some of these mechanisms, we have the opportunity to increase the efficacy of technologies that can improve pig survivability.”

A recent United Animal Health study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of one of their products, ProVent ECL, a direct-fed microbial (DFM) positioned for use in sow and nursery diets. This DFM was launched in 2016 to support health and performance through multiple mechanisms of protection against complex pathogen challenges.

Previous ProVent ECL field evaluations and internal research have been presented at AASV annual meetings showing improved health outcomes in commercial environments. The United Animal Health team wanted to further understand how ProVent ECL could influence intestinal health and mortality, so they set up a controlled nursery challenge study.

How Did the Study Work?

A total of 140 barrows were weaned, transported to a BSL-2 research facility, and randomly allotted to one of four dietary treatments by bodyweight in a randomized complete block design:

F18+ ETEC challenge only
F18+ ETEC challenge + 0.05% DFM in the nursery diet
F18+ ETEC challenge + 0.15% DFM in the nursery diet
F18+ ETEC challenge + 2500 ppm Zn from Zinc Oxide

All pigs were from sows consuming 181 g/ton tilmicosin in lactation, and all pigs were injected with tulathromycin at processing and weaning, respectively. Pigs were placed in elevated solid-sided pens containing five pigs/pen with eight or four replicate pens per treatment.

During the study, the pigs received a two-phase nursery diet and were placed on dietary treatments at weaning, and for the entire 28 day experimental period. On day 14, all pigs received a single oral gavage of F18+ ETEC that was positive for EAST1, LT, and Stx2 toxin genes.

Mortality and health were monitored by a consulting veterinarian, and these metrics were the focus in this controlled challenge study. Serial rectal swabs from one pig per pen were tested via qPCR to quantify inoculum F18 adhesin gene on days 2, 14, 17, 21 and 28. Each pig was euthanized on day 28 and ileum intestinal segments were collected to measure villous height, crypt depth and F18 adhesin gene quantities adhered to the intestinal mucosa. The data was then analyzed with pen or pig as the experimental unit and treatment was used as the fixed effect.

ProVent ECL Reduces Mortality

The model proved highly effective in evaluating the impact of a health-focused direct-fed microbial during a controlled E. coli infection, Spencer says. There were no differences in animal growth among treatments; however, there were significant impacts on infection and mortality.

“This model proved effective to separate out differences among treatments when dietary treatments were fed for 14 days prior to challenge and continued for 14 days post challenge,” he says. “The higher dietary inclusion of direct-fed microbial significantly reduced mortality and frequency of F18 adhesin gene adhered to the ileal mucosa of challenged pigs.”

Spencer says this higher level appeared to reduce infection of pigs and also improve intestinal recovery post challenge due to reduced adhesion and colonization of F18+ ETEC in the intestine.

“While this specific health-focused direct-fed microbial, ProVent ECL, did significantly reduce mortality under controlled conditions, other therapies will likely be required alongside the direct-fed microbial to optimize pig health under commercial conditions where co-infections and additional stressors must be considered,” Spencer says.

Why Illinois Pork’s New President Never Stops Asking Questions

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:43:43 GMT

For sixth-generation farmer Katie Brown, the swine industry has never been just another career path; it’s been home. Her earliest memories took place in the sow barn, watching how things worked and asking way too many questions. It’s that curiosity that has shaped her journey and helped her become the newest president of the Illinois Pork Producers Association.

Brown headed off to the University of Illinois with dreams of becoming a veterinarian. She applied, was accepted, and fully expected that would be her path. But then she met Jim Pettigrew, professor of animal sciences, and “caught the research bug.”

“I loved digging into data, asking better questions and figuring out how small changes could make meaningful improvements in pig performance and system efficiency,” Brown says. “Once research grabbed my attention, I started exploring what other career paths in the swine industry might look like if I didn’t go to vet school. The more I explored, the more I realized there was an entirely different way I could contribute to the industry: one that blended science, production and practical application.”

When her official acceptance to vet school arrived, she had a big decision to make. After a lot of thought, she said no to vet school and chose to pursue graduate school under the leadership of Mike Ellis instead.

Her master’s research, conducted in Maschhoff barns, gave her the opportunity to experience a large, integrated production system.

“I didn’t just run trials, I learned how the whole system worked,” Brown says. “When I graduated, I had multiple job offers, but I knew I wanted to stay with The Maschhoffs. The research department offered the perfect balance of applied science and real-world production, along with the chance to collaborate directly with production partners on large-scale field research.”

