Research conducted by Iowa State University shows abiding to temperature holding times is an effective means of inactivating disease-causing pathogens in swine barn entryways.
- The survivability of two stains of PRRSV and PEDV was evaluated on aluminum and cardboard surfaces at various temperatures over various holding times – and a variation was indeed found!
In short: 86°F (30°C) over 24 hours seems to be an effective method for destroying multiple different PRRSV strains (at least, agai...
A team of researchers from the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota has been studying how vaccination can reduce swine influenza A reassortment in pigs. That's important because influenza viruses are highly adaptable and mutate quite easily. The ability to prevent reassortment would significantly lower the risk of new strains developing and infecting other species – including humans. The bottom line is that it’s key for preventing issues on farms and among people.
- Re...
The two most important nutrients in a swine diet are widely known to be energy and amino acids (AA). Before we even think about adding in other additives or new ingredient sources, we need to make sure we are feeding the most efficient energy and AA ratios we can. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Jorge Estrada about his study feeding different energy and AA levels to determine the impacts of different levels on gain, feed intake, and other parameters in maternal barrows.
Meet the guest: Dr...
What causes ear tip necrosis in pigs? For years the answers have varied widely from genetics to mycotoxins as well as many other hypotheses. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Matheus Costa about his research determining the causative agent for ear tip necrosis. Several past hypotheses have been ruled out, and a breakthrough discovery may be here very soon…
Meet the guest:
Dr. Matheus Costa is a veterinarian from Brazil who earned his PhD at the University of Saskatchewan in 2016. After rec...
Animal welfare is one of the main concerns for animal producers all over the world. Sometimes however, it is hard to maintain efficiency while maximizing animal welfare. In this episode, I talk with Jason McAlister to find out how we can improve animal welfare while simultaneously improving the efficiency of our production facilities. We may just need to get down on all fours and think like a pig would…
What you will learn:
1. Moving from meat science to animal welfare
2. The biggest ch...
Luke Skywalker wasn’t the only one leaving the farm for outside opportunities. According to the University of Missouri, 82% of US farm and ranch household income now comes from off-farm sources. The numbers reveal the growing economic diversity of farms as well as the interconnection between rural communities and surrounding cities – besides the fact that most households have negative farm income in a typical year and workers are searching for health and retirement benefits.
- Rural workers hav...
The White House will hold the first Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health in over 50 years. According to President Joe Biden, many families don’t know where they’re going to get their next meal and diet-oriented diseases are some of the leading causes of death in the US.
- The last time the White House hosted a conference focused on food insecurity was during President Richard Nixon’s mandate, which led to expansions of the food stamp program and the school lunch program; the creation of t...