Hogs Genetics

ABA Launches Advanced Genomic & EPD System to Revolutionize Berkshire Swine Genetics

Fri, 01 May 2026 19:34:55 GMT

The American Berkshire Association (ABA) is ushering in a new era of swine genetics in the purebred industry with the launch of its Genomic and EPD System. This sophisticated platform is designed to provide breeders with real-time data, predictive mating tools, and a renewed focus on the premium meat quality traits that define the breed.

The ABA’s Genomic and EPD system is built on the Helical platform by Theta Solutions, centralizing genomics, pedigree data and Expected Progeny Differences (EPDs) into one secure, automated portal. Breeders can now access real-time data, including individual animal percentile rankings, “Top 100" lists by trait, and visual graphics for easier data interpretation.

Predictive Mating

“The new system brings multiple data types together to allow a breeder to view it all in a simple format and easily understand the genetic merit of their animals in real time,” explains Ben Smith, ABA Board of Directors member and Breed Improvement Committee Co-Chair.

Breeders can now “test” a mating on screen before it ever happens in the barn. This allows breeders to see the genetic merit of potential matings prior to breeding and accelerates the timeline for genetic progress.

Accelerating Quality

In addition, this system allows the organization to integrate the data collected from the ABA Progeny Test into the breed’s genetic evaluation system. This will include the inclusion of meat quality and meat eating quality traits that Berkshires are well known for, Smith says.

“We have always been strong supporters of genetic evaluations within the breed throughout its history,” he says. “This move not only enhances the accessibility and quality of data to breeders but strengthens the ABA’s commitment to providing breeders with the most advanced genetic evaluation possible.”

This system combines multiple standalone platforms from past systems into a single system with enhanced analysis to see genetic merit and genomics on a single animal on the same page together.

This chart displays percentiles for each trait. Lower percentiles = bars extending RIGHT and above average performance relative to the reference population for that trait, e.g., percentile 18 = top 18%. Higher percentile numbers = bars extending LEFT and below average performance relative to the reference population for that trait, e.g., percentile 99 = bottom 1%. Note: Some traits perform best in the mid-range, and your breeding goals may prioritize different either high or low percentiles for different traits.

(American Berkshire Association)

“Our new system and the partnership has created a roadmap for the ABA’s genetic improvement plan to move forward to modern evaluation methods with full transparency to the breeders,” Smith says. “These methods will improve the accuracy of evaluations and help breeders increase their rate of genetic improvement.”

Why Now?

As the pork industry evolves to meet changing consumer demands, Smith believes this tool will allow Berkshire breeders to have an even bigger impact.

“The ABA is excited and proud to be the oldest independent swine registry in the world, and to be Helical’s first swine breed client,” Smith says. “As the ABA continues to expand and improve our genetic evaluation system, we look forward to setting the standard of excellence in swine genetic evaluations.”

Here is the public link for viewers.

Leading Through Disruption: What New Food Tech Means for Pork

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:00:49 GMT

Emerging food technologies, from gene editing to cultured meat, may not be a new topic, but it’s one that producers must stay on top of as they look toward tomorrow. Competitiveness, exports and innovation’s role in reshaping global protein markets could prove incredibly challenging without keen awareness and a plan for the future.

Cultured Meat: Niche or Competitor?

During a forward-looking discussion at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) meeting in Las Vegas, Eric Schulze, chief technology officer of Omeat, described cellular agriculture as animal cells grown outside the body for human food. While there are many food products approved for sale outside of the U.S., the FDA has cleared six in this country, already having cleared six in this country, including a cultivated bacon product last year.

“We are much further ahead than people realize in gene editing in this area,” Schulze says. He noted that cattle convert roughly 24 to 30 calories of feed into one calorie of beef, while “the current efficiency in our (lab-based) system is three to one” because cultured cells don’t require bones, immune systems, or reproduction. However, high electricity, and pharmaceutical-grade input costs remain barriers to scale.

In pork, Schulze acknowledged limited development so far: “I really want to see more in the pork space, but for now it’s been limited to bacon.”

The implication being that cultured pork is not yet a volume competitor, but blended products or niche offerings could emerge, especially in markets receptive to biotechnology.

Global Implications

Dave Shoup, an Ohio veterinarian and pork producer, brought the conversation home with a pointed question to the panel of experts about international acceptance of these tech-centric products. With U.S. pork still facing hurdles in certain export markets over gene editing, he asked whether cultured meat might receive broader global acceptance — particularly in Asia-Pacific nations — compared to gene-edited livestock.

Schulze says, “Asia-Pacific nations have largely accepted them. That’s where you can purchase them right now,” noting stronger consumer tolerance for genetic engineering and cultured meat in import-dependent regions. In contrast, he said Europe remains more restrictive.

This verbal exchange underscored a critical point for producers: regulatory and consumer attitudes abroad directly affect competitiveness at home.

Gene Editing: A Regulatory Disadvantage?

University of California-Davis animal genomics professor Alison Van Eenennaam warns that the biggest disruption may not be the technology itself, but rather, regulatory disparity.

“The biggest disruptor is going to be the superiority of the other countries regulatory approaches,” she says. “Developing nations are going to leapfrog us.”

According to Van Eenennaam, if U.S. gene editing remains mired in regulatory uncertainty, U.S. producers could end up losing out. She adds, “While other pork-producing nations move forward, producers abroad could gain health, efficiency, or sustainability advantages over our domestic producers.”

Consumer Perception & Policy Risk

Ashley Johnson, director of food policy for NPPC, noted that many policymakers and consumers “have put everything in this black box of scary things” when it comes to biotechnology. She notes that distinctions between gene editing, GMOs and cultured meat are often lost.

For his part, Patrick Webb, assistant chief veterinarian with the National Pork Board, emphasized the industry’s role in clarity and preparedness for not only things like foreign animal disease, but technology that is not well understood.

He says, “Our role is to make sure that we help producers understand what the technology is, and then what the effect of that technology may be in the marketplace.”

Of course, that marketplace includes exports, which are nearly 30% of U.S. pork production. Webb adds a sobering reminder by adding, “that goes away overnight if our markets close.”

Leading Through Disruption

What are the biggest disruptions ahead?

• Van Eenennaam points to regulatory stagnation.
• Johnson cites growing distrust in food science.
• Schulze notes gene-edited animals themselves could outcompete cultured systems.
• Webb focuses on foreign animal disease and trade interruptions.

For pork producers, the message was clear: innovation is accelerating globally. The real disruption may hinge less on laboratory breakthroughs and more on regulation, trade policy and consumer trust.

A Stockman’s Mind in an AI World: Dan Hamilton on the Future of Swine Genetics

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 20:28:47 GMT

Even as technology and artificial intelligence (AI) transform the pork industry, Dan Hamilton, senior director for product performance in the Americas for PIC, argues that a curious human mind is more important than ever.

“As an industry, we must be open-minded, especially toward new technologies and new ways of doing things,” Hamilton says. “To remain competitive, we must have the curiosity and willingness to try things so we can stay on the cutting edge and be right where we want to be.”

At the forefront of significant advancements in swine genetics, Hamilton has witnessed how cameras, sensors, and AI are revolutionizing the barn. While these tools collect and process massive amounts of data at lightning speed, Hamilton warns against blind reliance on the “black box” of technology.

“I always tell people when you create an algorithm, it always gives you an answer,” Hamilton says. “But stay curious. Ask yourself if it’s the right answer and if we should be making a decision based on it.”

Validating the Algorithm

Nothing replaces an inquisitive mind that constantly asks how to make things better. For Hamilton, the power of a company like PIC lies in its access to large, commercially relevant data sets. While PIC has always relied on nucleus farms for precise data, Hamilton notes they have expanded their reach into the commercial sector.

“As we use these new technologies, we’ve got more data points in differing environments,” Hamilton explains. “We must continually validate these technologies to ensure they are bringing value, and we must continue to retool the algorithms to make them more accurate and refined for their specific locations.”

Taking the Subjectivity Out of Selection

Digital phenotyping—the use of automated technologies like cameras and sensors—allows producers to measure behavioral, structural, and production traits objectively and non-invasively. Hamilton has focused specifically on how this technology evaluates the feet and legs of swine.

“Feet and leg quality are vital to a sound breeding program,” he notes. “For generations, good stockmen have selected for better feet and legs, but there has always been a level of subjectivity. What I think is ideal, you might see as slightly different.”

By training AI algorithms using images from expert selectors, researchers can now evaluate structural soundness in real-time.

“This is a huge step forward,” Hamilton says. “We’ve found that algorithms are often more accurate and consistent than humans. Even the best selector doesn’t always score the same animal the same way every time. It could be because it’s Monday morning versus Wednesday afternoon, or they caught the pig at the wrong moment. The cameras, however, are three times more accurate, allowing us to make faster genetic progress.”

The ultimate goal? Predicting longevity.

“We are now using that data to predict which gilts or boars will have the greatest longevity in the sow herd,” he says. “Moving from what we thought were the best feet and legs to actual data based on herd retention is a major shift toward better outcomes.”

Decoding the “Social Network” of Pigs

The modern pig is not the animal your grandparents raised. Today’s pigs are raised in large, indoor pens, meaning selection traits must evolve alongside the environment. While profitability remains a driver, Hamilton says welfare and behavior are becoming equally critical.

“When I was in graduate school, we used to sit pen-side and manually record pig behavior on a tablet,” he recalls. “We could never get large enough data sets to really move the needle. Today, with AI, we can obtain behavior recordings on thousands of pigs simultaneously.”

By measuring “normal” behaviors—time spent eating, lying, sitting, or drinking—PIC is identifying highly heritable traits that can be improved through selection. This has led to the study of “social networking” within the pen.

“Pigs develop behaviors for a reason,” Hamilton says. “Understanding how they live together—which ones are dominant, which are subordinate, and what ‘cliques’ they form—creates opportunities. We want higher-performing, more profitable pigs, but we also want pigs with behaviors that are better for their pen-mates and their caregivers.”

Precision at the Feeder

Beyond health alerts and activity monitoring, Hamilton sees a future where cameras count pigs and predict weights with near-perfect accuracy, ensuring pigs go to market at the optimal size according to their growth curve.

He is particularly excited about the potential for AI to improve sow livability through automated body condition scoring.

“If you can take caliper or body condition readings and have them ‘talk’ to an automatic feeding system, you manage daily intake based on the sow’s specific condition and weight,” Hamilton says. “That brings us to a level of precision we’ve never seen on the farm.”

The Challenge of the System

Despite the high-tech tools, Hamilton reminds producers that they are still managing biological beings within a complex production system. Challenges like health breaks and “flow constraints” remain the industry’s biggest hurdles.

“Producers often have to put X number of pigs into X number of spaces. If they have a few extra pigs, they still go into that same space,” he says. “What is profitable in the short term may not allow for maximum genetic performance.”

Hamilton also applies his “curious mind” philosophy to the ongoing debate over pork quality. He suggests the industry needs to stop looking only at the loin and start looking at the consumer.

“We have great tools to improve pH, color, and marbling in the loin, but the loin is only one part of the carcass,” he says. “If we improve loin quality at the expense of ham quality, are we really winning? We need to understand why the U.S. consumer isn’t paying for higher quality before we can truly decide how fast to move. The technology is here, but the questions, and the curiosity, must come first.”

You can listen to more of Hamilton’s personal story of resilience on “The PORK Podcast” on YouTube or follow The PORK Podcast anywhere podcasts are found.

Pork Industry Mourns Loss of Topigs Norsvin CEO John Eggert

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:57:45 GMT

Topigs Norsvin USA President and CEO John Eggert of Shakopee, Minn., died on Jan. 13 following complications from renal and pulmonary illness.

Eggert, 57, led Topigs from 2010 to 2014, guiding the organization through its merger with Norsvin to form Topigs Norsvin. Following the merger, he served as chief development officer beginning in 2014 and was promoted to chief executive officer in January 2021.

“When John entered any room, he brought a big presence, in terms of his physical size, carriage and simply who he was,” says Les Cain, Topigs Norsvin contract manager. “John was totally transparent then and continued to be all the time I knew him. It became quickly obvious to me that John was going ‘to be.’ I told my boss at the time that John needed to report directly to the CEO with an eye on the future, but also to recognize his importance to Topigs Norsvin. That happened.”

Born in Hammond, Ind., in 1968, Eggert was a man of remarkable intellect, drive and integrity. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and went on to complete his master’s degree, doctorate and MBA at Purdue University.

“John was one of the smartest people I’ve ever known,” Cain says. “He was able to deliver a highly technical message to any level and do so with knowledge, insight, understanding and, when warranted, deadpan humor.”

Eggert’s annual presentation to the company was a highlight for many because he delivered a clear message along with a background story that engaged everyone.

“John always had your back, was forthright and not afraid to take on any challenge,” Cain adds. “You could follow John into any room and have the confidence that no matter what we faced, we could overcome and win – a win when it comes to developing trust and relationships toward a mutually beneficial solution.”

His team valued his ability to listen and fully understand all of the steps needed to get a project over the finish line, he says.

“John brought a unique blend of knowledge about pork production and the U.S. industry, as well as a solid understanding of the technical aspects of genetics,” says Jon Feitz, a national key account manager at Topigs Norsvin. “John enjoyed face-to-face interactions, whether through in-person meetings with producers or engaging with people at shows.”

These are just a few of the reasons why Eggert was so well respected by Topigs Norsvin employees worldwide.