As her family grew, she transitioned into taking on more of the operational side of the research department. She says it allowed her to leverage both her facility management background and her research experience, working alongside some of the best people in the industry.

“One thing I truly value about The Maschhoffs is their belief in developing people,” Brown says. “They invest in professional growth and provide the flexibility needed to balance work and family life.”

(Provided by Katie Brown)

In the fall of 2022, she and her husband had the opportunity to purchase and manage her family’s hog operation. They had recently begun grain farming full time in 2017, so adding the hog operation allowed them to further diversify.

“It gave me ‘skin in the game’ in a very real way,” Brown adds. “Since then, we’ve learned how to balance running the farm, raising our family and giving back to our community. We are active in our church and our children’s school, and we both serve in roles that allow us to invest in the communities that support us.”

Although serving as president is an honor, she says it’s also a responsibility she takes seriously. My goal is simple: support producers, protect our ability to farm and position Illinois pork for long-term strength.

“At the core of it all, I’m still that curious kid from the sow farm, just with a few more responsibilities and a lot more appreciation for the people who make this industry what it is,” Brown says.

Farm Journal’s PORK caught up with Brown after the IPPA’s annual meeting.

Why did you decide to step up to this challenge?

I’ll be honest, it wasn’t because I suddenly had extra time. I’m a mom of two very active boys, involved in our farm, our business, our church and our community and this industry never slows down. There isn’t a “convenient” season to step into leadership. But I chose to step up because what we do matters. The decisions being made right now in policy, in regulation, in public perception directly affect my family and the families I work alongside every day. I see firsthand what farmers carry. I see the hours, the pressure, the financial risk, the emotional weight. If I’m not willing to take time to speak on behalf of those producers, then what are we doing? I stepped up because I believe leadership is about service, especially when it’s inconvenient. And our industry deserves leaders who are willing to lean in, not wait for the “right” time.

What kind of leader is IPPA getting?

I grew up in this industry and understand it from the ground up. I’m not coming into this role from the outside or from theory. I’m a farm kid who was raised in the barns, who built a career in research and production, and who now has ownership alongside my husband. I understand the pride in what we do, but I also understand the pressure. As a practical, direct, solutions-oriented and yes, a little stubborn, person, I ask a lot of questions. I want to understand not just what we’re doing, but why we’re doing it and whether there’s a better way. That curiosity has followed me from growing up on a sow farm, to the research barn, to managing our own operation. I don’t quit easily. If something is challenging, whether it’s a production issue, a research question or a policy hurdle, my instinct isn’t to step back, it’s to lean in. I like solving problems. I like improving systems. I like finding ways to make things work better for the people doing the hard work every day.

What do you see as your most important role as president?

I don’t see leadership as a spotlight, I see it as responsibility. My goal is to be steady, accessible and dependable. I want producers to know they can call, ask hard questions and get a straight answer. If I don’t know something, I’ll work to find it. At the end of the day, I want to be a leader people can count on, someone who understands both the opportunity and the weight of this responsibility, and who approaches it with humility, work ethic and a commitment to serve.

What motivates you every day?

I’m motivated by progress. That might mean improving pig performance in a barn, strengthening communication among producers or helping position our industry for the long term. I want to leave things better than I found them. On a personal level, my kids are a daily motivator. They see the early mornings, the late nights and the hard conversations. I want them to understand that leadership isn’t about recognition, it’s about service, resilience and integrity. I want them to see that when something matters, you show up, even when you’re busy, even when it’s hard.

If you could only accomplish one thing this year, what would it be and why?

If I could accomplish one thing this year, it would be strengthening trust and clarity between producers and the people making decisions that affect them, whether that’s legislators, regulators or consumers. Too often, policies are shaped by people who don’t fully understand modern pork production. I would like to see us do a better job of proactively telling our story, inviting dialogue and ensuring that Illinois producers have a seat at the table before decisions are finalized, not after. When producers feel heard and understood, it changes everything. It reduces frustration, improves outcomes and protects our ability to farm for the next generation. If we can build stronger relationships and clearer communication channels this year, that foundation will pay dividends far beyond a single term.

What are some of the victories of the 2025 the industry can celebrate?

