After the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab identified porcine morbillivirus in fetal tissues, an investigation to determine if the virus was present in the U.S. swine population was initiated. 

But the results by the Swine Health Information Center have determined that porcine morbillivirus does not present a significant risk to the U.S. swine herd and isn’t an emerging disease in the country.

After testing samples from all over the country over the last couple of years, the res...

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is updating the Swine Hemorrhagic Fevers: African and Classical Swine Fevers Integrated Surveillance Plan to feature recent additional measures taken after ASF was detected in the Western Hemisphere.

• The updates include additional efforts after ASF was detected in Haiti and the Dominican Republic (which got everyone concerned because of its proximity to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), updated case definitions, whole blood...

Other than being a classic movie by Hitchcock, the birds will also be a thing for the global meat market. Worldwide meat exports are expected to grow 3% by 2031, and most of them will be poultry and are expected to make up two-thirds of the additional meat imports into Africa.

• In the African continent, consumption will outgrow the expansion of domestic production.

The two largest meat exporting countries, Brazil and the U.S., are expected to increase to around 40% of these exports worldwid...

Piggy banks aren’t the only pigs that are full of money. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) highlights in a new economic report how America’s pork industry and pig farmers are significant contributors to the U.S.’ agricultural and overall economy. 

• The pork industry is a pillar of the American economy and has had positive effects on other related sectors as well.
• Terry Wolters, NPPC president and owner of Stoney Creek Farms in Pipestone, Minnesota, says it’s vital to share the inform...

Until now, in Italy, the African swine fever (ASF) had only been seen in wild boars, but it seems it’s not only out there in the woods – pigs who enjoy staying home (well, at the farm) are at risk now, too. On June 9th, the first cases in the country were detected in domestic pigs. Now 1,000 animals will have to be culled so it doesn't spread. 

Transitioning the weanling pig onto solid feed presents several nutritional challenges, as the body has not been producing all of the required digestive enzymes until this point. In this episode, I talk with Brenda Christensen about her study testing different forms of creep feed and nursery diets with varying protein sources to see how it affects the mucosal enzyme activity and the intestinal morphology in piglets.

Meet the guest: Brenda Christensen is a Ph.D. student at the University ...

Some pig traits can be easily improved with nutrition, but other things are better left to geneticists, and genetics can have quite a large impact on the performance of the sow and her offspring. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Mark Knauer about different sow selection parameters and which parameters the industry is focusing on for the next couple of years.

What you will learn:

1. Piglet survivability

2. Maintaining ideal temperatures

3. Piglet nutrient access

4. Functional teats o...