“I saw a post recently about the attributes of a true leader and it made me think of John,” Cain says. “It said, ‘A true leader is a manager who challenges the boss and stands up for their team, even if it risks their own career (or standing).’ John did this for the whole U.S. team over the past four years and for his sales and research teams prior to being CEO. He really cared about the success of his people and fought for them, no matter what.”

Despite his many accomplishments professionally, Eggert was defined most by his character.

“John was a man of the highest integrity, always, no matter what,” Cain says.

He was an avid outdoorsman and loved hunting and fishing alongside his daughter. From lively card games with his many friends to the great pride he took in his hosta gardens, Eggert lived life fully.

“John was also a great family man, who was devoted to his wife Amy and to his daughter Lexie,” Cain says. “He was not only husband and father, but also their friend. You could feel that whenever you spent time with them together.”

Eggert is survived by his wife Amy (Schipper) Eggert; daughter Alexandra Eggert and her fiance Christian O’Banion; father Jack Eggert; in-laws, Glenn and Barbara Schipper; brother and sister-in-law Chad and Sarrah Schipper; and nieces Eden Schipper and Cloe Schipper. He was preceded in death by his mother, Sherri (Monahan) Eggert.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, supporting America’s heroes – first responders, veterans and their families.

A celebration of John’s life will be announced at a later date.

The ‘Lift and Shift’: Managing Pigs and People Through Winter Disease Pressure

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 16:20:07 GMT

It’s that time of the year where you brace yourself for the worst when the phone rings, says Adam Annegers, sow production manager at JBS, during the recent State of the Pork Industry Report.

“I call it the lift and shift,” Annegers says. “You can have your schedule all lined out, and then the phone rings and redirects you. Winter means being flexible because diseases thrive in this weather.”

Raising pigs in southeast Iowa comes with its fair share of health challenges and 2026 is no different. Now is a critically important time to make sure you provide needed support to your team, he says.

“At the onset of a health challenge in the sow barn, there’s not always a lot we can do to have a better outcome for the piglets,” Annegers points out. “It’s difficult on the teams. Focus on keeping your team motivated to get through difficult times knowing that at some point, disease pressure will lessen. Then, they can get back to raising a lot of good, healthy pigs again.”

This time of the year is always challenging, but he’s optimistic about what’s ahead.

“Pig prices are through the roof right now,” Annegers says. “Saving every pig and raising every pig that we can is important right now. Working with your teams to control what they can control helps. It’s time to be a big cheerleader.”

When PRRS Doesn’t Look Like PRRS

Randy Kuker, director of swine production for The Equity, had a strange incident occur in a barn recently.

“We had a group showing some clinical signs – it actually looked like a strep was going on,” Kuker explains. “We’re about 12 weeks on feed, which is rather late for us to be seeing signs of strep, but I had pigs down, kind of paddling, red, puffy eyes, all the classic symptoms. It also looked like maybe a late myco lameness issue.”

His team saw enough issues going on that they took some tissue samples and those samples came back positive for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

“This was surprising to me, considering most of the pigs (if we got to them soon enough and treated them) responded to antibiotics fairly well,” Kuker says. “We had minimal death loss, but it came back as PRRS 1-12-2, a strain which I hadn’t seen in our area at all.”

They ran some antibiotics in the water and administered some antibiotics by injection. Over the course of a few weeks, they lost 0.75% to 1% of their pigs.

“It really wasn’t terrible, but it keeps us humble, knowing this virus can change and do different things than we least expect,” he says.

They also experienced an outbreak late last fall where they saw pigs with purple ears, Kuker adds. The mortalities had purple bellies which automatically made their team think it looked like Actinobacillus suis (A. suis). But it came back PRRS positive.

“I’m glad we’ve got a lot of good veterinarians out there who can give us some recommendations on what to do,” he says “I just wish we could find a way to eliminate it. But don’t see that coming anytime soon.”

PRRS Isn’t Going to Let Up

Cara Haden, DVM, director of animal welfare and biosecurity with Pipestone, says the Bob Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project has been a super helpful tool to see where the industry is at as a whole.

“Right now, cumulative incidence of PRRS as of January 21, is 8.2% which is actually pretty low,” Haden says “But I think it’s important to note that we often see two peaks every year. It looks like we’re maybe through that fall-winter peak, but there is the expectation that we will see a spring-summer peak again in 2026. If we follow the pattern of the last couple years, we’re going to see more PRRS this year than what we’ve seen so far.”

The number of PRRS strains continues to cause heartache across the pork industry.

“We’re getting more information about PRRS Lineage 1C strains being incredibly devastating and very virulent, seeing significant clinical signs with this particular virus family,” she says. “We’re also getting more information about increased shedding times and this virus being more difficult to eliminate from sow farms. These viruses are sticking around in the pig longer, which I think is super frustrating.”

Control What You Can Control

Fortunately the U.S. pork industry is entering a time where it may be possible to spend a little more money to help prevent disease breaks.

“We can’t always control the fact that pigs might break with a lateral PRRS introduction at some point during the growing period, but we can make sure that they don’t break with ileitis,” Haden says. “We can make sure they don’t break with salmonella or that they don’t break with circovirus.”

Trying to pinch pennies on vaccines by partial dosing or foregoing them all together is a dangerous game.

“I’m seeing a lot more freedom from producers to do the things that veterinarians would love to see them do all the time,” Haden says.

Be sure to record it and keep 12 months of documentation of vaccination treatments as required for PQA site assessments, says Brad Eckberg, account executive at MTech Systems.

“Then use that information to ultimately determine how it is working for you,” Eckberg says. “I’m a big fan of learning from successes and failures. Use the data you are keeping to help with decision making, maybe even for future changes in the protocols.”

Watch or listen to their entire discussion that delves into the impact of winter on your operation, wean pig health and nutrition tips, and conversations taking place at trade shows and more in the Farm Journal’s PORK State of the Pork Industry Report.

Trust is Tops: Sibling Co-CEOs Drive Future of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 18:50:36 GMT

After returning home from the Korean War, Dale and Dorothy Pillen started farming. In 1969, Dale built a 400-head modified open-front barn and raised his first pigs on concrete.

Twenty-five years later, their son Jim Pillen built the first modern isowean 2,500-head sow farm across from the Pillen home farm. In 2003, Pillen Family Farms purchased Danbred North America, now known as DNA Genetics.

Six years later, Jim’s children, Brock Pillen and Sarah Pillen, returned home to join the business as the third generation to operate Pillen Family Farms. However, both are quick to admit this wasn’t the path they thought they would take.

“We had a lot of exposure to the business growing up but didn’t have any strategic thought that we would come back and be part of it,” Sarah says.

After obtaining a business degree in college, Sarah went to law school and practiced law in the private sector for about six years. Meanwhile, Brock also set out to get a business degree and then went to work off the farm for a couple years when he realized he wanted to return to the family operation.

“I started at the slat level power washing, then working as a herdsman before moving on to run farms and eventually take on this role as co-CEO of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics with Sarah,” Brock says.

Though the siblings have different strengths and backgrounds, Sarah says they are a team in every sense of the word.

“We are in constant communication with each other and have an infinite amount of trust in each other,” she says. “We want to make sure we operate efficiently and are not redundant in our co-roles but have the same goals in mind for the best of the operation.”

As a family-owned and -operated business, they are constantly looking to the future and surrounding themselves with great people to nurture a positive quality of life for their generation — and many more to come. This requires intentionality to ensure everyone gets behind the company’s core values and mission.

“If we all have the same value set on how we treat people and how we’re going to go about doing business, it will take care of itself,” Sarah says. “When you have a high level of trust, you can do a whole lot of good.”

The last few years have proven just how important a tight circle of trust is to running a successful business and operation. In January 2023, their father, Jim Pillen, was sworn in as Nebraska’s governor.

“We’re incredibly proud of him,” Sarah says. “Until you get into the shoes he’s in and the shoes our family is in, you can’t really appreciate what it all takes. I’m proud of what he’s done and the difference he is making.”

As the Pillens look to the future, they are optimistic about the trend toward greater industry collaboration.

“Our founder generation had a competitor mindset,” Brock says. “Instead of working together, they were trying to be better than their peers. If you think about the problems in our industry, such as demand, there’s no one company that will be able to fix that. The whole industry has to work together.”

Sarah also sees how partnering has helped the industry endure tough circumstances.

“The more we collaborate and work together for the betterment of the industry, the more successful we will all be,” Sarah says. “We have to do all the right things to make sure we’re successful together.”

Read on to learn more about this brother-and-sister team, from their business philosophy to their views on the future of the pork industry.

Q. What is your ‘why’?
Brock: Our team is our “why.” We believe great people are the key to success, and we’re proud to work with an incredibly diverse and loyal team that believes in our core principles of: No. 1, do what is right; No. 2, do your best; No. 3, treat others the way you want to be treated. These were the values our company was founded on and continue to guide us today.

Q. Describe a typical day on the job for you.
Sarah: Like most leaders in our industry, our days vary considerably. We work hard to guide the big picture and encourage our leaders to take ownership and drive accountability, knowing that they will always have our full support.

Q. What is your business philosophy?
Sarah: Brock and I believe it’s important to surround ourselves with a great team of competent and passionate people who share our same values. And for us, we don’t believe in leading from a boardroom; we want to be engaged in day-to-day operations. At the same time, we want to make sure we empower our team to take ownership and go make things happen in a way that’s meaningful to them as well. We believe in a strong sense of accountability, but people must be given autonomy and flexibility to work within the road guards we’ve established to make a difference as well.

Q. How does your company help and work with its customers?
Brock: As producers, we understand the daily challenges our customers face. We’re able to use our own experiences to walk hand in hand with them to help solve their problems. We believe research is a valuable resource for making good decisions, but we should never overlook the firsthand experiences of team members who have invested their entire careers in barns.

Q. How has the swine industry changed in the past year?
Sarah: The industry has evolved considerably over our lifetimes and will continue to change in the years to come. But if the past has proven anything, it is that we are an industry of innovation and resilience. And we couldn’t be prouder to be part of it.

Q. What are the biggest challenges the industry is facing?
Brock: The inevitable unknowns that occur in our industry every 12 to 24 months pose many challenges we must work to overcome. For us, the biggest ones are labor needs, evolving health challenges, and market volatility.

Q. What are the greatest opportunities in the swine industry today?
Sarah: As we look to the future, our biggest opportunities as an industry are embracing innovation and technology to drive efficiency, attracting new talent to our industry, finding a long-term solution for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), decreasing mortality and driving significant consumer demand for pork.

Q. Who inspires you?
Brock: There isn’t one specific person who inspires me; there have been many. A lot of things happen over your life and career that have different impacts on you. In general, our team inspires us.

Q. What do you enjoy most about your job?
Sarah: We enjoy problem-solving and the opportunity to make a positive difference in the lives of our team. Every day is about how to solve problems. I think you can either let problems bog you down or you can look at them as opportunities to make people and businesses better. Every day, we are actively working on problem solving to become better as an organization.

Canada Approves PRRS-Resistant Pigs for Use in Food and Feed

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 18:07:12 GMT

PRRS-resistant pigs are now approved for sale as food and feed in Canada after rigorous and thorough review, announces Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Additionally, Environment & Climate Change Canada (ECCC) conducted its own review of the research and data and concluded that pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) may now be manufactured or imported in Canada.

“Health Canada has concluded that foods made from these pigs are as safe and nutritious for people to eat as pork currently available in Canada,” according to a Health Canada release . “The CFIA has confirmed that these pigs are also safe and effective for use in livestock feeds.”

In 2024, the Canadian swine industry generated over $6.3 billion in farm cash receipts, and Canada produced 2.34 million metric tons of pork and exported 1.45 million metric tons of pork. As of Jan. 1, 2025, there were 13.9 million hogs on 6,885 Canadian farms.

“Addressing PRRS can allow us to improve animal welfare, reduce the need for antibiotics and decrease the environmental impact of raising pigs,” says Todd Wilken, PIC director of North America sales. “In fact, recent research indicates that PRRS increases the need for antibiotics by more than two times compared to pigs without PRRS.”

Will Canadian Consumers Purchase Pork from Gene-Edited Pigs?

Research conducted by Circana and commissioned by PIC in late 2025 found there is an above-average likelihood Canadian consumers will purchase pork from gene-edited pigs, PIC reports. The research polled more than 5,000 pork consumers from eight key countries, representative across genders and ages 18 to 70.

Circana found 90% of Canadian consumers are open to purchasing pork from gene-edited pigs and responsibly reducing the need for antibiotics ranked as the top motivator.

“We have spent years conducting extensive research, validating our findings and working with the Canadian government to gain approval,” says Matt Culbertson, PIC’s chief operating officer. “Today marks a major milestone for consumers, farmers and the entire pork industry who have hoped for relief from PRRS for decades.”

Regulatory Approval In Other Countries

Genus PLC’s PRRS-resistant pigs are already permitted for food use in the U.S., Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and the Dominican Republic. This approval does not automatically trigger commercialization, PIC said on April 30, 2025 , when the U.S. FDA approved the gene edit.

“We are committed to the responsible and intentional introduction of the PRRS-resistant pig around the globe. Gaining approval in Canada is an important step in this process, and we are working with additional countries to gain regulatory approval and protect global trade prior to initiating sales and delivery,” Culbertson says.

