Latest News From Biosecurity

Strategize Swine Feed as Part of Risk Management
Strategize Swine Feed as Part of Risk Management

Challenging times in the market offer valuable opportunities to reexamine risk management strategies for feed inputs.

It’s Time to Unravel How Multiple Swine Pathogens Interact in the Pig
It’s Time to Unravel How Multiple Swine Pathogens Interact in the Pig

It’s one thing to know how a disease pathogen affects a pig. It’s another thing to know how multiple disease pathogens affect a pig. A new study sheds light for producers.

Pork Producers Adopt Enhanced Swine Traceability Resolution at National Pork Industry Forum
Pork Producers Adopt Enhanced Swine Traceability Resolution at National Pork Industry Forum

U.S. pork producers approved a resolution to enhance the country’s live swine traceability system during the 2024 National Pork Industry Forum on March 7. Here's what it means for the industry.

What Are the Stakes if We Fail to Make Progress in Biosecurity?
What Are the Stakes if We Fail to Make Progress in Biosecurity?

Is the U.S. pork industry making progress in the area of biosecurity? Derald Holtkamp, DVM and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, says it depends on how you measure progress.

How an APP Outbreak Could Help Change the Pork Industry
How an APP Outbreak Could Help Change the Pork Industry

When outbreaks of APP15 were detected in Iowa finishers in late 2021, experts agreed they were unusual. In response, SHIC funded research to define the risk and mitigation of this emerging swine disease strain.

APHIS Bolsters Animal Health Surveillance for Unexplained Mortality Investigations
APHIS Bolsters Animal Health Surveillance for Unexplained Mortality Investigations

A new collaborative effort is helping fund rapid investigations of unexplained morbidity or mortality events in animals – unexpected deaths or illnesses that could signal emerging animal disease threats.

What Everyone Was Talking About at AASV's Annual Meeting
What Everyone Was Talking About at AASV's Annual Meeting

A variety of topics ranging from biosecurity breaches to PRRS kicked off conversations during the 2024 American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting. Here’s a quick glimpse of what some experts had to say.

5 Practical Ideas Pork Producers Can Borrow from the Egg Industry
5 Practical Ideas Pork Producers Can Borrow from the Egg Industry

The laying hen industry shares similar risks to the pork industry regarding disease prevention. Versova's Craig Rowles shares practical examples from the egg industry that could work on your farm.

AgView’s New Feature Makes Commuter Agreements a Cinch for Pig Farmers
AgView’s New Feature Makes Commuter Agreements a Cinch for Pig Farmers

A new feature in AgView may be just what you are looking for to save time and be more efficient on the farm.

 Japanese Encephalitis Virus: SHIC/FFAR Collaboration Seeks Research Proposals
Japanese Encephalitis Virus: SHIC/FFAR Collaboration Seeks Research Proposals

Understanding potential impacts of JEV on pork production is critical to protecting the health of the U.S. swine herd as well as mitigating the risk of this emerging disease. Here's what the pork industry is doing now.

We Can’t Ignore the Real Costs of PRRS Any Longer
We Can’t Ignore the Real Costs of PRRS Any Longer

Why is the U.S. pork industry living with PRRS? Pipestone's Cara Haden believes this virus is making it challenging for the U.S. to claim to be the "absolute best in the world." She says it's time to do something.

Effective Swine Biosecurity That Helps Stretch a Dollar
Effective Swine Biosecurity That Helps Stretch a Dollar

Swine producers are caught in belt-tightening measures testing the limits of their resourcefulness. Don't let the need to save money blind you to the importance of biosecurity for your operation. Here are ways to save.

Lawmakers Urged to Support Dog Importation and Rural Veterinary Shortage Legislation
Lawmakers Urged to Support Dog Importation and Rural Veterinary Shortage Legislation

Veterinarian advocates are urging congressional offices to support and cosponsor the Rural Veterinary Workforce Act and include the Healthy Dog Importation Act in the new farm bill. Here's why.

PRRS Prevention Could Reduce Antibiotic Use on Pig Farms, Iowa State Study Shows
PRRS Prevention Could Reduce Antibiotic Use on Pig Farms, Iowa State Study Shows

Large investor groups are putting increased pressure on major food service organizations to reduce antimicrobial use in their protein supply chains. Can gene editing help reduce antibiotic use?

Don’t Let PRRS Hold Your Swine Operation Hostage Anymore
Don’t Let PRRS Hold Your Swine Operation Hostage Anymore

PRRS has been holding the pork industry hostage for far too long. A new study shows improvements in swine herd biosecurity can reduce the incidence risk of PRRS.

Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Tops SHIC Accomplishments in 2023
Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program Tops SHIC Accomplishments in 2023

There's no question the Swine Health Information Center got a lot done in 2023, and plans are underway to make 2024 even more productive. Here's an inside look with SHIC executive director Megan Niederwerder.

