By Jake Koepke, senior feed mill supervisor for Pipestone Nutrition
When we think about biosecurity, most of us picture the practices happening right on the sow farm—shower-in, shower-out, Danish entry systems, boot changes, and visitor protocols. But the reality is that protecting sow herds begins long before anyone walks through the barn door. The feed mill, and the trucks that deliver your feed, can either serve as a strong first line of defense or as a major source of risk.
At Pipestone Nutrition, we audit 45 feed mills that supply Pipestone-managed sow farms twice each year. These audits focus not only on compliance but also on continuous improvement—because keeping pathogens out of sow herds starts with preventing them from entering through the feed supply chain.
The Biosecurity Pyramid: Putting Sow Herds First
Just like chores inside a barn start with the healthiest pigs, feed delivery follows the same idea. Trucks delivering to high-health sow farms are scheduled first, and they stay dedicated to those farms until they’ve been through a full wash, disinfect, and dry cycle. Trucks that go to lower-health or disease-positive sites can’t just swing back to a sow farm the next day. They need 12-24 hours of downtime after a deep clean to make sure pathogens don’t tag along.
For sow farms, this isn’t just good practice—it’s essential. A single mistake in feed sequencing can undo months or even years of herd health progress.
When Shortcuts Cost You
Imagine a gilt developer site placing an emergency feed order. In the rush to deliver, a truck that had just come from a PRRSv-positive site is used without the proper downtime. That short-term decision could have long-term consequences. PRRSv might be introduced to a previously healthy gilt site, putting replacement animals—and the sow farms relying on them—at risk.
The lesson is clear: even in emergencies, biosecurity rules can’t be skipped. Gilts are the foundation of the sow herd, and once health is compromised, it’s incredibly hard to get it back.
Clean Trucks, Healthy Herds
Feed trucks are the unseen visitors to sow farms every day, which makes them one of the biggest risks if not properly managed. Mills now follow strict cleaning routines:
- Exterior washing and disinfecting weekly, or immediately after visiting a positive site, followed by at least 12 hours of downtime.
- Interior sanitation of cabs every day—wiping down surfaces, washing floor mats, and disinfecting touch points.
These steps may sound small, but they make a huge difference in keeping PRRSv, PEDv, and influenza out of sow farms. Think of it as the same logic as cleaning between groups in the barn—except now it’s applied to the trucks that show up in your yard.
Proof It Works
This spring, a sow farm broke with PRRSv. The feed mill servicing that farm immediately dedicated trucks and trailers to the positive site and strictly enforced wash, disinfect, and dry protocols before those trucks returned to any other farm. The result? The virus was contained, and four neighboring sow farms stayed healthy. Thousands of sows were protected, saving countless piglets and significant dollars in lost production.
People Matter Too
Vehicles aren’t the only risk. Every driver, veterinarian, or nutritionist moving between sites plays a role in disease spread. That’s why many mills and farms are doubling down on personal biosecurity. Disposable booties, Danish entry systems, and dry disinfectant foot baths are now common tools to keep pathogens from riding in on someone’s shoes.
The South Dakota mill mentioned earlier added these steps for drivers—booties at every site and foot baths at entry points. Combined with the truck cleaning protocols, those extra precautions kept PRRSv from spreading beyond the initial break, protecting more than 70,000 sow farm spaces.
A Shared Responsibility
Sow farms cannot stand alone in biosecurity. Their health depends on feed mills, truck drivers, nutritionists, and veterinarians all executing with discipline. When sow herds are protected, the benefits cascade: healthier litters, stronger weaned pigs, and reduced disease pressure for downstream finishers.
Take-Home Messages for Sow Farms
- Put sow herds first when planning feed delivery routes—use the biosecurity pyramid.
- Keep trucks clean inside and out, with wash, disinfect, and dry cycles built into the routine.
- Don’t overlook personal biosecurity—booties, benches, and foot baths matter.
For sow farms, the stakes are higher than anywhere else in the production chain. Feed mills that commit to rigorous biosecurity aren’t just protecting trucks or bins—they’re protecting the heart of the swine industry: the sow herd.