Food Labeling in Canada

The Government of Canada recognizes information about genetic engineering is important, although genetically engineered foods are considered as safe and nutritious as conventional foods. Work is underway with the Canadian General Standards Board on a public review of the National Standard for labeling and advertising of foods that are, and are not, products of genetic engineering. The CFIA uses this standard to provide its guidance to companies on the labeling of foods, it says.

In Canada, food labeling is required when there are well-established health risks or significant changes to the nutritional qualities of the food. For example, an allergen in a food must be labeled to alert consumers of the risk. Because Health Canada found no health and safety concerns, it says no special labeling is required for foods from these PRRS-resistant pigs.

“In addition to the assessments noted above, in December 2025, the New Substances program — jointly administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada — determined environmental and human health risks from indirect exposure to these pigs is no different from pigs currently available in Canada,” Health Canada notes.

Gene-Edited Pigs: Reduced Antibiotic Use is Key Motivator for Consumer Acceptance

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 18:02:04 GMT

A new Circana study shows U.S. consumers believe reducing the need for antibiotics is a major motivator to purchase pork from gene-edited pigs.

The research, commissioned by PIC, was conducted in fall 2025 and polled more than 5,000 pork consumers from eight key countries, representative across genders and ages 18 to 70.

“Circana has conducted research on this topic for more than three years, consistently finding that gene-edited pork scores in the upper quintiles, which indicates average to above average purchase likelihood,” Staci Covkin, Circana Principal of Innovation, Consumer & Shopper Insights, says in a release.

In the Circana study, 94% of consumers indicated they are open to purchasing pork from gene-edited pigs. Meanwhile, 70% of consumers expressed a desire for greater transparency across all pork production, indicating that pork should always include additional information on the package

Consumers are Becoming More Open to Gene Editing

The study also shows that Americans are becoming more aware of gene editing. In fact, 57% of Americans indicated they are familiar with gene editing in fall of 2025, compared to 37% in December 2024.

The findings of this new research closely align with recent research from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) and the Food Industry Association (FMI) , which also found that pork from gene-edited pigs performed above benchmark norms for purchase likelihood and that the strongest acceptance is driven by reduced antibiotic use.

Other key highlights from this study include an 84% purchase likelihood score and 46% saying they are not willing to pay more for pork from gene-edited pigs. In addition, 84% said FDA approval is extremely or somewhat important.

“Gene editing offers incredible promise, but success depends on connecting with consumers and delivering benefits that align with their values,” Charlie Arnot, CEO of The Center for Food Integrity, says in a release. “Consumers are much more open to gene-edited products when the benefits are clear, personal and values-based.”

Largest Research Study to Date

Circana says this eight-country study, with more than 600 respondents per country, is its largest and most comprehensive research to date. Outside of the U.S., gene-edited pork received an above average purchase likelihood, and consumers identified that responsibly reducing the need for antibiotics would be the top benefit motivating their purchase in each geography tested.

“Circana Concept Testing has a 90%+ accuracy rate on in-market retail, category, brand, and consumer behavior predictions,” Covkin explains. “Circana has conducted thousands of concept tests for major consumer packaged goods and general merchandise manufacturers over the past 10 years and has validated numerous successes across many different categories, using Circana’s point of sale data that measures how products are actually performing in market.”

Scientists Develop Pigs Resistant to Classical Swine Fever

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 13:09:22 GMT

New research demonstrates that gene editing can prevent infection of classical swine fever (CSF) , a highly contagious, often fatal disease in swine. CSF, also known as hog cholera, is endemic in many countries and classified as a foreign animal disease in the U.S. which means it is not normally found in the U.S. and has the potential for rapid spread if it were to come to the U.S.

This research, led by a team at the Roslin Institute, used gene-editing technology to alter a protein which the virus depends on to make copies of itself in the pigs’ cells.

The results showed gene-edited pigs exposed to CSF remained unaffected, while unedited animals showed clear signs of disease.

“This genetic change offered complete protection from infection without any observable negative effects on the animals’ health or development, and researchers believe the gene-edited pigs would be very unlikely to spread the virus to other animals,” the Roslin Institute said in a release .

The researchers say gene editing could contribute to an integrated strategy for disease prevention, in combination with vaccines and measures to prevent disease spread in farmed animals.

A Targeted Approach
Before producing gene-edited pigs, researchers worked with collaborators to study how aspestiviruses, a group of viruses that includes CSF, interact with pig cells.

A key pig protein, DNAJC14, has previously been shown to play an important role in the virus replication process when studied in cultured cells. The team focused on this protein in lab studies. By altering the gene that produces DNAJC14, they were able to prevent the virus from reproducing.

The Roslin Institute said making the same genetic change in live animals could produce livestock resistant to these viruses.

Researchers took the study a step further and “made a precise change in a region of the DNAJC14 gene in pig embryos, preventing the virus from using the pig cells to produce all of its own viral proteins.”

After this, the embryos were implanted into surrogate mothers, and once the pigs reached “adulthood,” researchers exposed these gene-edited pigs to CSF virus.

“Experts monitored the pigs’ health over several weeks, finding no signs of viral infection in the edited animals,” the article said. “By contrast, pigs which had not undergone gene-editing, and were exposed the virus, showed typical signs of infection.”

Cross-species potential

The pestivirus family includes diseases such as bovine viral diarrhea virus in cattle and border disease virus in sheep.

“Our research highlights the growing potential of gene editing in livestock to improve animal health and support sustainable agriculture,” says Simon Lillico, core scientist at the Roslin Institute. “While previous research had identified this protein’s role in cell cultures, translating that into living animals is a major step, and one that requires the infrastructure to breed, monitor and safely test gene-edited livestock. Our Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility allows us to gene edit and assess a variety of livestock species, with colleagues at the Animal and Plant Health Agency providing expertise and biosecure facilities for this viral challenge.”

Although there are CSF vaccines, researchers say control remains challenging due to virus persistence and transmission between species.

“The same genetic edit could theoretically be applied to other livestock species, offering broader protection against disease,” the research team explains

Editor’s Note: This research was published in Trends in Biotechnology, in collaboration with animal genetics company Genus, and colleagues at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the University of Lubeck, Germany. The work was supported by a BBSRC National Bioscience Research Infrastructure grant and facilitated by the Large Animal Research and Imaging Facility at the University of Edinburgh. The Roslin Institute receives strategic investment funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and it is part of the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

Hendrix Genetics Swine Launches Nexus 100

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 18:54:30 GMT

At SPACE 2025, Hendrix Genetics Swine, the swine division of Hendrix Genetics, officially unveiled the Nexus 100, the first product under its new Nexus brand. Designed for producers who aim for more than just output, the Nexus 100 sets a new standard in predictability, survivability and system-wide efficiency, the company said in a release.

Unpredictability is one of the biggest challenges in the swine industry. Health risks, labor shortages and inconsistent results can undermine even the most well-managed farms, the company points out. The Nexus 100 was developed to address these pressures directly, offering producers “a solution that performs consistently, survives better, and integrates seamlessly into high-pressure operations to help them grow ahead with confidence.”

Raf Beeren, managing director of Hendrix Genetics Swine, says, “Nexus is not just a new product line. It’s a smart step forward for producers who demand more than just output. It’s designed for those who aim for Total System Profitability through consistency, efficiency and control.”

The Nexus 100 combines the genetics of Hypor and Danish Genetics. This unique cross delivers a balanced profile between the robustness of the Danish Hybrid and the mothering abilities of the Hypor Libra, resulting in 15 weaned piglets per litter. The company says the focus is not on maximizing litter size, but on maximizing survivability, ensuring every piglet counts.

“The Nexus 100 is produced within a 100% PRRS-free breeding program, backed by Denmark’s world-class health standards and decades of controlled breeding excellence,” adds Manuel Revilla, global customer services manager at Hendrix Genetics Swine.

The Nexus 100 has already demonstrated the highest survivability rate in its category, helping producers reduce losses, save labor, and improve overall performance, the company says.

Commercial contracts for the Nexus 100 have been initiated, with delivery starting in spring 2026. Hendrix Genetics Swine says more products under the Nexus brand are in development, committing to drive progress and deliver value across the global pork value chain.

A Better Pig and A Better Future: Roots Run Deep for Matt Culbertson

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:45:38 GMT

Matt Culbertson’s high school graduation celebration was interrupted by a disease outbreak on his family’s farrow-to-finish farm, later confirmed as his first experience with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

“It was surprising and devastating,” Culbertson says. “At the time, we weren’t really sure what to expect over the next two weeks, let alone the next 30 years.”

As the chief operating officer of PIC today, Culbertson can’t remember a day of his life that wasn’t centered around the pork industry.

“I was born and raised in the swine industry,” he says. “My dad worked for George Brauer, one of the original pioneers of the confinement movement within the swine industry in the early 1970s. In the mid-1970s we moved up to Geneseo, Ill., and my dad began to run a farm that was originally built by George’s brother in partnership with him.”

Matt’s dad, Dave Culbertson, (far right) appeared on the February 1971 cover of Hog Farm Management with George Brauer (middle) in a story about confinement.

(Provided by Matt Culbertson)

His bedroom window looked out over their farrowing house, Culbertson adds. He started working for his dad by the time he was in first grade – doing any job he could to be helpful on the farm. Although his parents knew their son was destined to work in the pork industry, they urged him to get outside of his comfort zone to make sure he really wanted to land a long-term career in it.

Culbertson pursued an animal science degree at Oklahoma State University, where he solidified his passion to go put his practical swine background to use in a future career. Read on to learn more about his 15-year career with PIC – from his business philosophy to his views on the future of the U.S. pork industry.

Q. Describe your path to PIC.
A. After getting my degree at Oklahoma State, I went to graduate school for swine genetics at the University of Georgia. After completing a PhD, I moved back up to the Midwest and worked for Heartland Pork for five years, where I experienced a rapidly growing swine production enterprise. I then moved my family to North Carolina, where I had the opportunity to work for Murphy Brown/Smithfield Foods for 10 years running their internal genetics, nutrition, veterinary medicine and aligning various integration activities. This gave me a great opportunity to see a bigger slice of the pork chain from start to finish. In 2010, I went to PIC where I’ve held various roles from sales to global product development to technical services. Two years ago, the opportunity arose to be chief operating officer and lead our global PIC business through – what I think – is a pretty exciting and transformational time for our business and for the global industry.

Q. Tell me about your business.
A. I would like to believe when somebody talks about PIC, they say our primary goal is to help make our customers as successful as possible. Obviously, we’re a swine genetics business, and that starts with providing an improving pig from generation to generation. That definition of improving is dependent upon the customer’s targets for success. In some markets, it may be around cost of production, and for some, it might be around carcass yield and value. By deepening our relationship with our customers, we can tailor our product and our genetic improvement to help build the initial foundation for driving their success going forward. We combine that with technical support and a supply chain that strives to meet customer needs for high-health, high-quality animals and on-the-ground customer support.

Q. What is your “why”?
A. My ‘why’ is to make a better, more successful global pig industry going forward. When I think about how to do that – and this goes back to the experiences and motivations I saw from my father growing up – it’s to continue to provide innovation to the industry. For PIC, that’s innovation around creating a better pig and providing technical support that goes along with that to allow people to achieve results they didn’t think were possible.

Q. Describe a typical day on the job.
A. Although there is no typical day, most days involve a mix of interacting with global customers, listening and understanding their needs, and exploring with our team how our business can help them fulfill those needs. My focus is on how we deliver value to customers and continue to innovate through technology and people development for the future.

Q. How does your company work with its customers.
A. We want to be involved in our customers’ operations as much as possible. Genetics is different from other inputs that go into the production system – it’s a much longer-term business relationship. We obviously want to supply great pigs but we also have a true desire to understand how our animals are performing in their system, both strengths and challenges, and then working cooperatively and proactively on the challenges.

Q. How has the swine industry changed since you started your career?
A. There has been a tremendous amount of transition over the last 20 to 40 years. I think one part of that is the structure of pig farming operations. They’ve become much larger in size and more specialized. That increased specialization and increased size has occurred against a changing landscape of the availability and type of labor we see in farms across the globe. My story of growing up on a pig farm and only ever working with pigs is not the story for the majority of the employees coming into the swine industry today. We need to help them understand how rewarding a career in the swine industry is so they have the continued desire to grow and become motivated leaders in the future. It’s also changed the demand for and impact of specialized expertise that fuels innovation across health, production management, nutrition, facility design or other strategies that allow good production practices to be consistently and efficiently implemented.

Q. What are the greatest opportunities in the swine industry?
A. For me, the swine industry is highly personal because I grew up in it, and it’s all I know. But beyond that, producing food for people across the globe is personally motivating. As I travel around the globe and see differences in food availability and security, and the efficiency with which it is produced, I think there’s a tremendous opportunity to have a positive impact.

Q. What are the biggest challenges the industry faces?
A. One challenge that we need to continue to actively recognize and lean into is how we grow and develop the human capital needed for our industry in the future. I think it’s important for all of us to help develop the next generation of leaders so that they can continue to evolve and improve the foundation that hopefully we’ve helped build to this point.

I think the other thing that is increasingly complicated is the global aspect of health and disease. The unfortunate reality is that foreign animal diseases, like ASF, continue to spread across the globe. This is combined with the increasing challenge of many common production diseases, like PRRS, which don’t seem to be getting more predictable to manage. The public has an expectation for their food to be safe, efficient and produced in a way that aligns with their values. We need to continue to invest in an innovation pipeline that enables us to meet the consumers’ demands of the future.