The past year hasn’t been without challenges, but there are real victories worth recognizing. We’ve seen improved hog prices compared to the depths of the previous downturn, which has provided some much-needed breathing room for producers who have been operating on razor-thin or negative margins. Financial stability, even incremental improvement, matters. It allows farms to reinvest, maintain facilities and plan beyond just surviving the next month. We’ve also seen progress on labor. An increase in TN visa approvals has helped bring stability to farms that rely on a skilled and committed workforce. Access to reliable labor is critical in an industry that operates 24/7, 365 days a year. When barns are properly staffed, animal care, employee morale and overall performance all benefit. Technology adoption continues to be another bright spot. From precision livestock tools and data integration systems to improvements in ventilation, feeding and health monitoring, producers are embracing innovation to drive efficiency and animal care forward. Illinois producers are not standing still, they are investing, adapting and modernizing. And maybe the biggest victory is resilience. Despite regulatory pressures, market volatility and continued public scrutiny, producers have stayed focused. They’ve continued to improve, collaborate and support one another. That steady, solutions-focused mindset is something our industry can absolutely celebrate.

Why are you optimistic about the future of the swine industry in Illinois?

Illinois has the fundamentals. We have a strong grain base, access to transportation and processing, and producers who are willing to adapt. I’ve seen firsthand through my work in research and production how quickly our industry can implement innovation when it makes sense economically and practically. That combination of science and real-world application is powerful. The core of Illinois pork production, family farms committed to doing things the right way, remains steady. I’m optimistic because our producers are resilient, innovative and deeply invested. And when you combine that with a generation that’s paying attention, I believe the future is not just sustainable, it’s strong.

What do you like to do for fun?

Most of my fun revolves around my kids. They keep us moving, whether it’s sports, school activities or just life on the farm. I genuinely love being part of what they’re involved in and watching them learn and grow. Outside of that, I love to cook, especially cooking for other people. There’s something special about gathering friends or family around a table and feeding them well. It’s my way of slowing down and connecting. I also enjoy fishing and hunting with my boys. My ideal day would be spent on the water with my family, no rush, just time together. Then coming home to clean and cook what we caught. For me, that’s about as good as it gets: family, food and being outdoors.

Strength in Numbers: The Power of Regional Cooperation in Swine Health

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 01:04:26 GMT

Disease management and diagnostics are not separate disciplines but complementary components of a single decision-making system, says Daniel Linhares, Roy A. Schultz Professor in Swine Medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University.

“Sustained industry progress on swine health and productivity will depend on maintaining strong linkages between ongoing, real-time data generation, analysis and action,” Linhares explained at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting on March 1. “By integrating diagnostics, outbreak data and productivity indi¬cators, veterinarians can quantify progress, justify interventions and communicate value to producers.”

Angie Supple, DVM, Eichelberger Farms, encouraged production systems to be more collaborative.

“Historically, we’ve wanted to keep things secret or not admit where we have struggles,” Supple says. “But this [PRRS] virus is so smart. If we don’t collaborate, we are going to be behind.”

No system operates in isolation, Linhares says. Regional collaboration magnifies the effect of individual biosecurity and diagnostic investments.

Here are a few key takeaways from the Applied Solutions for Swine Disease Management and Diagnostics session at the 2026 American Association of Swine Veterinarians Annual Meeting.

“Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) control decisions are not purely biologic – they are system decisions. We don’t choose interventions based solely on severity. We choose them based on severity + goal + historical status.” – Brooke Kitting, VMD, Seaboard Foods

(Jennifer Shike)

“Internal herd management alone doesn’t determine outcomes. External exposure risk matters. We need to understand not only what’s inside our system, but what’s happening around us to complete the full picture.” – Angie Supple, DVM, Eichelberger Farms

“Despite advances in biosecurity and vaccination, outbreaks persist due to frequent virus reintroduction and inadequate regional control programs. Industry initiatives such as the PRRS Outbreak Management Program (POMP) and Epidemic Cyberinfrastructure (EPIC) have improved monitoring and benchmarking capabilities, enabling veterinarians to make informed decisions based on aggregated diagnostic and production data. Additionally, recent causal inference analyses have showcased the value in various management practices in a field environment settings during lateral breaks.” – Tyler Bauman, DVM, The Maschhoffs

“PRRS virus spillover to breeding herds in not a rare event, accounting for about 40% of the documented outbreaks in our study. This highlights the importance of rapid information sharing and coordinated responses within production systems following a break.” – Isadora Coelho, DVM, Iowa State University

