Hog Production
Walk onto a modern hog farm and it is typical to find climate-controlled farrowing houses filled with hardworking sows nursing litters of 12 or more piglets. But it hasn’t always been this way.
Since 2021 with its detection in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, African swine fever has been knocking at our door.
European scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm capable of interpreting pig sounds, aiming to create a tool that can help farmers improve animal welfare.
Every day, 11,200 Americans turn 65, resulting in over 4 million new retirees annually. This trend presents a significant challenge for the pork industry.
The stakes are higher than ever, and the transparency required to maintain consumer trust means the industry and producers alike must be aligned on environmental goals.
Elon Musk wants his futuristic Optimus robots to clean dishes and scrub carpets. But what if you wanted one of those creepy looking things working in your fields?
A new partnership is focused on developing livestock and poultry technologies.
Agricultural producers face many pressures and challenges. With a growing population that will demand more food, and a strained climate that requires attention and adjustment of practices, it is difficult to know right from wrong and fact from fiction.
Pork producers can find technology solutions that are not only easy enough for most personnel to use, but also sophisticated enough to control practically all functions across multiple rooms. Below are five big tech trends helping to make this possible.
PRRS surveillance is particularly challenging in low-prevalence scenarios due to the cost of testing representative units and the complexities associated with PRRSV ecology.
With a goal to provide welfare-friendly and cost-effective methods for active PRRSV surveillance, Cesar Corzo, Mariana Kikuti and colleagues led a study to evaluate the accuracy of different postmortem specimens collected from piglets in breeding herds for disease detection.
Missouri pork producer Jesse Heimer joins The Pork Podcast to discuss people, pigs and purpose, and how the showpig and commercial segments can work together to make the pork industry viable for generations to come.
Researchers Examine Trailer Contamination at Harvest Plant and On-Farm Mortality Disposal Structures
Novel tools, technologies and approaches are needed to augment current biosecurity practices in the U.S. swine industry. SHIC announced the funding of two new projects to advance biosecurity of swine farms.
Just like inflammation has negative implications on humans, it also creates challenges for growing pigs. Inflammation’s impact on pig growth can have a sizable impact on profitability.
Setting up a routine health testing program for your pigs can’t be a cookie-cutter copy of other producers’. Take into account individual needs that align with your desired outcomes and budget constraints, to create the best screening protocols for your operation.
Five pork industry experts weigh in on what technologies they want to see in a barn someday.
Purchasing technology is a major investment for any pork operation. From robotic power washers to cameras, there’s a lot to consider when it comes time to making purchases for your barn.
E.coli infection continues to be a challenge in the nursery, causing morbidity and mortality in weaned pigs. Antimicrobial-resistant E.coli is becoming a prevalent concern as multi-drug treatments are not yielding successful results, explains Rachel Retterath.
Many would say the pork industry isn’t faring well against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome when you look at the data. But Scott Dee, DVM, argues the pork industry is winning in his mind.
Agriculture is a stressful occupation, and farmers struggle with anxiety and depression at higher levels than the general population.
The swine industry uses data to make decisions that can ultimately improve productivity, minimize losses and identify areas of improvement. But, are we using it to its full potential?
The capability to store manure reduces or eliminates the need to spread manure daily. Manure storage facilities allow small farms to store the manure until it can be removed and utilized later.
Needleless intradermal vaccination of pigs in Canada is a growing practice as it is believed to cause less pain and reduce stress responses compared to intramuscular vaccination. One student set out to put the practice to test.
A new study shows that porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) can be detected and isolated from deep tracheal secretions antemortem. What does this mean for the pork industry?
While technologies such as electronic reporting systems, sensors, cameras and microphones offer exciting potential, they carry significant risk to production systems.
To kick off National Pork Month, Jennifer Shike joins the Unscripted podcast to share about the state of the pork industry, including the impact of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina producers.
Can administering two 200-mg doses of injectable iron dextran to piglets within the first 10 days of life offer a benefit when it comes to a pig’s ability to regulate body temperature?
Sam Beveridge joins the Ag Inspo podcast to share how your best contribution to the farm may be untraditional.
Wendy Mosher, CEO at New West Genetics and vice president of Hemp Feed Coalition, says this is something that has been in the works for at least four years
Despite nearly 24 inches of snow, below-zero temperatures and raging winds that some people are affectionately calling “Death Storm #2,” Illinois livestock producers are finding ways to overcome the horrific conditions.