Q. What do you enjoy most about your job?
A. The thing I enjoy the most about my job is the people. We have a tremendous team of intelligent, high-energy, high-integrity people at PIC across the globe and that energizes and motivates me to continue to do what I do. That is multiplied by the wide range of different customers and others within the swine industry who I get to interact with. I tell people that the swine industry, for me, is much more than a job.

Q. Who inspires you?
A. The greatest inspiration I draw from is my dad. He’s the one who taught me the basics of swine production. He’s the one I witnessed walking through a transition from outside dirt lots to inside sows in large groups of pen gestation with natural service to implementing artificial insemination with gestation stalls and large-scale breeding barns. And at the same time, he invested in the community that we lived in, in the team of people that were long-term employees on our farm, and in service back to the industry from cooking pork chops at the county fair to being president of the National Pork Board. He set a tremendous foundational example for me within the pig industry and as a husband and father.

Q. What is your business philosophy?
A. My business philosophy is to set strategic targets for the future and then surround myself with energetic, intelligent people who think differently but are motivated by the belief in doing big things. There will always be ups and downs on any given day. That’s to be expected, and that’s okay. I was drawn to PIC in part by the motto ‘never stop improving.’ That requires a recognition that you’re not perfect when you wake up in the morning. If you were perfect, you wouldn’t need to focus on the ‘improving’ part. That really speaks to me, both as an individual and as a leader aligning our business and team around having the freedom to take chances, to do what’s right for the right reasons and to focus on that from a growth mindset.

Q. What will the business look like 20 years from now?
A. PIC is wrapping up its 63rd year in business. We were started by a group of pig farmers who believed they should be able to use science to make a better pig to improve their operations. What exactly that science looks like has evolved dramatically over those 63 years, from simple weights and measures to large scale utilization of computing technologies to things like genomics and gene editing. In 20 years, I hope PIC is still known for focusing on customer success and keeping an open eye toward innovations that will allow us to develop a better pig at an increasing rate.

Q. If you could go back and do something differently in your career, what would it be?
A. I don’t know that there’s anything I would fundamentally go back and do differently. There were challenges I didn’t expect at certain points, but ultimately, I learned as much from those experiences as I did in the things I enjoyed the most. From a career progression standpoint, I’ve been given dramatic opportunities to do things I wasn’t prepared to do at every stop along the way. Those things sometimes went well but sometimes it took a try or two to get it to the point of going well. I do think they were all necessary to contribute to the perspective and understanding I have today.

Q. What advice do you have for someone interested in doing what you do?
A. When opportunities present themselves, don’t be afraid to take a step. Not every step is straight up a ladder. Sometimes the steps broaden your perspective and allow you to experience new areas of the industry or new areas of the business. This helps you become more balanced as a potential candidate for future roles but also expands your knowledge base.

Q. How does the threat of foreign animal disease impact the future of the U.S. pork industry?
A. I believe we’re at much greater risk of introduction of foreign animal disease (FAD) than the majority of our industry does, and that’s in part driven by my experience watching the spread of FAD across the globe. I believe the absence of FAD across the Americas is a huge competitive advantage when it comes to export markets, predictability of operations and the predictability of supply chains. However, that always has the potential to be disrupted by a bad day. If a FAD outbreak did occur within the Americas, it would be very difficult to fully eradicate it back out within a reasonable period.

The Cornerstone of Modern Agriculture: Today’s Sow is Changing Everything

Thu, 21 Aug 2025 16:22:15 GMT

She’s resilient under pressure. She’s prolific. She’s efficient. Today’s sow is pretty incredible and arguably one of the most valuable investments on your farm.

“Today’s sow is a true testament to the power of genetic improvement,” says Erin Brenneman, a day one farrowing specialist and education and event coordinator at Brenneman Pork. “Over the past few decades, focused selection for key maternal traits such as prolificacy, uniformity and piglet viability has transformed the modern sow into one of the most efficient and productive animals in agriculture. She is a cornerstone of modern agriculture, driving performance from farrowing to finish with consistency and power.”

Brenneman says the consistency of today’s sow has made a big difference in the industry and is a great improvement over years past.

“Production systems today are running in warp speed — with staffing issues, aging facilities, changes in legislation and standard operating procedures (SOPs),” adds Amanda Uitermarkt, USA technical director for JYGA Technologies. “Our sows have continued to show us they can produce well under a very wide variety of conditions. With the many advances in technologies and precision, we are more closely dialing in requirements of sows, minimizing wastage and improving productivity.”

The prolificacy of today’s sow is noteworthy. Just 25 years ago, Joe Popplewell, manager of POD Business for The Pork Group, Pork Division, remembers talking about 30 pigs per sow per year as something that may never happen, even though it was discussed.

“The top farms in the world today are doing 35+ pigs per sow per year,” Popplewell says.

Kevin Stuckey, sow division manager for Cooper Farms in Oakwood, Ohio, says the efficiency of today’s sow stands out to him as one of her superpowers.

“She has the capacity to produce these large litters of heavy pigs with less feed than was needed only a few years ago,” Stuckey adds.

Stuckey joins along with Uitermarkt, Popplewell and Jeremy Robertson, head of live production at Brenneman Pork, to discuss challenges and opportunities surrounding the modern sow.

What is the biggest challenge facing the U.S. sow herd today?
Popplewell: Herd health and keeping a solid workforce intact are the biggest challenges facing the U.S. sow herd. Keeping disease out of our sow herds is critical to stay in business. Costs continue to increase (insurance, utilities, labor, etc.) and subsequent margins continue to shrink. So, staying healthy and having a high level of production is critical for success.

Robertson: The pace of genetic improvement with changing health challenges is creating a difficult evolving landscape. Efficiency-driven swine genetics are moving at record speeds outpacing current nutrition, rearing and caregiving practices. Today’s sow herd is seeing record numbers of total born pigs driving demand on sows, nutrition and staffing to raise these large litters while improving loss. Imposing health challenges along with the demand on the herd is impacting throughput within the wean-to-finish phases.

Stuckey: At the barn level, it’s keeping our herds healthy. Compromised health is such a limiting factor to production. At the industry level, it’s securing enough demand for the quantity of pigs we can produce.

Uitermarkt: Survivability. We are losing too many sows (and gilts) too early in life. We are missing key steps in the gilt growth and management process that inhibits their long-term retention in the herd.

What is one of the best sow management tips you could offer another producer?
Popplewell: Invest in the best people and best biosecurity you can afford. Genetic companies have made sows prolific, so if we keep them healthy and can manage them, the rest of it is detail.

Robertson: Show up at the slat level. What does this mean? Regardless of the system, everything comes back to the owner of the pig. Understand the moving pieces of your business, understand your production numbers and, importantly, costs. Be your own best advocate continuously learning how to innovate and adapt.

Stuckey: Take care of the sow and she’ll do a lot of the pig raising for you.

Uitermarkt: Use data to make educated decisions but never stop teaching and emphasizing animal husbandry. All the data in the world can’t help our sows when we miss all the clinical signs when she’s having problems. In some cases, we have dialed in too well on tasks and goals, and we miss caring for animals as individuals. Take time to look at water nipples and make sure they have been used recently. Be observant to an off-feed sow breathing heavily at two days post-farrow. Walk pens daily and try and catch early-onset of lameness before she has to be removed from the pen.

Why does sow care need to be emphasized now more than ever?
Popplewell: Because of her prolificacy, she must have excellent care. My farm pickup is very dependable, requires little care and gets me from point A to point B, but it does it slowly, deliberately and without much comfort. A high-end sports car will get me there much faster and has a lot of cool gadgets, but I have to make sure it’s tuned up regularly or it won’t perform at that level.

Robertson: Topics such as nutrition, caregiving practices, housing demands and oxidative stress, combined with herd health, have evolved with genetic improvement and the sheer amounts of requirements from today’s genetic lines. We are seeing higher productivity from sows in a short time demanding daily care that does not allow sows to have a bad day. There are too many areas of modern sow production that have not evolved at the same pace, leaving more questions than answers. The one thing we do know is the best sow care can provide the best recipe setting the sow up for success — regardless of the demand of her production phase.

Stuckey: Today’s sow is so efficient and high performing that the gap between success and struggle has narrowed. Systems like Prop 12 can add to that challenge.

Uitermarkt: Our staff on farms are further removed from practicing animal husbandry, and the ratio of animals to staff is always pushed. Utilize tools and technologies that will allow you to spread more skilled labor over more sows. Let technologies and reports assist you in focusing on the animals that need assistance.

What’s something we need to talk more about when it comes to the modern sow?
Popplewell: There was a book called “Stockmanship” by Peter English, Gethyn Burgess, Ricardo Segundo and John Dunne. On the first page inside the book, it has a graphic labeled, “The Forgotten Pillar.” At the top is animal production. The pillars are genetics, management, nutrition, administration, housing and health. On the corner is a stockman in coveralls and boots holding up the corner of the building. I think that needs to be talked about more. SOPs are critical, particularly in large systems. Things need to be repeatable. I guarantee the people raising 35+ pigs per sow per year are following SOPs but are also practicing excellent stockmanship. I believe that is what differentiates excellent from good.

Robertson: Lactation is one of the most demanding phases of a sow’s life. Her body is under tremendous stress as she transitions from giving birth to feeding a large, hungry litter. How she’s supported during this time directly impacts not only the health of her piglets, but also her own ability to stay healthy, maintain condition and ultimately rebreed. If we neglect this phase, we compromise her lifetime productivity.

Stuckey: Training and making sure our people know the “why” of what we do. Making sure they are engaged.

Uitermarkt: Sows are biological animals with inherent variation. We’ve created SOPs with the assumption all sows will respond the same to feeding levels, treatment protocols and farrowing techniques. We can better educate that the variation within sow herds exists, and better benchmarking on individual animals and herd variation can assist us in providing better sow care.

On the Minds of Pork Producers

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 22:45:58 GMT

Health challenges, marketing, technology and pork as an important protein are top of mind for the four producers who sat down with Chip Flory, host of “AgriTalk,” at World Pork Expo.

Aaron Juergens, an Iowa producer, points out the industry has been dealing with PRRS for 20-plus years and it always pops up at the worst possible time.

“We do our best practices daily, starting from the sow farm all the way to making sure we’re washing everything to having vets and caretakers on board and throwing everything at it to make it work,” he says. “There’s profitability today so you get throughput on every part of the operation.”

Chad Leman, who farms in central Illinois, says industry-wide, producers have been dealing with PRRS and PED in March, April and May, despite efforts to address the diseases.

“Despite all the biosecurity, we throw at these farms, we still struggle with it,” Leman says. “Our finishing barns are full, but they’re also full of more expensive weaned pigs than what we thought we were going to stock them with.”

One concept that could be part of the solution is gene editing and PRRS-resistant genetics. The technology is encouraging, but producers say there’s still more to learn.

“It sounds wonderful, and I think it could be part of the solution,” Juergens says. “But it’s really hard to say there’s going to be one magic bullet for the industry.”

Nathan Schroeder, who supports gene-editing technology, and says people usually fit into one of three groups — they’re either against it, 100% for it or somewhere in the middle and support the industry making progress.

“My son’s floating around here [at World Pork Expo] somewhere. I care about what he eats. I care about what you eat. I care about what our consumers eat,” Schroeder says. “We don’t, as an industry, want to do harm to anything. That’s why there’s so much science behind our decisions.”

Marketing and production goals are also on the minds of producers.

“Just looking at the margins for the next four or five quarters, they look healthy,” Leman says. “If we can keep pigs healthy, there’s good margins and that keeps us in business.”

Juergens is encouraged by JBS investing in a new sow plant in his home state.

“When you see somebody drop $135 million in Iowa that gives you a good feeling,” he adds. “We’re going back to our farms, and we got to make that investment in a new barn, new technology or what the next thing is going to be when you see a major player making a big splash. There’s going to be further processing down the road. It gives you a breath of fresh air.”

Kyle Baade, who raises show pigs with his family in southeastern Nebraska, is focused on investing in the next generation.

“We’re looking to improve genetics and bring in sires and different lines,” he says. “We’re on the cusp of heading into breeding season for the Midwest, so we’re always looking to gain an advantage on what we can utilize to make our product better.”

With reports of protein demand continuing to rise, the industry wants to capitalize by getting pork onto more plates both in the U.S. and around the globe.

“We came out with a new slogan, Taste What Pork Can Do, we’re trying to hit it on all cylinders,” Juergens notes. “We have a large geographic population in the United States, and we’re trying to hit all those consumer trends. It’s a big undertaking trying to get on everybody’s plate. We want to be center cut. We want to be on the pizza. We want to be the breakfast.”

When it comes to trade issues, Leman and Juergens say it’s important to keep focusing long-term, developing current relationships and building new export markets.

“We had the Vietnamese in town on Monday signing MOUs,” Juergens says. “We’re trying to get into that population of 300 million people in Indonesia and Vietnam. We need to get into these new export markets. We have to keep focused on our good customers, new customers and just be wide open for everything. The world is growing, so we need to be everywhere.”

Your next read: Will Pork Producers Continue to Print Black Ink in the Second Half of 2025?

FDA Grants PIC Approval for PRRS-Resistant Pig Gene-Editing Technology

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 12:25:00 GMT

The gene edit used in PIC’s PRRS-resistant pig has been determined safe and effective by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA granted approval to PIC on April 30, putting PIC among the first companies to gain approval for gene editing in commercial livestock in the U.S.