Thank You Paul Sundberg: A Pork Industry Tribute
Thank You Paul Sundberg: A Pork Industry Tribute

Although Paul Sundberg, DVM, is always one to turn the spotlight onto others, the pork industry wants to say thank you for his years of devotion to helping pork producers and pigs thrive.

Feed Mill Decontamination Methods: Questions Remain
Feed Mill Decontamination Methods: Questions Remain

A new study confirms the difficulty in eliminating viral RNA from a contaminated feed mill post-introduction and highlights the need for continued emphasis on biosecurity for preventing pathogen entry.

A Humble Leader: How Paul Sundberg Moved the Needle in Swine Health
A Humble Leader: How Paul Sundberg Moved the Needle in Swine Health

Former basketball coach John Wooden and swine health leader Paul Sundberg share at least one thing in common. They both define success by “never quite getting there.” Sundberg says trying to "get there" makes life fun.

SHIC Standardized Outbreak Investigation Program Launches Web-Based Application for Industry Use
SHIC Standardized Outbreak Investigation Program Launches Web-Based Application for Industry Use

The Swine Health Information Center’s Standardized Outbreak Investigation Program is now available online. It was introduced as a Word-based form to conduct outbreak investigations. Here's what you need to know.

Aerosol Biosecurity Review is Now Available
Aerosol Biosecurity Review is Now Available

Infectious diseases such as PED, PRRS and influenza can be transmitted through contaminated airborne particles. A variety of industries use technologies to control aerosolized emissions. An extensive review is now out.

Water-Soluble Antibiotics Provide New Option to Control Sow Health Challenges
Water-Soluble Antibiotics Provide New Option to Control Sow Health Challenges

Pathogens that cause swine respiratory disease and ileitis taunt pork producers daily. Veterinarians share how water-soluble antibiotics may help.

Cleanliness Study Evaluates Bioluminescence Use in Transport Trailers
Cleanliness Study Evaluates Bioluminescence Use in Transport Trailers

Visual inspection is insufficient to ensure cleanliness and eliminate disease transmission risk due to microscopic viruses and bacteria. Here's what could help.

Have A Plan for Disaster, Hope You Never Need It
Have A Plan for Disaster, Hope You Never Need It

When it comes to preventing a FAD at your operation, remember you are not on your own. There are three levels that must work together to achieve success.

A 2024 Health Outlook for the U.S. Swine Industry
A 2024 Health Outlook for the U.S. Swine Industry

For the U.S. swine industry, 2023 has been a year most farmers would like to forget. However, this time, it's not because of disease issues. Here are three predictions for pig health in 2024 by Pipestone's Joel Nerem.

U.S. Continues Efforts to Keep Japanese Encephalitis Virus Out
U.S. Continues Efforts to Keep Japanese Encephalitis Virus Out

The U.S. pork industry has learned its lesson about paying attention to disease outbreaks in other countries. That's why a new website has been created about Japanese Encephalitis Virus that wreaked havoc in Australia.

5 Key Steps to Reduce the Health Tax on Your Swine Farm
5 Key Steps to Reduce the Health Tax on Your Swine Farm

As swine producers, you all pay a health tax at the end of the year, whether you know it or not. This tax is paid on every pig and reflects the cost of less-than-perfect health in an operation.

Flashback: Killing Hogzilla the Monster Wild Pig
Flashback: Killing Hogzilla the Monster Wild Pig

The history of wild pig hunts is filled with unusual stories, but the chase for a 750-lb. beast hiding in plain sight on a Mississippi farm ranks as a standalone account. Farming reality outshines fiction.

Winter is Coming: Are You PRRS Ready?
Winter is Coming: Are You PRRS Ready?

Ready or not, peak disease transmission season has arrived. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a frustrating and complicated disease. How prepared are your farm and team for PRRS season?

Emerging Global Swine Disease Threats: Industry Actionables and Support
Emerging Global Swine Disease Threats: Industry Actionables and Support

Emerging infectious diseases are a constant threat to the swine industry. Here's how SHIC is helping protect and mitigate emerging disease risks to the North American swine population.

10 African Swine Fever Research Projects Wrap Up in Vietnam
10 African Swine Fever Research Projects Wrap Up in Vietnam

Results of African swine fever research in Vietnam are helping inform prevention and preparedness efforts for the U.S. pork industry while helping with response and recovery efforts for the ASF epidemic in Vietnam.  

Wild Pig Populations in U.S. Can Be Managed
Wild Pig Populations in U.S. Can Be Managed

Recent conservation efforts have proven effective at controlling wild pig populations in the Southeastern U.S., according to new research.

Top 10 States with the Largest Wild Pig Populations
Top 10 States with the Largest Wild Pig Populations

Wild hog populations are continuing to spread and move north in the U.S. As one of the most destructive invasive animal species in the U.S., the significant increase in the wild hog population is a great concern.