“Know the herd you are working with and the local area. Use the databases to access local risk. Tools are designed as an early warning system. Look at patterns of spread to help with prediction.” – Paul Yeske, DVM, Swine Vet Center

(Jennifer Shike)

“Artificial intelligence enables uncertainty-aware predictions and explainable alerts, providing veterinarians with interpretable insights rather than opaque black-box results.” – Luc Dufresne, DVM, Swine Veterinary Partners

“Biosecurity is most effective when it’s established as a culture within a system, but protocols can be enhanced during times of high pressure. Regional awareness allows increased transport sanitation, tighter control around routes, enhanced entry protocols, increased testing and auditing.” – Angie Supple, DVM, Eichelberger Farms

Moving Swine Health Forward: SHIC Reveals 2026 Plan of Work

Sat, 28 Feb 2026 17:03:10 GMT

The process is often more important than the results. There’s no question the 2026 Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) Plan of Work lays out a multitude of important topics to tackle in the year ahead. But for SHIC Executive Director Megan Niederwerder, DVM, the process that goes into developing this plan is just as, if not more important.

“The whole premise of SHIC is to be responsive and nimble to best serve the U.S. pork industry,” Niederwerder explains. “We want to be able to shift resources when and where they’re needed. This consistency with the annual plan of work process allows us to ask those questions to stakeholders on a routine basis.”

Each year, SHIC works with producers and stakeholders to solicit ideas and research priorities to best know how to delegate resources to help the industry. Niederwerder finds the stakeholder engagement process of talking to producers, veterinarians, diagnostic labs and state pork associations incredibly valuable. She believes that line of communication with stakeholders is key because SHIC needs ears and eyes on day-to-day operations so SHIC’s plan of work can adjust as needed to changing pressures in the industry.

Activities directed by the 2026 Plan of Work will be implemented by Niederwerder and Associate Director Lisa Becton with input from the board and SHIC Working Groups.

Building on Record ROI in 2025

The SHIC 2026 Plan of Work aims to build on record 2025 ROI to U.S. pork producers, she says. Primary funding for SHIC’s 2026 Plan of Work comes from the Pork Checkoff under a contract between both organizations. In 2026, the National Pork Board voted to provide $1.5 million to fund SHIC. SHIC’s 2026 Plan of Work reflects this budget while maintaining its focus on deliverables to the US swine industry and the pork producers who fund the Checkoff.

While the 2026 Plan of Work directs activities for SHIC, the organization says it is nimble and able to respond to industry needs as they arise. Stakeholder input and ideas are welcomed year-round to inform newly identified industry needs which may necessitate adapting the Plan of Work to fulfill SHIC’s mission.

In 2026, SHIC continues its ongoing partnership with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Pork Checkoff aiming to fill knowledge gaps regarding H5N1 Risk to Swine through a collaborative research program. Ten H5N1 projects on swine were funded in 2025 to address gaps in knowledge identified through producer input. In January 2026, SHIC released a second round of request for proposals to fulfill remaining H5N1 research priorities.

Priorities in 2026

Improve Swine Health Information
- Veterinary diagnostic laboratory data collation for domestic disease monitoring
- Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project voluntary reporting for domestic disease monitoring
- Webinars to inform veterinarians and producers about emerging swine health issues
- Maintaining up-to-date swine disease fact sheets
- Ensuring timely and valuable communications across stakeholder audiences
Monitor and Mitigate Risks to Swine Health
1. Monitoring high-risk product importation and traveler entry at borders
2. Global disease monitoring to identify international swine disease risks
3. Fostering information sharing with government and allied industry through international animal health organizations
4. Packing plant biocontainment to reduce trailer contamination at unloading docks
5. Packing plant tools for effective cleaning and disinfection of lairage
6. Cull sow and secondary market biosecurity and disease surveillance
Responding to Emerging Disease
- Emergency disease preparedness and response planning in coordination with state, federal and industry stakeholders
- Rapid deployment of research funds for a newly emerging disease
- Identification of early disease warning signals utilizing emerging technology
- New World Screwworm as an emerging disease risk for US swine
- Mitigating risk of H5N1 IAV to commercial swine populations
- Investigating production and swine health impacts of porcine sapovirus as an emerging pathogen
- Porcine astrovirus 4 as an emerging disease threat to US swine
- Utilizing standardized outbreak investigations to identify high risk events for pathogen entry
Surveillance and Discovery of Emerging Disease
- Diagnostic fee support to assist in early detection of emerging diseases
- Increasing the utility of VDL submissions as an effective surveillance stream for detection of emerging diseases
- Investigating the clinical relevance and epidemiology of newly identified agents in VDL submissions associated with swine disease
- Genome-based diagnostic technologies for emerging disease detection and forensic analysis
- Population and environmental surveillance technologies to facilitate rapid detection of emerging diseases
Swine Disease Matrix
- Using the bacterial and viral swine disease matrices as guidelines for research to enhance swine disease diagnostic capabilities