“We have spent years conducting extensive research, validating our findings and working with the FDA to gain approval,” Matt Culbertson, PIC’s chief operating officer, says in a release. “Today marks a major milestone for consumers, farmers and the entire pork industry who have desperately hoped for a solution to PRRS.”

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) costs the U.S. pork industry more than $1.2 billion per year. This FDA-approved gene edit will be used to breed PIC’s PRRS-resistant pigs, which are resistant to this devastating, global swine disease.

“PRRS causes needless suffering and premature death for pigs, negatively impacts animal welfare, exacerbates the need for antibiotics and increases the environmental impact of raising pigs,” PIC says in a release.

But Will Consumers Accept It?
Although the disease-resistant technology is new, pork from PRRS-resistant pigs is no different than the pork consumers already know and love, PIC says, except for resistance to the infection caused by the PRRS virus. This was confirmed by a recent study which reviewed 97 meat quality and composition data points.

In this study conducted by Circana , 72% of consumers like the idea of the PRRS-resistant pig and its benefits after reading a description of gene editing in food and the PRRS-resistant pig.

“When you talk about the benefits, because they align with what the consumer has been demanding of the food supply for years now, they’re really excited about what the technology can do,” says Marisa Pooley, PIC director of communications and engagement. Read more about what consumers think about gene-edited pork.

Addressing PRRS can allow the pork industry to improve animal welfare and reduce the environmental impact of raising pigs, says Banks Baker, global director of product sustainability.

“Recent research indicates that PRRS increases the need for antibiotics by more than 200%,” Baker says. “Plus, a recent ISO-conformant lifecycle assessment found that eliminating PRRS could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% in the U.S.”

When Will Commercialization in the U.S. Occur?
FDA approval does not automatically trigger commercialization, PIC says. Approval is an important step, but Culbertson adds it’s just one part of the overall strategy.

“Because pork is a globally traded commodity, we need to receive additional approvals from other countries around the globe, such as Canada, Mexico, Japan and China, to allow producers in the pork chain to freely trade pork back and forth,” Culbertson says. “We expect to achieve those other regulatory approvals over the next, hopefully six to 18 months, and that will really be the trigger point for the commercialization and sale of the product in the various markets.”

Colombia and Brazil have already issued positive determinations for the technology used in PRRS-resistant pigs, meaning those countries will regulate them the same as any other pigs.

“We are committed to the responsible and intentional introduction of the PRRS-resistant pig around the globe,” Culbertson says.

The PRRS-resistant pig will not be commercialized in the U.S. until at least 2026.

Read more:
In the Driver’s Seat: Consumers Share What They Think About Gene-Edited Pork

What You Need to Know Now About the PRRS-Resistant Pig

What Does the Future Hold for the PRRS-Resistant Pig?

Data Makes the Difference: PIC Seeks Answers to Environmental Impact of Genetics

Colombia is First Country to Issue Positive Regulatory Determination for PRRS-Resistant Pig

The Path to a PRRS-Resistant Pig: A Look at What’s Next

Iowa State Livestock Research Aims to Uncover How Biological Factors Impact Human Fertility

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 21:25:44 GMT

Despite having sperm with good motility (forward movement) and morphology (cell shape), one out of every four boars experience a conception rate of less than 80%. The issue mirrors human fertility challenges with one out of eight couples struggling with infertility, and one-third of those cases are attributed to male factors, according to the National Institute of Health.

“Pigs and cattle are species we have plenty of oocytes and sperm cells available for, allowing us to conduct in vitro fertilization research,” says Karl Kerns, Iowa State University assistant professor of animal science in a recent article . “They also are effective models for human reproduction compared to rodents, who do not model the human as well genetically or phenotypically at the cellular level.”

He dedicates his research efforts to pigs and cattle .

Kerns’ Lab specializes in molecular reproductive physiology with a focus on understanding and enhancing livestock sire fertility. The lab is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including andrology and molecular biology labs as well as an in vitro fertilization (IVF) lab. The IVF lab has computer-assisted semen analysis and time-lapse fluorescent microscopes to image-based flow cytometry paired with deep learning, artificial intelligence analysis methods and sorting flow cytometry.

The lab’s goal is to enhance reproductive efficiency by analyzing sperm quality and identifying biological markers that influence fertility rates. The process involves sorting sperm cells using advanced flow cytometry technology. The sorter system uses microfluidics and lasers to analyze and sort cells based on fluorescence-marked biomarkers.

“We can track thousands of cells per second, identifying key fertility indicators and sorting them accordingly,” Kerns says.

The process allows for an in-depth analysis of fertility potential and production capabilities.

Kerns’ team employs both positive and negative biomarkers to evaluate sperm quality. Positive biomarkers are generally considered good and reflect increased chances of conception, while negative biomarkers can indicate compromised fertility potential.

The team also assesses mitochondrial activity, zinc signatures and protein detection, all of which assist the lab in detecting and analyzing both healthy and unhealthy sperm.

Ian Shofner, a third-year doctorate student in mammalian reproductive physiology, focuses on artificial intelligence (AI) and developing models that predict sperm fertility metrics in the Kerns Lab.

“Currently, male fertility diagnostics are lacking in accuracy, and my work aims to improve these predictions for better assessments of male fertility in mammals,” Shofner explains. “With this, we intend on enabling the industry to make cost-effective AI solutions for fertility diagnostics using affordable brightfield microscopy technology.”

Tyler Weide, a third-year doctorate student in the interdepartmental genetics and genomics program, has an emphasis on uncovering the molecular and cellular mechanisms for fertilization.

“It’s an ideal environment for those interested in reproductive physiology to apply critical thinking in solving complex problems relevant to both agricultural and biomedical sciences,” Weide says.

Your Next Read: Gene Editing: Livestock Genetic Improvement Through DNA Editing

In the Driver’s Seat: Consumers Share What They Think About Gene-Edited Pork

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 22:07:58 GMT

Will consumers accept gene-edited pork? It’s a simple question, but a lot depends on the answer to this question that PIC continually gets asked regarding the future of the PRRS-resistant pig.

For years, PIC has been working to find a solution to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) because the problem is only getting worse, says Banks Baker, senior director, new product strategy at PIC. A recent Iowa State University study shows growing losses from PRRS cost pork producers $1.2 billion per year in the U.S.

PIC is working to gain regulatory approval for pig genetics that are resistant to PRRS. These pigs were developed utilizing non-transgenic gene editing to inactivate a specific gene, CD163, that exists in the pig and allows PRRS infection to occur.

“We understand the consumer is in the driver’s seat,” says Marisa Pooley, PIC director of communications and engagement. “That’s why we’ve completed, to our knowledge, the most robust set of data around where the consumer stands today for their acceptance and their sentiment toward gene-edited foods, gene-edited protein, and specifically gene-edited pork.”

And the results are pretty exciting, she says. PIC hired Circana to survey 1,000 participants across the U.S., ages 18-70 and representative across genders.

Would You Eat Pork from a Gene-Edited Pig?
After reading a description of gene editing in food and the PRRS-resistant pig, 72% of consumers like the idea of the PRRS-resistant pig and its benefits. Pooley says this is in line with the research they’ve seen around gene-edited foods.

“When you talk about the benefits, because they align with what the consumer has been demanding of the food supply for years now, they’re really excited about what the technology can do,” she explains.

The researchers dug even deeper into what this means. After reading a description of what the PRRS-resistant pig is and what gene-edited pork is, the respondents indicated a very high average purchase likelihood.

“Compared to their normative benchmarks, this received a high average purchase likelihood, which we think is especially good because we didn’t give a sales pitch,” Pooley says. “We just explained how gene editing works, and how it would work to create pork like this. Even with that, people were very interested.”

In addition, the results showed males and healthy eaters (people who consume pork heavily and buy it at least three times per month) were above average purchase likelihood.

“I don’t know what else you can get boomers and Gen Z to agree on, but Boomers and Gen Z also had a very high purchase likelihood,” Pooley says. “They mirrored each other, which is really interesting. We know Gen Z is more open to technologies like this and is demanding increased sustainability and transparency. Then, the boomers bring the wisdom of what they’ve seen over their lives in the evolution of the food supply.”

Millennials were similar to Gen Z, she adds. As a millennial, Pooley was surprised how comparable the numbers were between millennials and Gen Z.

“I was surprised by how open the millennial group was to this. I think that it speaks to this idea of transparency and the shift among the consumer demographic that what they really want is transparency. They want to know what’s in their food. They want to know where it’s coming from, that it was good for the animals, good for the planet, and good for their families.”

What Benefits Do Consumers Appreciate Most?
The survey asked consumers what matters most to them when deciding whether or not to purchase gene-edited pork. Four in 10 people said that as long as it tastes the same, they don’t really care.

“Circana said that no matter what it is across the board, in any food research they do, taste is king,” Pooley says. “Beyond that, they ranked reduced need for antibiotics, improved animal welfare and better for the environment as the most motivating benefits for them.”

Familiarity and awareness of gene editing, and especially in agriculture, is growing, Pooley adds.

“We continue to see more conversations about it, more media about it, more awareness,” she says. “We plan to replicate this research. We know that this is one point in time, and we plan to continue probing to better understand where the consumer is at different points of time, so we continue to develop a roadmap for meeting the consumer where they are.”

Circana also asked consumers how much they would be willing to pay for pork with these additional benefits, despite the fact that pork from PRRS-resistant pigs will likely be sold as commodity pork. Pooley points out that 60% say they would not pay more. But among that 60%, the reason why was resounding.

“We all feel the pinch of inflation right now, and they all, by and large, said the reason they would not pay more is because groceries are already so expensive,” she says.

FDA Approval in Process
The survey also showed that 91% of Americans said FDA approval is important for them to purchase gene-edited pork.

“We continue to make progress with FDA, and we’ve recently completed some of the actual on-farm and laboratory audits,” Baker says. “We are getting into the final stages of what FDA has asked us to do through the process that they’ve outlined for approval. We’re really excited and hopeful that FDA approval is within line of sight.”

PIC expects approval within 2025, so emphasis continues to be placed on consumer acceptance. For Baker, this research did more than uncover if people understand what a PRRS-resistant pig is or what gene editing is, it really helped PIC understand what matters to consumers.

“Words matter, and we need to make sure that we’re speaking to consumers in the ways that they want to be involved,” Baker says. “Although the science for the PRRS-resistant pig is extremely interesting, that’s not really where the consumer is at. They’re interested in how does this impact me on a day-to-day basis? What does this mean to me and my family? The science is a very distant thought.”

Don’t Forget
PIC recognizes the interconnectedness of global pork markets and continues to make regulatory progress across the globe. However, Baker says it’s important to remember that FDA approval does not indicate commercialization.

“If FDA approval occurs, we would legally be allowed to sell at that point, but we have said that we will not commercialize in the U.S. until we’ve got other countries, specifically Mexico, Canada and Japan at a minimum,” Baker says. “That’s an evolving landscape. We do believe that we’ve made positive progress, but approval does not mean it’s going to be sold or be available in the supply chain yet.”

In addition to the U.S., PIC has conducted consumer research in Mexico, Canada and Japan.

“PIC plans to replicate this research on an ongoing basis and continue to share the results across the industry,” he says. “This consumer research piece is really important so we can understand our customers and their customers.”

Your Next Read: What Does the Future Hold for the PRRS-Resistant Pig?

Artificial Intelligence in the Future of Swine Genetics

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 12:35:01 GMT

In the pig industry, artificial intelligence is the “other AI,” but the term is certainly around every corner, says Clint Schwab, vice president of technology and customer success at AcuFast Genetics, LLC.

“Our ability to unleash the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) is predicated on the availability of large amounts of quality data to develop such tools,” Schwab says. “As data management systems grow in sophistication and integrate information from periphery sources, I think we’ll start to see applications emerge in the near future.”

Justin Holl, senior product development director for PIC, says artificial intelligence is already impacting the path and progress of genetic progress today.

“The evolution of precision data capture that has been recently developed leans heavily on various forms of artificial intelligence to help continually refine and enhance the algorithms of measurement,” Holl explains. “In addition, we are actively utilizing various AI methods to continue to help refine the search for specific tools – either more precise traditional selection or targets for utilization with methods like gene editing, that will deliver breakthrough steps toward consistent and predictable genetic solutions to priorities of our industry.”

Many new phenotyping tools, such as sensors, use AI to generate alerts based on data received in real-time, says Jenelle Dunkelberger, global health and behavior platform lead for Topigs Norsvin.

“I anticipate we will expand our use of AI in animal breeding to improve predictions of the impact of a mutation (or set of mutations) on an animal’s phenotype, perhaps even combining non-genetic information with genetic information in making predictions,” she says.

AI Helps Make Industry Leaps
Other applications include developing models to evaluate certain selection decisions over time, or models to optimize selection indices.

The role of AI in interpreting complex phenotypes and relationships between them is exciting, says Tom Rathje, chief technical officer at DNA Genetics LLC. “Camera footage is an example of how AI can be applied to observe an animal and use those observations to classify animals and predict a reduction in culling for structure or locomotion.”

Another example is tying together the relationships between data describing the environment a pig is exposed to, gene expression, metabolome, gut microbiome and DNA sequence, Rathje says.

“We can measure all of these, but making sense of these data will be a task for which AI can be of great help,” Rathje adds.

Your Next Read: Survival is the Name of the Genetics Game

Survival is the Name of the Genetics Game

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 13:02:22 GMT

“Think I’d crumble? You think I’d lay down and die? No, not I. I will survive.”