Methods to Protect Feed from Foreign Animal Disease
Methods to Protect Feed from Foreign Animal Disease

Although foreign animal disease may be more likely to enter the country with the animals themselves, feed – including soybeans and corn – also raise concern in the livestock industry. Here are three ways to lessen risk.

Hong Kong Authorities Discover ASF Outbreak on Farm
Hong Kong Authorities Discover ASF Outbreak on Farm

A new outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) was discovered on a farm in Hong Kong.

PRRS Breakthrough: Virus Can Survive and Be Transmitted Through Feed
PRRS Breakthrough: Virus Can Survive and Be Transmitted Through Feed

When the sows stopped eating, the farm manager closed the feed line, preserved the feed in the bin, and called Scott Dee out to the farm. Little did Dee know that he was about to discover PRRS virus can live in feed.

SHIC Helps Refine PCV3 Case Definition with VDL Study
SHIC Helps Refine PCV3 Case Definition with VDL Study

A new study provides valuable insights into the diagnosis and prevalence of porcine circovirus type 3 in reproductive failure and surveillance cases submitted to the ISU-VDL as well as the synergism of PCV3.

PORK Perspectives: A Minute with Anthony Novero
PORK Perspectives: A Minute with Anthony Novero

For Anthony Novero, biosecurity has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. His dad managed a research sow farm in the 1980s, where showering in was a way of life before other farms adopted the practice. 

It's Time to Raise User Fees Within Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection Program, NPPC Says
It's Time to Raise User Fees Within Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection Program, NPPC Says

It's time to raise user feeds within the Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) program, NPPC says. The last fee increase was in 2015. The current fees no longer generate enough revenue to cover program costs.

Mississippi Hunter and Florida Trapper Survive Wild Pig Attacks
Mississippi Hunter and Florida Trapper Survive Wild Pig Attacks

“The public doesn’t realize what these animals are capable of,” says wildlife trapper James Dean. “Unfortunately, you’re going to see more and more reports of people getting hurt in wild pig encounters.”

Keeping Watch: Absorbent Mats Offer Swine Disease Surveillance Potential
Keeping Watch: Absorbent Mats Offer Swine Disease Surveillance Potential

Uncomplicating disease surveillance is a great opportunity for the swine industry. That’s why Hope Dohlman analyzed the level of detection of PRRSV material in wean-age piglets through the use of an absorbent mat. 

Traceability is Not New: What it Means to the Pork Industry
Traceability is Not New: What it Means to the Pork Industry

Traceability is not a new concept, says National Pork Board chief veterinarian Dusty Oedekoven. He shares why its time for change, along with producers Joe Dykhuis and Alan Wulfekuhle and veterinarian Clayton Johnson. 

Study Uncovers Best Disinfectant to Avoid Sample Cross Contamination
Study Uncovers Best Disinfectant to Avoid Sample Cross Contamination

Cross-contamination between samples is one of the most common pre-analytical errors and can cause misleading diagnostic results, says Casondra Snow, a first year DVM student at the University of Minnesota. 

ASF Preparedness Toolbox: Have You Seen These Recent Updates?
ASF Preparedness Toolbox: Have You Seen These Recent Updates?

USDA APHIS recently updated several response plans and templates for the pork industry to utilize in the case of an African swine fever outbreak. Here's a look at what's new.

SHIC Pursues Diagnostic Test to Detect Multiple Swine Viruses at the Same Time
SHIC Pursues Diagnostic Test to Detect Multiple Swine Viruses at the Same Time

TELSVirus has the potential to support real-time surveillance of endemic and emergent viruses, while improving understanding of co-circulating viruses, their genetic diversity and how they impact swine production.

Input Needed from Commercial and Showpig Producers on Swine Traceability Standards
Input Needed from Commercial and Showpig Producers on Swine Traceability Standards

U.S. pork producers tasked NPPC to help update the existing swine traceability system. Swine producers, veterinarians, cull swine and breeding operators and show pig enthusiasts are asked to comment by Oct. 27.

US SHIP Delegates Elect First General Conference Committee
US SHIP Delegates Elect First General Conference Committee

Delegates voted on the first General Conference Committee that will serve as the federal advisory committee to USDA on swine health and the administration of US SHIP upon codification to a USDA program.

Experts Search for Cause of African Swine Fever Outbreak in Sweden
Experts Search for Cause of African Swine Fever Outbreak in Sweden

Experts are still trying to determine the origin of the African swine fever outbreak in Sweden, a minor pork exporter that holds only 1% of the swine herd in the European Union. 

Assume the Barn Has Disease Even If It Doesn’t
Assume the Barn Has Disease Even If It Doesn’t

It costs a lot of money. It takes a lot of work. And if you do it perfectly, the result isn’t even visible at first. It’s no wonder it’s hard to convince people to do the right thing and follow biosecurity protocols.