By Hannah Walkes, President of Pipestone Veterinary Services
The use of air filtration systems on sow farms has been proven to reduce the incidence of airborne illnesses such as porcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRS), however, there are still many swine operations that operate without one. While the design of physical structures varies, most operations can reduce overall cost per pig if the correct filtration system is used in conjunction with biosecurity practices.
Why Filtration?
Everything we knew about air filtration originally, I must give credit to Dr. Scott Dee. While he was at the University of Minnesota (UMN), he did some testing at their research farm in northern Minnesota that proved that when you put filters on farms, you could keep PRRS out of those barns successfully.
At Pipestone, we had quite a few barns break out with different strains of PRRS multiple times per year, and we were forced to come up with a solution just to keep those producers in business. We brought Dr. Dee in while he was still with UMN and worked with him and Dr. Steve Pohl at South Dakota State University (SDSU) to really give it a go and try it on a couple of farms in northwest Iowa. This was in 2006, and here we are 14 years later not only doing it, but we are doing it at about all of the sow farms we manage today. Today there are 200,000 sows in farms managed by Pipestone Management that are under a filtration system. We also have hundreds of thousands of sows managed by independent family farms that we consult with and help them with their filtration.
Filtration Works
Through filtration, we have been able to reduce our PRRS risk by about 70% infection rate. It is successful, but just like anything, it is not perfect. It is one mitigation tool to keep PRRS out via airborne transmission. You still must step up your biosecurity protocols and make sure that your supplies coming in, your people coming in, your trucks going out, and your animals coming in, all are focused on biosecurity as well.
In 2013, we took a dramatic step forward and we entered the filter supply chain with an agreement with 3M and started selling air filters to drive the price down and to take out the layers in the middle. Just by getting into the supply chain we took the price of filtration down by about 30% in one year. We also wanted to learn and directly impact the design of the filters to see if they could last longer. As a partner with 3M, we could do that. Today, we utilize a third-party lab based out of Minneapolis to test all of our filters. We have between six and eight different types, kinds and sizes of filters being tested in our research barn at any given time.
Positive Vs. Negative Pressure Barns
There is a positive and a negative pressure of filtration style. So, think of one as a push and one as a pull. All farms managed by Pipestone Management are negative pressure. This does not mean this is the right way, as they are both good options. However, when we started with negative pressure in 2006, it was successful for us. Today, our protocols are built on negative pressure. But, we consult with a lot of clients who have good luck with positive pressure barns. Both positive and negative pressure filtration is successful at keeping the virus out.
Is It Worth the Investment?
It was a lot more expensive when we first started, but we have been able to drive that cost down for a variety of reasons. There are many factors that go into the cost of adding filtration to your barn, including barn design, whether you plan to go positive or negative pressure and new construction versus a retrofit. If you have questions, reach out to your veterinarian. We have experts on our team, that have seen it all. We would be happy to put you in contact with them and they can walk you through your individual situation and give you a cost estimate.
To learn more, listen to the SwineTime Podcast featuring Hannah Walkes.