Gloria Gaynor captured the world with her powerful ballad back in 1978. Her “I Will Survive” lyrics aren’t a far cry from the focus of maternal and terminal genetic products today. There’s no question swine genetics are becoming increasingly complex. Although few traits have decreased in importance in recent years, geneticists pinpoint survival and robustness as key areas of increasing importance.

Survival across all phases of production is growing in importance for maternal and terminal lines, says Jenelle Dunkelberger, global health and behavior platform lead for Topigs Norsvin. This includes survival under conventional health, as well as disease-challenged conditions.

Mortality, both in pigs and in sows, comes to mind immediately for Tom Rathje, chief technical officer at DNA Genetics LLC.

“Mortality is one of the top profit drivers for both maternal and terminal lines,” he says. “The challenge for geneticists is working with these complex and lowly heritable traits to improve the overall robustness and resilience of our animals. There is no easy phenotype for mortality, resilience or ‘robustness,’ but we now have tools to apply that will result in genetic progress in this space.”

In addition to general sow longevity, Dunkelberger sees more emphasis on specific causes of death loss, such as feet/leg quality and vaginal/uterine prolapse.

“Disease is also an ongoing issue due to the emergence of new, virulent porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus strains in the U.S. Survival following disease challenge is expected to remain a top issue, as pressure to reduce antibiotic usage increases,” she says. “Feed conversion remains a top trait for maternal and terminal lines, as feed remains a major production cost.”

Complex Issues Require Novel Strategies
For terminal lines, robustness/vitality in the nursery phase, including pigs that are easy to start on feed, has increased in importance. Robustness and predictability will always be valued, says Justin Holl, senior product development director for PIC. He thinks of this in a couple of ways: selection opportunities and customer experience.

“Technology platforms are evolving quickly and opening doors to capture new data and improve existing data flows,” Holl says. “This allows us to make a more direct impact on traits of interest. Historical technical barriers for some traits made genetic progress more difficult in the past. We are overcoming these barriers.”

Specifically for producers’ experiences, the evolution of the industry and available intervention strategies have pressurized things like behavior or disease resistance.

“These are complex issues that require us to develop novel strategies with practical and reliable slat-level results. It is tempting to focus on one area,” Holl says. “However, it has always made sense to improve the potential for biological performance in a thoughtful and balanced manner, such as the linkage of total born and teat number, carcass lean and quality, or both the performance of maternal products as a sow producing wean pigs and her impact on the progeny performance postweaning; we don’t expect that to change.”

What Does Balance Look Like?
A balanced breeding objective will take on a different definition for pork producers going forward, says Clint Schwab, vice president of technology and customer success at AcuFast Genetics, LLC.

Not only will new areas be incorporated into selection programs as a result of available technology, but Schwab points out more importantly, the demands on genetic products will rapidly increase in the context of changing labor, health and environmental conditions in the pork industry.

Schwab believes the mainstay profit drivers such as feed efficiency and pigs per sow per year will remain, but a new layer of traits will become increasingly important.

“These traits are frankly harder to change,” he says. “Categories of behavior, welfare and resilience are becoming more prominent.”

For example, today’s sow shows frequent examples of exceeding current expectations of genetic potential in many elements of productivity.

“Although they’ve demonstrated the existing genetic potential in current lines in the industry, it’s now a matter of making these examples more repeatable and easier to attain,” Schwab says. “Part of this equation relates to the genetics of the female herself, but a large portion has to do with how she’s managed, which further underlines the need for ensuring the multiple changes in the industry work in concert.”

Speaking of labor, its challenges are only increasing, Rathje says. This pushes genetic programs to create an easier-to-manage sow and a pig that requires less intervention to thrive and reach its genetic potential.

“It is hard to have a team effectively implement a foster sow strategy,” Rathje says. “We need a sow that can produce and raise a high-quality pig on her own and this reality has impacted the way we measure certain phenotypes and what traits are important in a selection program designed for the U.S. market.”

Your Next Read: Pigs of the Future: Genetic Technology Unlocks Precision and Understanding

Pigs of the Future: Genetic Technology Unlocks Precision and Understanding

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 14:43:48 GMT

World-class genetic potential is the foundation for herd performance. Tom Rathje, chief technical officer at DNA Genetics LLC, says without it, the U.S. pork industry won’t be able to compete against other proteins.

“Although there are other aspects to competitive production such as health, quality of incoming females, proper nutrition programs and great management, all of these focus on extracting the potential performance of each animal,” Rathje says. “The basis for that lies in their genetic potential.”

How can genetic technology help producers improve their business? Jenelle Dunkelberger, global health and behavior platform lead for Topigs Norsvin, believes it starts with genetic improvement in economically important traits for production, such as growth, feed efficiency and survival.

“Today, we facilitate genetic improvement using a genetic technology called genomic selection. Genomic selection has had a substantial impact on the production capacity of animals in the last decade,” she explains. “Genomic selection has increased the rate of genetic improvement in performance traits, mostly due to improved accuracy of selection.”

As compared to using pedigree information, genomic information enables more accurate estimation of genetic merit for a given trait, Dunkelberger says.

“For example, when relying on pedigree data, we estimate an individual’s genetic merit as the average of its parents,” she says. “This means that all piglets within a litter are assumed to have the same genetic merit (i.e. are assigned the same breeding value) for a given trait. In reality, littermates may inherit different versions of genes from their parents — information that can only be captured by genotyping.”

This genetic technology provides the capacity to help ensure a systems-approach to genetic improvement, says Clint Schwab, vice president of technology and customer success for AcuFast Genetics, LLC.

“The environment is constantly evolving; this means that the ‘fit’ of the genes need to adapt in concert with the environment,” Schwab says. “The evolution of the pig’s environment is not only due to regulatory, societal or labor/talent pressures, but also results from innovation in other sectors of the industry — nutrition, housing, health, etc. Animals express their potential differently depending on the culmination of these changes, and we need to ensure that innovations across the sectors complement each other.”

Justin Holl, senior product development director for PIC, says tools capturing important data and turning it into understanding of the genetic merit of potential parents can help maximize the success of the future.

“We see dramatic increases in precision phenotyping, using technologies like camera- or vision-imaging systems, enabling meaningful, efficient and large-scale data capture across a much wider range of environments,” Holl says. “This, combined with genomic science, should allow us to make faster progress for important traits like robustness, efficiency and productivity. As a result, the next generation of pigs have a higher profit potential for producers.”

Pork producers have different economic models, Rathje adds. The genetic technology in use today can very accurately predict and help leverage the natural variation available to bring more genetic potential to those unique profit drivers.

L-R: Justin Holl, PIC; Tom Rathje, DNA Genetics LLC; Jenelle Dunkelberger, Topigs Norsvin; and Clint Schwab, AcuFast Genetics, LLC, provide insights about the future of swine genetics.

(Farm Journal’s PORK)

Dunkelberger, Holl, Rathje and Schwab take a deeper look into what’s ahead for the U.S. pork industry in the ever-evolving field of genetics.

Q: Today’s genetic tools are advancing. What does that mean for U.S. producers?
Holl: Clearly science continues to evolve at a quick pace. The combination of better sources of data and more detailed descriptors of the genetic characteristics of individual animals allows us to unlock greater precision and understanding. This could be as simple as adding new traits to the selection program and enabling a more complete description of profit potential for a selection target. It can also unlock precise targets to use the next generation of technologies, such as gene editing, to more quickly and precisely deliver genetic solutions in the future for disease, robustness and efficiency.

Rathje: The technologies we have today allow us to identify more genetic variation in a very accurate way. This has increased the rate of genetic progress and is allowing us to tackle very complex traits in ways that we have not been able to in the recent past. Producers are benefiting directly from this improved genetic potential. It’s an input with one of the highest ROIs for a producer. Having said that, while these technologies are promising and exciting, they do not come free and are often expensive to implement and increase the cost of running a selection program over time. There are many things we can now do to help solve challenges for producers, but producers need to decide if they are willing to pay those costs.

Q: What do you anticipate changing in the next five years regarding the application of genetic tools?
Dunkelberger: I anticipate the cost of genotyping will continue to decrease, making it possible to genotype more individuals at a higher resolution. Increasing the percentage of genotyped animals within our herds will increase accuracy of selection and, ultimately, improve performance for traits under selection. Sequence data will be used to build (or add to) reference populations of sequenced animals for specific genetic lines and facilitate imputation from lower to higher density. I also anticipate the addition of new traits to selection indices, especially for traits that have traditionally been difficult or impossible to measure. For example, health and welfare traits are becoming increasingly relevant, but methods to measure such traits have been limited. Advancements in camera and sensor technology, and the development of machine learning models to process data, are expected to play a role in improving our ability to define and derive phenotypes for these traits.

Holl: Our industry and the potential tools to support it are changing. We are asked to do more with less and compete with other protein sources to maximize our value proposition to the global consumer. Traditional selection, characterized by data capture and genetic prediction, will continue to be a pillar for broad and balanced progress. We believe the initial uses of gene editing will be introduced to multiple global markets — not just in the U.S. pork industry but also likely in poultry, beef and aqua. In addition, we will see several tools implemented in the next five years that aid in the delivery of genetic improvement to the commercial level — such as lower concentration semen utilization and sexed semen for specific uses.

Rathje: Gene editing and other tools to create intentional genetic alterations will continue to develop. These tools hold great promise for increasing the rate of genetic progress to enhance traits that benefit the pig, the producer and the consumer of pork. There are a number of questions industry must answer before these are used in the pork supply chain, particularly related to the impact on demand that could result from a gene-edited pig. The technology is not advanced enough to support routine use in a breeding program. We are not at a point where we can quickly and easily incorporate an edit into a routine breeding system within weeks. As the technology evolves, it is likely this problem will have a solution. The current regulatory framework is a major challenge to routine use.

Schwab: The list of novel tools that are illustrating real potential continues to grow. Examples such as gene editing, new genomic sequencing technology, sensor tools, etc., are all available today, but how they are leveraged to drive sustainable value for the industry is still in its infancy. These tools ultimately allow us to identify and utilize genetic variation that has largely been under the radar in the past and represents the key opportunity. A similar evolution in reproductive technology will also support faster pathways in regard to delivering genetic change to the customer level. For quite some time, other species have been ahead of pigs in these areas, but recent advancements will increase the speed of delivery for many of the genetic changes that have been discussed.

Q: What areas of a production system will be influenced by genetics more readily in the future?
Dunkelberger: We continuously search for new target traits for selection or better ways of measuring traits that are already under selection. Different traits are expected to increase in relevance in the future, such as traits used to select pigs for more sustainable production. Common sustainability goals include improving animal welfare, decreasing antibiotic usage and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We observe evidence of natural, genetic variation in traits related to all three themes and already select in a direction consistent with these themes. On-going development of new traits and phenotyping tools will increase our ability to select pigs to meet these goals. In the future, I anticipate we will also be able to optimize genetics for different environments.

Schwab: While genetic progress continues to accelerate, it’s safe to say a profitable equation to U.S. swine production is not getting simpler going forward. Given ongoing pressures, the ability of existing genetic programs to focus on traits in the areas of behavior, adaptability and user-friendliness have opened the door to selection for genetic products that better fit production environments going forward. It’s not as simple as just producing more pigs at birth; we need to reduce system attrition across the production chain and optimize the required inputs to achieve greater value. Progress assumes these characteristics are under selection pressure. The old paradigm that if you measure it and put energy on it, it will change still holds true. There are many examples within key global genetic programs of new and more sophisticated phenotypes being collected and analyzed. In the end, change will occur at a deeper biological level across a wider spectrum of traits, which will then allow breeding programs to deliver rapid progress with higher predictability.

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Can We Breed Better Mothers for Free Farrowing Conditions?

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 01:21:20 GMT

Is it possible to breed better mothers for free farrowing conditions? Jenelle Dunkelberger, global health and behavior platform lead for Topigs Norsvin, says the global trend to explore alternative housing systems for pig production prompted her company to look for solutions.

“Behavior is a great example of a trait that we are still learning how to define,” Dunkelberger said during a seminar at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting on March 2. “For example, how do you define good maternal behavior? What type of behavior are you really looking for?”

The use of camera technology and sensors can help generate data that can be used to study traits like behavior, among other things, she points out. But researchers still need to have a sense of what to look for that’s indicative of good behavior.

“What we do know is that a good mother should check her surroundings and exercise care when lying or changing positions,” she says. “But it goes so much deeper than that. For example, pigs are smart, and we don’t yet fully understand how sows communicate with their piglets.”

Pork producers want to know how important these complex traits will be in the future of pig production, especially now that the industry has access to tools that can capture data which has never been captured before.

What is Best for the Sow and Her Piglets?
“For some, removing farrowing crates is thought to translate to better sow welfare,” she says. “But of course, the reason we have farrowing crates in the first place is to protect the welfare of the piglets. Therefore, if farrowing crates are removed, novel management strategies will be required to ensure that we protect the welfare of the piglets. We have to maximize both sow and piglet welfare.”

Results from our research trial showed that piglet crushing was 8% higher for the free farrowing versus crated group, Dunkelberger says.

This highlights the need to develop strategies to mitigate piglet losses in such housing systems. For this reason, another objective of this research was to investigate the potential of genetic selection for enhanced mothering ability as a potential solution to this issue.