A Stockman’s Mind in an AI World: Dan Hamilton on the Future of Swine Genetics

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 20:28:47 GMT

Even as technology and artificial intelligence (AI) transform the pork industry, Dan Hamilton, senior director for product performance in the Americas for PIC, argues that a curious human mind is more important than ever.

“As an industry, we must be open-minded, especially toward new technologies and new ways of doing things,” Hamilton says. “To remain competitive, we must have the curiosity and willingness to try things so we can stay on the cutting edge and be right where we want to be.”

At the forefront of significant advancements in swine genetics, Hamilton has witnessed how cameras, sensors, and AI are revolutionizing the barn. While these tools collect and process massive amounts of data at lightning speed, Hamilton warns against blind reliance on the “black box” of technology.

“I always tell people when you create an algorithm, it always gives you an answer,” Hamilton says. “But stay curious. Ask yourself if it’s the right answer and if we should be making a decision based on it.”

Validating the Algorithm

Nothing replaces an inquisitive mind that constantly asks how to make things better. For Hamilton, the power of a company like PIC lies in its access to large, commercially relevant data sets. While PIC has always relied on nucleus farms for precise data, Hamilton notes they have expanded their reach into the commercial sector.

“As we use these new technologies, we’ve got more data points in differing environments,” Hamilton explains. “We must continually validate these technologies to ensure they are bringing value, and we must continue to retool the algorithms to make them more accurate and refined for their specific locations.”

Taking the Subjectivity Out of Selection

Digital phenotyping—the use of automated technologies like cameras and sensors—allows producers to measure behavioral, structural, and production traits objectively and non-invasively. Hamilton has focused specifically on how this technology evaluates the feet and legs of swine.

“Feet and leg quality are vital to a sound breeding program,” he notes. “For generations, good stockmen have selected for better feet and legs, but there has always been a level of subjectivity. What I think is ideal, you might see as slightly different.”

By training AI algorithms using images from expert selectors, researchers can now evaluate structural soundness in real-time.

“This is a huge step forward,” Hamilton says. “We’ve found that algorithms are often more accurate and consistent than humans. Even the best selector doesn’t always score the same animal the same way every time. It could be because it’s Monday morning versus Wednesday afternoon, or they caught the pig at the wrong moment. The cameras, however, are three times more accurate, allowing us to make faster genetic progress.”

The ultimate goal? Predicting longevity.

“We are now using that data to predict which gilts or boars will have the greatest longevity in the sow herd,” he says. “Moving from what we thought were the best feet and legs to actual data based on herd retention is a major shift toward better outcomes.”

Decoding the “Social Network” of Pigs

The modern pig is not the animal your grandparents raised. Today’s pigs are raised in large, indoor pens, meaning selection traits must evolve alongside the environment. While profitability remains a driver, Hamilton says welfare and behavior are becoming equally critical.

“When I was in graduate school, we used to sit pen-side and manually record pig behavior on a tablet,” he recalls. “We could never get large enough data sets to really move the needle. Today, with AI, we can obtain behavior recordings on thousands of pigs simultaneously.”

By measuring “normal” behaviors—time spent eating, lying, sitting, or drinking—PIC is identifying highly heritable traits that can be improved through selection. This has led to the study of “social networking” within the pen.

“Pigs develop behaviors for a reason,” Hamilton says. “Understanding how they live together—which ones are dominant, which are subordinate, and what ‘cliques’ they form—creates opportunities. We want higher-performing, more profitable pigs, but we also want pigs with behaviors that are better for their pen-mates and their caregivers.”

Precision at the Feeder

Beyond health alerts and activity monitoring, Hamilton sees a future where cameras count pigs and predict weights with near-perfect accuracy, ensuring pigs go to market at the optimal size according to their growth curve.

He is particularly excited about the potential for AI to improve sow livability through automated body condition scoring.

“If you can take caliper or body condition readings and have them ‘talk’ to an automatic feeding system, you manage daily intake based on the sow’s specific condition and weight,” Hamilton says. “That brings us to a level of precision we’ve never seen on the farm.”

