Face Next-Generation Challenges in the Pork Industry Head On
The threats facing the U.S. swine industry are many, veterinarian Gordon Spronk pointed out at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) annual meeting in Aurora, Colo., on March 6. He challenged AASV members and everyone in the U.S. pork industry to step up to play a leadership role in overcoming them.
Although he narrowed in on the role of swine veterinarians in meeting disease challenges during his presentation, he emphasized the importance of pork producers and allied industry awareness and teamwork to fight ongoing disease battles.
Perhaps most importantly, he shared invaluable leadership advice that quieted the room. Be humble, don't be afraid of failure, eliminate hurry, ask questions and relentlessly seek eternity.
"Don’t focus on the failure. Focus on the effort and surround yourself in your lifelong journey with people who will applaud your effort and ignore your failure. Use it as a learning opportunity," he advised.
Spronk shared 10 things the U.S. pork industry should apply at the farm immediately.
1. Keep African swine fever (ASF) virus out of the U.S. swine herd.
Enroll farms in the US SHIP program. This is the best strategy to mount a coordinated plan to prevent the introduction of trade limiting diseases, such as ASF. The initiative to fast-track implementation of US SHIP is gaining momentum with strong buy-in from producers around the U.S. and has the support of state and federal veterinary agencies. Success or failure of the program is based on producer engagement. Ask your congressman to support funding to keep the U.S. pork industry globally competitive.
2. Eliminate Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus from the national herd starting with elimination from breed-to-wean farms and keeping PRRS out of WTM groups.
Veterinarians should conduct a survey of clients and organize sow farms according to PRRS status. Prioritize elimination efforts based on likelihood of success, evaluating farm location, current level of biosecurity, facility design and economic benefit. Once organized, start the process of elimination using published, validated methods of herd closure and call on experienced colleagues for advice as needed. Encourage others to follow suit.
3. Apply next-generation biosecurity to breed-to-wean farms to keep PRRS out.
Evaluate the current biosecurity practices of breed-to-wean farms. At what level are they operating at? Do they have the direct routes managed properly with interventions in place? What about the mechanical risks? Can an aerosol and/or feed biosecurity plan be implemented? Are audits results reviewed and protocols improved? Seek advice from experienced professionals as needed.
4. Apply first-generation biosecurity to wean-to-market farms to keep group PRRS free.
First-generation biosecurity is an emerging area, so educational efforts will be important as new information comes forward. Use the knowledge in place to start discussions on implementing practices known to be effective, such as washing market trucks, changing clothing and footwear between sites, stopping movement of equipment and composting for carcass disposal rather than using rendering trucks. This is very “common sense-based” decision making and the sooner the educational process begins, the faster the adaptation across the industry.
5. Evaluate nutritional needs of high health herds.
Work closely with your nutritional provider to collect correct data, analyze it and make appropriate changes as ingredient sources change. Additionally, cooperate with field research to confirm and challenge current thinking to make better decisions at all production levels to keep U.S. cost of production competitive.
6. Innovate.
Find a field production need and work with your choice of innovators to find a solution – there are many! A great example is SoundTalks. This tool gives producers the opportunity to detect and respond to respiratory disease. It uses audio-based technology to detect and differentiate coughing pigs from other barn noises. It then turns that information into a respiratory distress index. The field technician can use this information for earlier disease detection and intervention. This is just one example of good innovation, there are many others you can apply to your farms.
7. Stay informed about international trade.
Educate yourself on the value of international trade. Increase knowledge and stay involved to remove international trade barriers and offer to assist in any way possible. One option is to increase the number of APHIS/FAD field report investigations to gain greater confidence of our trading partners. Go visit another country to learn more about the barriers to international trade.
8. Implement data collection, analysis and benchmarking.
Collect data on your farm. From water use to antibiotic use to electrical use, data will be valuable in future decision making to continue to keep pork affordable, safe and nutritious and allow our industry the social license to operate.
9. Attract new talent to the pork industry.
The U.S. pork industry faces a labor shortage at most, if not all, levels. Each of us can contribute to attract, train and keep the next generation of staff and leaders in our industry. Value people at every level of the industry from next-generation owners to barn staff. One way to do this is to learn how to listen. We need to attract the next generation to our industry – we want the brightest and the best.
10. Embrace sustainability.
Participate in the National Pork Board Sustainability initiative to create an On-Farm Sustainability Report for your farm or initiate your own. Educate yourself by recording accurate data on all sites including electricity, water usage, manure usage/application and all other inputs into a site. This will contribute to an industry goal to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
"We all have the science we need to succeed," Spronk said. "We will continue to learn and adapt. And we are challenged to lead well."
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