Topigs Norsvin has been selecting for enhanced mothering ability as part of its breeding program for over two decades. Dunkelberger says they do this by collecting data in a crated environment because that’s been the structure of the industry. Data is collected in that environment and used to calculate a sow’s genetic merit for mothering ability.

“We calculate breeding values for mothering ability as the maternal effect on piglet survival. In other words, the impact of the mother’s genes on the ability to keep her piglets alive,” she says.

In the study that Dunkelberger referenced, Topigs Norsvin wanted to evaluate whether genetic selection for improved maternal behavior validates in a free farrowing environment. Large White x Landrace sows were group-housed during gestation and transported to the farrowing unit at approximately 109 days of gestation. In the farrowing unit, half of the sows were assigned to the free farrowing group, and the remaining half to the crated group, where parity structure was balanced across groups. Sows and piglets were monitored throughout the duration of the study using cameras mounted above each pen or crate.

Overall piglet mortality was significantly higher in the free farrowing group (14.2%) versus 5.9% in the crated group. Consistent with this finding, mortality due to crushing was also significantly higher for free farrowing (11.8%) versus crated litters (1.1%).

“The majority of piglet death loss was due to crushing,” she says. “But when you look at the effect of breeding value for mothering ability, we observed that sows with a better breeding value for mothering ability had lower overall piglet mortality, including lower mortality due to crushing. We observed this result regardless of housing type (crated or free farrowing environment).”

The takeaway is that genetic selection for better mothering ability validates in a crated environment, but also in a free farrowing environment, Dunkelberger points out.

“We’re encouraged by this finding,” she says. “Results from this study show that our current approach of breeding for enhanced mothering ability reduces piglet losses in a crated environment, but also in a free farrowing environment. This means that genetic selection for better maternal behavior can be part of a strategy to reduce piglet death loss, if and where these alternative housing systems are being used.”

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Company News: Promotions, New Hires and Acquisitions

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 22:29:28 GMT

BioZyme® Inc. Hires Steven Stone as ASM in Dakotas

Steven Stone, Strasburg, Colo., joins BioZyme® Inc., as the new Area Sales Manager (ASM) for in North and South Dakota.

In his role, he will work with the dealer network, promote the BioZyme family of brands and collaborate with dealers and customers. As with everyone at BioZyme, his goal is to empower our customers and partners as they improve their animals’ health and nutrition.

Stone brings extensive agricultural sales experience and practical livestock knowledge to his role as ASM. He worked his way from pen rider to mill supervisor at the former Conagra Feedlot in Gilcrest, Colorado. He spent time as a ranch manager, collected bulls at a bull stud, taught high school agricultural classes and worked in sales. He also spent time as an entrepreneur. His early career goals included becoming an agricultural lobbyist, which led him to pursue his first degree in social science at the University of Northern Colorado–Greeley. He then earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from the Middle Tennessee State University-Murfreesboro.

“I’m most excited about working for a company that has the animals’ best interest at heart. Those animals depend on our nutrition, and our job is to ensure they perform. I can fully embrace the care that comes full circle philosophy that BioZyme employs,” Stone says.

Granite Creek Capital Partners Announces Acquisition of Ritchie Industries

Granite Creek Capital Partners, L.L.C., a private investment firm based in Chicago, has acquired Ritchie Industries, Inc. (“Ritchie” or the “Company”), a leading manufacturer of automated livestock watering products.

Ritchie offers a complete line of livestock watering products for the beef, dairy, equine and other livestock markets. The waterers are manufactured in Conrad, Iowa, continuing the legacy of the Company’s founder, Thomas Ritchie, who patented the first automatic float-controlled livestock watering device in 1921.

“Ritchie has a storied history and has built an unmatched reputation for quality and integrity,” said Jim Clark, Partner at Granite Creek. “We are excited to have the opportunity to partner with the Company to build on its strong foundation and explore new products and services that will further expand Ritchie’s market-leading position.”

Mike Ray, Operating Partner at Granite Creek, added, “We are ready to leverage our expertise in livestock markets and animal health to support the Ritchie team. Clean, reliable water access in any weather and operating conditions is vital to a herd’s performance. We look forward to supporting Ritchie’s ongoing product innovation efforts for its customers in the United States and international markets.”

The Granite Creek-led acquisition of Ritchie was supported by an investment from Rural American Fund and a rollover investment from Ritchie’s management and employees.

László Pecze Director Topigs Norsvin Central Europe

László Pecze has been appointed director of Topigs Norsvin Central Europe, and started his new position Jan. 23. He reports to Arno van de Laar, Regional Director Europe.

Topigs Norsvin Central Europe is based in Budaörs, near Budapest, and is active in 14 countries in the region.

For the last 17 years, Pecze managed the pig production and later the total production of a major agricultural group in Hungary. From 2007 to 2008, he was Area Manager and Technical Consultant for Topigs Norsvin.

“I admire the dedication and passion the people of Topigs Norsvin have for their profession and pigs,” Pecze says. “The organization’s staff have been and will continue to be a professional base and a point of reference for producers in the region. Thanks to these factors and the outstanding quality of the genetics and support, Topigs Norsvin is a key contributor to the successful future of pork production in Central Europe.”

Your next read: Elevate Your Expertise: Join Ag Leaders at Top Producer Summit

Registration Now Open for 2025-2026 SowBridge Educational Series

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 20:30:34 GMT

SowBridge, the distance educational series for those who work with sows, boars and piglets, and with genetic and reproductive issues, begins its next program year in early February 2025, and registration is now underway. The series is provided online through the Zoom platform and each session is recorded for later viewing.

Sherry Hoyer, communication specialist with the Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University, said suggestions from participants guide the selection of future topics and speakers, and the opportunity for interaction with session speakers will not change.

“SowBridge provides all participants with the opportunity to hear directly from experts, and to contact those experts following the individual sessions,” she said.

Sessions generally are held on the first Wednesday of the month and run from 11:15 a.m. to about 12:15 p.m. Central Time. One exception this year: the fifth session is moved up one week to May 28 to avoid conflicts with World Pork Expo.

During each session, participants can ask questions of the industry expert presenter from the comfort of their home, office, or swine unit. Each registration provides access to one Zoom connection per session and all program materials provided by presenters.

The cost is $200 ($U.S.) for the first registration and half that amount for each subsequent registration from the same entity.

Registration is due Jan. 20, 2025, to ensure participants have access to materials for the first session on Feb. 5. A flyer with information and registration form is available on the IPIC website.

The 2025-2026 program session dates and topics are as follows.

Feb. 5: H5N1 as it Relates to Pigs
Mar. 5: Feeding Frequency Pre-Farrow: Impact on Farrowing Duration
April 2: Your Farm Broke with PRSS/PED: Now what?
May 7: Overcoming Barriers and Understanding the Psychological Impact of Pig Euthanasia
May 28: Iron Status of Sows: Impacts on Farrowing Duration
July 2: How to Manage Gilts not Cycling
Aug. 6: Diagnostic Testing
Sept. 3: Depopulation Preparedness
Oct. 1: Where’s the draft coming from?
Nov. 5: Farrowing Stall Environment Management
Dec. 3: Heat Synchronization Protocols
Jan. 7, 2026: Treating Sows According to Farm SOP

For more information on the sessions or registration, contact Hoyer by phone at 515-294-4496 or email shoyer@iastate.edu.

SowBridge is provided through a cooperative effort of 15 colleges and universities from the nation’s major swine producing states.

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The Pork Industry's War with PRRS: Scott Dee's Take on the Past, Present and Future

Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:05:32 GMT

It’s true that Scott Dee, a retired veterinarian with Pipestone, has thought about porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) more than most people throughout his lifetime. The “mystery disease” rocked his world as a young practicing swine veterinarian as he sought to find answers to help producers survive one of the most challenging times in the pork industry.

“In the late 80s, a 1,000-sow farm was huge. Most farms were 200 to 500 sows, and all the buildings were on one site. It was a very bacterial disease focused industry. Viruses didn’t play a big role in the health programs at that time. There really weren’t many viral diseases, and there certainly was nothing like PRRS,” Dee says.

A Devastating Foe
When Dee graduated from veterinary school, PRRS had not yet emerged. But within the next year, it reared its ugly head and was a real disaster, he explains.

“One of the most disappointing experiences I ever had in my almost 37-year career is how the industry fought each other, especially the veterinarians, in the early days of mystery swine disease. People were trying to figure out what it was. There were certain camps of researchers that thought they had the silver bullet. There was no sharing, no collaboration, no working together,” Dee says.

Fortunately, the industry has evolved and collaboration has been key to many of the improvements that pork producers see today from vaccines and diagnostics to biosecurity plans and genetics. Fighting PRRS requires a multi-pronged approach.

Over the years, Dee transitioned from practicing on the farm to taking that practical knowledge into research roles at the University of Minnesota and Pipestone where he took on challenges one by one – finding solutions and documenting his research for the entire industry’s benefit.

“One thing that strikes me when I look at Dr. Dee’s career (and his contributions have been many at multiple levels), is how he’s helped advance biosecurity for the swine industry through his research on PRRS and applying very basic concepts on how virus gets transmitted,” says Montse Torremorell, department chair and professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

From air filtration to feed mitigants, his research has changed the industry, she adds.

Fighting PRRS Today
Still, the battle against PRRS wanes on and many wonder if we can win the war.

“If you asked me this a year ago, I would have been very negative, saying that we don’t have any idea what to do. We’re really struggling. The virus is winning the war all the time,” Dee says. “This year, though, we’ve put out a couple of new papers where we’ve shown we’ve solved a very important problem - the problem of area spread of the virus. So now we can eliminate the virus, and we can keep it out.”

He believes these recent next-generation biosecurity findings, recently published here , combined with all the great work people have done in PRRS research, make him optimistic the industry has everything it needs to take PRRS incidence down dramatically.

“I really think a lot of what we did is applicable not only to PRRS, but to other diseases. Within the system, we see less porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) now, we see less mycoplasma and we see less influenza. This goes beyond pigs and PRRS,” Dee explains.

When it comes to fighting PRRS or any disease, producers have a role to play.

“This is not rocket science. It’s just taking everything we’ve learned that we know is valid because it’s been validated scientifically and putting it into a program. Of course, we have to audit it. We have to train employees. We have to take care of the people aspect. But there’s nothing really magical about what we did. We simply looked at the information we had, applied it and then measured it to see if it did anything.”

And it did. He says the industry has enough knowledge, and products that can be combined with that knowledge, to start moving the needle.

“We’ve got everything we need to start moving forward. We might learn some more things along the way. We might improve on some of those tools. We might face a bump in the road along the way,” Dee says. “But standing still and saying we can’t do anything about this virus is the wrong attitude. We have to move forward and keep our spirits up.”

Where does the industry go from here?
Find out what Dee has to say in episode 8 of The PORK Podcast here on YouTube or download it anywhere podcasts are found.

Long-Term Trends in Pigs Per Litter

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:07:18 GMT

By Michael Langemeier, Center for Commercial Agriculture at Purdue University for farmdoc daily

Key performance metrics for swine production include feed conversion, litters per sow per year, pigs per litter, and pounds of pork produced per sow per year. All of these metrics have improved dramatically over time. A recent article by Franken (2024), noted that pigs per litter reached another record in September. Improvements in production performance are critical to controlling production costs and for the industry to remain competitive in comparison to swine producers in other countries and competing meats. This article examines long-term trends in pigs per litter.

Pigs per litter data for the U.S. are available from USDA-NASS on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. Figure 1 illustrates actual and predicted pigs per litter for the last 30 years, 1994 to 2023. A simple linear trend was used to predict pigs per litter for each year. The annual growth rate in pigs per litter was 0.107 pigs or 1.1 percent per year. This may seem small, however, over the 30-year period, this equates to an increase of 3.11 pigs per litter or an increase of approximately 37.4% over the 1994 to 2023 period.

Figure 1. Trend in Pigs Per Litter

(USDA-NASS (farmdocDAILY))

Production performance, measured using pigs per litter, has been particularly strong in the last few years. As evident in Figure 1, since 2015, pigs per litter have been above the trend line. This was particularly true for 2019 and 2023. Actual and predicted pigs per litter were 10.98 and 10.78 in 2019, and 11.42 and 11.21 in 2023. In other words, pigs per litter were approximately 0.2 pigs above the long-run trend for these two years.

Improvements in production performance, such as litters per sow per year and pigs per litter, have impacts on the number of sows needed to supply the domestic and export markets. Obviously, if pigs per litter had not increased over the last few decades, we would need a much larger sow herd. In addition to production performance, the increasing market weight of barrows and gilts has impacted the size of the sow herd needed to supply our markets. To provide some perspective on the importance of production performance and market weights, we will contrast the growth rates in sows farrowed, pig crop, and swine production in pounds (USDA-NASS). The annual growth rate in the U.S. sow herd during the 1994 to 2023 period is only 0.17% per year. In contrast, the annual growth rate in the U.S. pig crop (1994 to 2023) and U.S. swine production (1994 to 2023) are 1.28% and 2.07%, respectively. In 1994, the pig crop (swine production) was 101.5 million head (24.4 billion pounds). The pig crop in 2023 was 135.8 million head, and swine production totaled 42.6 billion pounds. To summarize, we have increased U.S. swine production by 74% by increasing the number of sows by only 5.2%. In terms of per sow production, pounds produced per sow increased from 1,972 in 1994 to 3,580 in 2023.

