10 Quotes to Remember from the 2020 Leman Swine Conference

Peter Davies, Gordon Spronk and Clayton Johnson wrap up the 2020 Leman Conference in "Where Do We Go From Here?"

COVID-19 concerns may have kept 2020 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference attendees physically apart, but it did not stop the sharing of ideas and perspectives from Sept. 19-22 during one of the swine industry’s most beloved events of the year.

“Virtual platforms have limitations, but they do allow for conversations with people you may not have had the opportunity to interact with in person,” Clayton Johnson, DVM, with Carthage Veterinary Service said in the wrap-up session on Tuesday.

Here are some quotable moments from this year’s event:

"If I can get the industry to do one thing...do more of what Bob Morrison would do for the industry. Ask questions and listen before you act. We need that more than ever as I look at the pork industry going forward." -Mark Greenwood of Compeer Financial in “Where Have We Been and Where Should We Go?”
"It’s a new paradigm–never would you think balancing your pig flows is so important and vital. We need to match our pig flows with our available shackle space. We have to get more disciplined than we are now." -Myrl Mortenson of The Hanor Company in the Morrison Lectureship “Value Added Pork Production”
"An emergency is not the time to meet your neighbor." -Michelle Kromm, DVM, with Jennie-O and Hormel Foods in “The Role of Industry in an Incident Response to a Disease Emergency”
“The industry is clearly experiencing a significant gut check in terms of how it operates from top to bottom. While this issue of price discovery is not often on the top of most observers’ list of critical issues, I contend that the lack of price discovery in today’s hog and pork industry is causing issues that frankly speaking, if left unchecked, will alter the way the industry looks and operates in the future in an irreparable way.” -Bill Kaelin of McVean Trading and Investments in “Price Discovery in the Hog Market”
“One of the silver linings of COVID-19 is that we now have better methods for mass depopulation. I hope we never have to deal with a FAD, but we are more prepared now.” -Paul Yeske, DVM, with Swine Vet Center in “The Swine Producer’s and Veterinarian’s Response to COVID-19”
“There are a lot of reasons that I don't think you really want to be first when you're dealing with a pandemic.” -David Preisler of Minnesota Pork Board in “2020: The Lessons We Need to Learn”
“What leadership role do you play? You don't have to be the CEO to influence change. You shouldn't be afraid of change.” -Jeff Worstell of Tri-Oak in “Projecting Optimal Throughput – What Will Post-COVID Throughput Optimization Look Like?”
“I believe that efficiency and productivity is sustainability in the production systems that we operate and as an industry.” -Mark Schwartz of Schwartz Farms in “Cost and Productivity Analysis in the Midst of the COVID Shutdown”
“The sow caliper is the technology that has brought the most value to our business. The art of feeding was taken away and made a science of feeding. That’s what I appreciate the most. We are full-feeding sows in lactation now, so we’re taking all the guesswork out of step feeding. We’ve taken the guesswork out of feeding the sows in gestation because we’ve got to hit a certain body score. It’s brought a discipline to the system and has saved us millions of dollars implementing that simple technology.” -Dave Wade of The Hanor Company in the Morrison Lectureship “Value Added Pork Production”
“Technology that helps us from a biosecurity and traceability standpoint has tremendous value when we think about a foreign animal disease outbreak. We know we are not in a good situation to know where all the pigs are instantly. If there was technology out there that could better help us manage down times and really just track people, pigs and trucks, I think that would be something the industry needs to embrace.” -Clayton Johnson, DVM, with Carthage Veterinary Service in “Where Do We Go From Here?