Hog Health
The global swine industry has changed dramatically in the past four decades. Experts say those changes will play an important role in our country’s fight to keep African swine fever out of the U.S.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Those words spoken by an ag instructor, inspired Rob Brenneman to chase after his dream to become a pig farmer even though he didn’t have a pig to his name when he started.
While there are lots of reasons to believe ASF in the Dominican Republic is not a sure sign it will penetrate the U.S. industry, still, everyone has become focused on it and how slippery it is to contain.
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will host African Swine Fever Action Week on September 13 to 17 featuring daily webinars to tackle the topic of ASF from all angles. Here’s how you can participate.
Reports of African swine fever outbreaks around the world are picking up. Bulgarian authorities reported an ASF outbreak on a commercial farm with 13,000 pigs in the central village of Apriltsi.
Evolving strains of porcine circovirus (PCV) mean careful monitoring and updating management strategies are key to controlling disease associated with the virus, said Clayton Johnson, DVM.
By creating accurate case definitions and sampling protocols, veterinarians are more likely to successfully detect pathogens and identify treatment options for enteric disease control, said Eric Burrough, DVM.
For years we watched as the ASF virus jumped from Africa into the Middle East, then into Europe and Russia, and most recently, into China and Southeast Asia. Almost everywhere it goes, ASF sets up shop permanently.
While the U.S. remains free of African swine fever, the recent announcement of ASF in the Dominican Republic underscores the importance of continued detection and biosecurity efforts to protect swine in this country.
Weaning weight and age can vary from operation to operation because many factors must be considered. There are, however, some important rules of thumb.
Pork producers can rest assured that U.S. Customs and Border Protection ag inspectors have been and are continuing to focus “all hands on deck” to protect U.S. borders from foreign animal diseases. Here’s why.
Foot-and-mouth disease virus can be introduced to pigs through the importation of contaminated feed products, confirms a new study performed by researchers from USDA ‘s Agricultural Research Service at Plum Island.
Lameness is the leading cause of mortality in mid- to late-finishing pigs. Even though mortality has improved, it is getting harder and harder to make continuous improvements, says Mike Eisenmenger, DVM.
Hog producers who may be discouraged to learn foggers don’t fully disinfect a supply room should not close the door on the biosecurity method yet. New research led by Erin Kettelkamp, DVM, found a better solution.
A South Korea pig farm with 2,400 pigs confirmed an outbreak of African swine fever on Sunday. The country is on high alert to contain the spread of this deadly virus just three months after the latest confirmed case.
The number of dogs being imported into the U.S. for resale from countries affected by ASF is growing. Combine that with an increasing risk of foreign animal disease spread, and it’s a formula for potential disaster.
For the first time in 40 years, African swine fever has leapt back into the Americas. Here’s a look at the latest updates on ASF from the Swine Health Information Center.
From high path porcine reproductive and respiratory virus to Ebola virus, are you aware of the latest facts and information about swine disease threats?
USMEF’s Dan Halstrom says that while the ASF findings are very concerning, the U.S. industry is well-prepared for these situations and extensive safeguards are in place to protect the health of the U.S. swine herd.
The Dominican Republic will slaughter tens of thousands of pigs after detecting outbreaks of African swine fever in 11 of the country’s 32 provinces.
Updated fact sheets on porcine teschovirus (PTV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) have been posted in the Swine Health Information Center Swine Disease Fact Sheet Library. Here’s what you need to know.
When outbreaks of animal disease strike, the news headlines can be awfully confusing for consumers. It’s no wonder reports of African swine fever in Germany have consumers buzzing with questions. Here’s how to help.
The USDA announced on July 28 that the Dominican Republic has confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF). This is the first time ASF has been detected in the Western Hemisphere in decades.
A rural veterinarian in Faribault County, Minn., is offering to give away his practice, clinic, pickup and even the vet clinic cat, in an effort to recruit his replacement.
The U.S. is continuing to take steps to keep African swine fever out of the country. USDA recently announced that it has approved blood swabs and spots as official African swine fever (ASF) testing tissues.
China’s efforts to control African swine fever outbreaks among its pig herd remained complicated, with 11 outbreaks officially reported so far this year and new variants of the virus also present.
Although the cases of the new PRRS Lineage 1C RFLP 1-4-4 variant dropped as shown in a recent MSHMP report, Cesar A. Corzo, DVM, University of Minnesota, cautions producers to stay alert. Here’s why.
When PRRS 1-4-4 1C appeared in late 2020, dramatic clinical signs on farms raised immediate concern. A second wave of outbreaks last spring in a wider geography has kept this virus at the forefront of researchers’ minds.
Is the U.S. pork industry becoming lax about biosecurity? “We’ve been able to stay free of African swine fever so far,” says Kansas State’s Cassandra Jones. “One of my concerns is if we can continue to do so.”
An educational panel focused on show pig biosecurity recently addressed exhibitors and their families at The Recovery Show in Des Moines, Iowa.