The Challenge of the System

Despite the high-tech tools, Hamilton reminds producers that they are still managing biological beings within a complex production system. Challenges like health breaks and “flow constraints” remain the industry’s biggest hurdles.

“Producers often have to put X number of pigs into X number of spaces. If they have a few extra pigs, they still go into that same space,” he says. “What is profitable in the short term may not allow for maximum genetic performance.”

Hamilton also applies his “curious mind” philosophy to the ongoing debate over pork quality. He suggests the industry needs to stop looking only at the loin and start looking at the consumer.

“We have great tools to improve pH, color, and marbling in the loin, but the loin is only one part of the carcass,” he says. “If we improve loin quality at the expense of ham quality, are we really winning? We need to understand why the U.S. consumer isn’t paying for higher quality before we can truly decide how fast to move. The technology is here, but the questions, and the curiosity, must come first.”

You can listen to more of Hamilton’s personal story of resilience on “The PORK Podcast” on YouTube or follow The PORK Podcast anywhere podcasts are found.

U.S. Soy Symposium Features Practical and Economic Advances in Soybean Meal Use for Pig Diets

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:00:02 GMT

As economic pressure and performance expectations continue to intensify across pork production systems, swine nutritionists are being challenged to move beyond least-cost formulation and toward strategies that impact profit/pig. That shift is the focus of a U.S. Soy-sponsored symposium at the 2026 American Society of Animal Science (ASAS) Midwest Section Meeting titled The Science and Commercial Application of Soybean Meal in Today’s Pig Diets.

The symposium, scheduled for March 10 from 1 to 5 p.m., will bring together leading researchers and industry experts to present the latest science on soybean meal while placing an emphasis on commercial application and economic decision-making in modern pork production systems. This session is designed to bridge research and practice, addressing how soybean meal quality, energy valuation and strategic inclusion rates influence pig performance and profitability under real-world commercial conditions, the United Soybean Board says.

“This symposium brings forward new knowledge about the use of soybean meal in swine nutrition and health applications,” Nathan Augspurger, vice president for Animal Nutrition and Health at the United Soybean Board, said in a release. “It features an impressive list of speakers discussing the development of corn-soy diet for pigs, soybean meal quality, net energy values, practical applications and economics.”

Robert Easter, emeritus professor and former president of the University of Illinois, will open it up with a historical perspective on the development of the corn-soy diet for pigs. R. Dean Boyd will then outline the foundational pillars that define soybean meal’s value in swine nutrition and health, setting the stage for more applied discussions throughout the afternoon. Additional presentations by Aaron Gaines, Bart Borg, David Rosero and Hans Stein will build on those pillars ranging from a new net energy approach to the strategic application of soybean meal in the face of seasonal challenges for growing and finishing pigs in commercial environments. Sessions led by Gonzalo Mateos and Katelyn Gaffield will focus on soybean meal quality and assessment from both global and domestic perspectives.

A new economic decision-making tool

A major highlight of the symposium will be the introduction of a new web-based financial modeling tool developed by Iowa State University, led by David Rosero, in collaboration with the United Soybean Board and funded by the Soy Checkoff. The model integrates diet formulation, predicted growth performance and future pricing for feed ingredients and pigs to help users evaluate profitability scenarios.

“This financial modeling tool can help swine nutritionists go beyond the formulation desk – it’s an all-inclusive, integrated web-based digital model that estimates the financial value of nutritional strategies in order to maximize growth potential and profitability,” Rosero said in a release.

Examples shared during the symposium will include seasonal challenges such as summer heat stress, illustrating how nutrition strategies that incorporate soybean meal can help maintain carcass weight and economic returns.

“Beyond nutritionists, this tool is also important to decision-makers in the industry and can help move them from a least-cost diet formulation approach to a profit/pig decision, allowing owners and CFOs to see the bigger picture when it comes to profitability,” Borg added in the release.

All symposium attendees will receive immediate access to the tool, with plans for ongoing availability through Iowa State University resources and the U.S. Soy Center for Animal Nutrition and Health website. Augspurger will conclude the symposium with a discussion on future research opportunities for soybean meal in swine production, followed by a panel discussion and audience Q&A with all speakers.

Registration is now open for the 2026 ASAS Midwest Section Meeting , scheduled for March 9 – 11 in Omaha, Neb.

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