In closing, pigs per litter has increased at a rate of 0.107 pigs per year since 1994. Another way of stating the same thing, the annual growth rate of pigs per litter in the U.S. was 1.1% from 1994 to 2023. Continued improvements in production performance will help ensure the U.S. swine industry remains competitive.

References
Franken, J. “Record Pigs per Litter Starting to Sound Like a Broken Record?” farmdoc daily (14):177, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, September 30, 2024.

United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Quick Stats, https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/ , accessed October 23, 2024.

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NPPC Speaks Out on FDA Regulation of Gene Editing

Fri, 23 Aug 2024 19:22:30 GMT

Gene editing has the potential to improve animal health, reduce antibiotic use, and help produce safe food if it is not overregulated, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) said in Capital Update on Aug. 23.

“Treating gene edits as an “animal drug” could force the technology to other countries, which already are taking a science-based approach on the issue,” the organization noted.

Although NPPC supports the FDA’s efforts to clarify regulatory requirements for developers of intentional genomic alterations in animals, as well as efforts clarifying that downstream producers choosing to invest in this technology will be exempt from regulatory oversight, it does not believe the updated guidance offers any significant improvement to the burdensome regulatory process.

The updated guidance, GFI #187B Heritable Intentional Genomic Alterations in Animals: The Approval Process, treats “altered genomic DNA” as a drug under the Food, Drug & Cosmetic (FD&C) Act because it is “an article intended to affect the structure or function of the body of the animal, and, in some cases, intended for use in diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in the animal.”

In comments to the FDA on July 31, NPPC notes that the updated guidance did not take into account gene editing that deletes DNA or inserts DNA that could be found naturally. In updating the guidance, FDA said an alteration that has an effect on animal disease, such as creating resistance to a disease, would be subject to regulation under the FD&C Act — a burdensome, costly, and time-consuming process.

NPPC previously asked FDA to use a National Academies of Sciences report to determine what, if any, approval under the FD&C Act is required for gene edited animals that are not intended for producing biopharmaceuticals or medical devices.

“Gene editing offers a tremendous opportunity for the U.S. pork industry, but continued regulation under FDA and the FD&C Act create extreme barriers to utilization by industry and is not in keeping with federal policy and precedence — and indeed global regulatory trends — concerning the use of biotechnology in agriculture,” NPPC concluded in its comments.

NPPC will continue to advocate for the transfer regulatory authority over gene editing from FDA to the USDA.

Read More:
Innovations Have Potential to Transform the Industry
What You Need to Know Now About the PRRS-Resistant Pig
What Does the Future Hold for the PRRS-Resistant Pig?
Growing Losses from PRRS Cost Pork Producers $1.2 Billion Per Year
The Path to a PRRS-Resistant Pig: A Look at What’s Next

How to Leverage Benchmarking Data for Greater Success in Pork Production

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 15:35:52 GMT

National Pork Board initiated the Production Benchmarking Analysis to give pork producers access to vital data that can help evaluate productivity across all phases of their operations. The report was prepared by MetaFarms and its subsidiary affiliate SMS.

“By comparing your farm’s performance with the insights provided in this report, you can identify key productivity indicators and implement strategies to boost your profitability,” National Pork Board shares.

Access the benchmarking report here.

The analysis is designed with pork producers’ success in mind. It highlights areas where improvements can be made and guides the direction of Checkoff-funded programs and research to ensure they address the most impactful aspects of farm productivity.

“This is your opportunity to leverage industry-wide data to drive your farm’s performance forward and contribute to broader industry advancements,” National Pork Board says.

Sow Farm Performance by Sow Farm Size
One of the new components in the 2023 Industry Production Analysis is the sow farm performance by sow farm size.

Each KPI is determined by the sow farm size, the report explains. This type of analysis is beneficial for producers to benchmark their own sow farm size versus the industry.

When observing the differences by size, one of the big differences observed is the fact that those farms that are greater than 4,000 head, have the highest pigs weaned per mated female per year (PWMFY) at 26.79 as well as the highest total born per female farrowed at 15.81.

So why are these large sized sow farms performing so well? Aside from the general sow farm health, there are two import KPIs that are telling the story of why, the report says. They are repeats and wean to first service interval.

Repeats are animals that have fallen out of a breed week whether that’s because of a repeat mating, negative pregnancy check, abortion, or not-in-pig.

“Consider these fallout reasons and why they happen. Then look at the animal itself and ask yourself if it is worth making breed target or whether replacing this animal with a new gilt is better. Once a sow leaves the farrowing house, the clock is ticking on when that female will get bred,” the report says.

To improve your sow farm’s wean-to-first service interval, the report offers a few tips:

1) Have enough piglets on the sow. A sow without enough piglets nursing could cause the sow to come into heat in the farrowing house.

2) Body condition of the sow. A skinny or fat sow coming out of the farrowing house can cause less eggs to be produced from the ovaries.

3) Proper heat detection in the gestation barn as soon as the weaned sow arrives.

Dig deeper in PORK’s State of the Pork Industry Reports:

What’s Wrong With Being Average? Q2 State of the Pork Industry Report is Out Now

State of the Pork Industry Report: Takeaways from 2023

What You Need to Know Now About the PRRS-Resistant Pig

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 14:52:44 GMT

Rolling out the PRRS-Resistant Pig is going to be a long process .

Iowa pig farmer Mike Paustian believes it’s important to introduce the technology in a thoughtful, comprehensive manner, so everyone has a chance to get their questions answered and concerns heard.

“As an industry, we need to have a conversation about whether we want to utilize this technology and how we want to utilize it,” he adds. “There is a sense of urgency that we need to, as producers, be learning more about it and understanding what it could do for our operations.”

The last thing Paustian wants to see happen is the industry loses access to this gene-editing technology.

“We’re talking about the PRRS-Resistant Pig right now,” he says. “But there are so many other things that we can do with the technology that could benefit the industry and help us meet some of the challenges that we’re facing.”

That’s why he is focused on helping people understand the technology.

“As a recovering science nerd, I did animal disease research while pursuing my Ph.D. in microbiology before I came back to the farm,” Paustian says. “I understand the potential of gene-editing technology. I want to help bridge the gap between academic knowledge and how to actually do this within the pork industry, and then reach consumers to help them understand how this technology can benefit them, as well.”

Paustian believes mistakes were made when genetically modified crops were rolled out years ago. He doesn’t want to see that happen with PIC’s PRRS-Resistant Pig technology.

“We’re still dealing with the fallout because consumers were not in the loop of things,” he points out. “GMO crops were marketed to producers and producers made a business decision that, ‘Hey, this solves a problem. The price is reasonable and I’m going to have a return on my investment if I buy these genetically modified seeds, so I’m all in.’ But nobody took it to the next step and said, ‘Well, how does everybody else feel about this?’”

It’s one thing when you are making a business decision for your farm, he says. But, it’s another thing entirely when people are making a decision about the food people eat. That’s why he is focused on helping people understand the technology.

A Sustainable Solution
For Paustian, it’s all about meeting consumers where they are and helping them see how this technology can help address some of their concerns about food.

“Consumers don’t care whether a producer is making money or not, whether we’re talking about pork producers, crop farmers or people raising alpacas,” he says. “To say the gene-edited pig could help a producer be more profitable doesn’t resonate, or could even resonate negatively, with a consumer. But, if you approach it from a different standpoint, such as gene editing making a pig resistant to a disease like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), resulting in the use of fewer antibiotics, now that’s something consumers care about.”

Matt Culbertson, chief operating officer at PIC, says the industry is entering the final chapter of the story before the opportunity to commercialize pig genetics that are resistant to PRRS. These pigs were developed utilizing non-transgenic gene editing to de-activate a specific gene, CD163, that exists in the pig and allows PRRS infection to occur.

Around the globe, the pork industry is continually challenged to do more with less and meet consumers’ evolving expectations for agriculture and protein production. That’s why Culbertson is so excited about the potential of the PRRS-Resistant Pig.

“The PRRS-Resistant Pig can improve the sustainability and efficiency of pork production for our customers in a way that aligns with the evolving expectations of the food chain – specifically increased sustainability, decreased need of antibiotic use and improved animal health and well-being,” Culbertson says.

Still, questions remain about the PRRS-Resistant Pig that is currently under FDA review. This technology has not been approved yet and is currently not for sale.

Based on initial studies evaluating the impact of PRRS-resistant technology and industry studies looking at the impact of PRRS in a herd, Banks Baker, global director, product sustainability for PIC, expects an overall improvement to herd health without PRRS.

“We expect the PRRS-Resistant Pig to lower input costs and allow operations to be more sustainable, in addition to mitigating the risk of PRRS. This technology can also provide animal welfare and environmental benefits Baker says. “With this absolute solution to a devastating problem, it’s also our hope that it increases labor efficiencies, while making the farm a more enjoyable place to work.”

When Will the PRRS-Resistant Pig Be Available?
The most commonly asked question is simple – when? Although that is an important question, the answer isn’t that simple.

“Producers need to understand that none of this gene-editing technology is going to move forward until all the ducks are in a row. And there’s a lot of ducks to get in a row,” Paustian says.

While PIC anticipates FDA approval in 2025, they do not plan to commercialize in the U.S. until at least 2026.

From packers to consumers and from producers to exporters, one of the key steps in this process is gaining market acceptance and understanding.

“It’s not going to be a case of people start to raise them, and then they try to figure it out. Nobody’s going to have a gene-edited pig until the proper approvals are in place and we’re getting the appropriate feedback from folks that it’s going to be accepted,” Paustian says. “Nobody’s going to wake up some morning and be like, ‘Hey, guess what, there’s gene-edited pork on the shelf.’ It’s not going to be a surprise.”

The introduction of the PRRS-Resistant Pig will happen gradually over time, giving pork producers and the global marketplace time to adjust accordingly, Baker points out.

“Some people fear they will see a glut of pigs on the market, like this is going to change the market overnight. That’s not the way that our technology works. It’s important to remember that this isn’t like a pharmaceutical product, where you can have immediate coverage in a very short amount of time. This is a genetic improvement that you have to push through breeding populations,” Baker says.

He expects producer adoption of the PRRS-Resistant Pig technology to be a slow ramp up. As producers begin to utilize the technology, it will be like a dimmer switch – not a light switch that suddenly comes on. It will take several years to get there, Baker says.

“We anticipate that the PRRS-Resistant Pig could take up to five years for the breed-up process to go into commercial herds,” Baker says. “And that’s assuming that there would be normal replacement rates. It’s going to take several years to roll out across global markets.”

Acceptance and Approvals
PIC is currently working to secure approval and market acceptance for the PRRS-Resistant Pig in the U.S. and other key pork-producing countries such as Canada, China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and more. Each country has a unique regulatory system and biotechnology policies that will affect the approval process and the timeline.

“PIC recognizes that international trade is critical to pork producers and the pork industry’s viability. We’re committed to responsible stewardship of this technology to protect those critical trade relationships, and the global pork import-export markets,” Baker says.

The company anticipates a series of regulatory decisions over the next few years, including an expected decision from the FDA sometime in 2025. Receiving a regulatory determination or approval is a critical first step, Baker says. But it doesn’t automatically trigger sales to that particular country.

“Regulatory decisions are important milestones. We also recognize the importance of earning market acceptance for our PRRS-Resistant Pig and the resulting products,” Baker says.

Regulation of genetically engineered animals is important to assure that the targeted modification will not compromise the health or welfare of the animals, public health/safety, and/or safety to the environment, says Anna Forseth, DVM, director of animal health for the National Pork Producers Council.

“There is also an advantage with regards to consumer acceptance of the products,” Forseth adds. “In a recent Food Marketing Institute survey evaluating consumer attitudes, trust and acceptance of bioengineered and gene-edited food, the results showed that federal agencies including USDA, FDA and UN FAO are the most trusted organizations for information. Regulation should not be a barrier, because this technology has a lot of potential, but is necessary for many reasons and audiences.”

There is no question that consumer acceptance is key.

“Independent research shows us that consumers increasingly care about how their pork is being produced. So, as we’re completing credible and defensible research that allow us to express those production efficiencies that a producer is able to achieve through this technology, we’re trying to express it in ways that align with the consumer, packer, processor, food service and retail segments,” Baker says.

The consumer has been really clear, especially in the U.S., about what they care about.

“We need to make sure we connect the production efficiency of the PRRS-Resistant Pig with those things they care about: reduced need for antibiotic use, a reduced greenhouse gas footprint associated with that meat product, better animal welfare and an improved environment for farm workers,” he says. “Consumer research conducted by Circana in 2023 shows that 72% of consumers like the idea of gene-edited pork when they are presented with the benefits.”

Transparency Matters
In addition, PIC is developing a strategic rollout plan to ensure the PRRS-Resistant Pig and resulting pork products are sold only in countries where they meet those local regulations.

“We’re at the very early stages right now, which is good because we have time to take a proactive approach with this. We don’t have to be reactive. We’ve got a lot of time for people to get their questions answered. We have a lot of time to get the regulatory issues sorted out. And we have a lot of time to start to talk to consumers about this,” Baker says.

Will Mike Paustian ever use a gene-edited pig on his farm? He’s honestly not sure. But one thing he is sure of, gene editing is a tool that the pork industry needs in its toolbox.

Read More:
What Does the Future Hold for the PRRS-Resistant Pig?

Growing Losses from PRRS Cost Pork Producers $1.2 Billion Per Year

The Path to a PRRS-Resistant Pig: A Look at What’s Next