Meet Kayla Mills, our latest addition to Farm Journal’s PORK’s Up & Coming Leaders feature. We are showcasing some of the fresh, new voices of the pork industry who combine innovative thought and work ethic with scientific savvy and a passion to make a difference.
Age: 28
Education: Bachelor’s degree in animal sciences, master’s degree in swine nutrition and physiology and pursuing PhD in swine reproductive physiology at Purdue University
Hometown: Saint John, Indiana
Q. How did you become interested in pursuing a career in the swine industry?
A. I was introduced to the swine industry for the first time as an undergraduate when my horse judging coach needed help running her wean-to-finish trials. I took the position thinking it would help build my resume for veterinary school. However, the more time I spent on the farm and in the lab, it was clear a research career in the swine industry would be much more fulfilling. Coming from a family who has owned a small business for four generations, I loved knowing the work I was doing not only helped animals but reduced financial burdens for producers, too.
Q. What has helped you gain swine industry experience?
A. To gain more pig experience, I used my free time outside of research obligations in the summers to work as a technician at Purdue’s swine unit. My primary responsibility was to help our assistant farm manager with evening and overnight shifts during farrowings, day 1 piglet care, piglet processing, and overall sow care while housed in the farrowing barn. I also helped the crew in our breeding barn with heat checking, breeding, and confirmation of pregnancy. Working alongside our farm crew as a technician as opposed to a researcher gave me a realistic look into what working with pigs day-to-day was actually like which I believe will help me tremendously as I move forward in my career.
Q. Describe any undergraduate research experiences you’ve had.
A. I was graced with the opportunity to work with Dr. Brian Richert and Dr. Scott Radcliffe as an undergraduate research assistant. They did not mind that I had little swine experience at the time, but it was more important that I showed up willing to learn and work hard every day. In the lab, I learned skills ranging from proximate analysis of feedstuffs to molecular techniques evaluating gene expression and the gut microbiome. I also completed an undergraduate research project that allowed me to travel to China to present our findings at the Chinese Swine Industry Symposium in 2016.
Q. Tell us about your current research.
A. I am studying ways to identify infertile boars and gilts before they enter the breeding herd. One aspect of my research focuses on identifying infertile gilts at weaning. Our findings show it is possible to predict whether a gilt will cycle at puberty using technology known as multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) profiling. Because weaning is the first stage of life where female pigs might be selected as a replacement gilt, it would be very advantageous to producers as it would erase the economic loss associated with raising a gilt that does not cycle.
Q. What is your generation’s greatest challenge?
A. I think the greatest challenge for my generation is harnessing the ability to effectively communicate the “why” behind current production practices to the general public in order to maintain trust between producers and consumers. As someone who grew up as a consumer with no production background, I am very aware of the concerns consumers have about the way we raise pigs. Many of their concerns stem from the fact that they don’t understand why we do what we do. I think it’s important for us to take the time to understand why we changed certain production practices in the 1970s and 1980s so we can explain to consumers how we arrived to where we are today.
Read more from Farm Journal’s PORK:
Technology Can Improve Farrowing Rates, Offset Labor Shortage
Han Explores How Computer Algorithms Can Improve Swine Production
Maternal Nutrition Strategies Can Decrease Piglet Mortality, Martinez Says
