Swine

Livestock Market Disruptions

COVID-19 has affected the market availability for finished cattle and hogs. Some beef and pork processing facilities have closed for cleaning and social distancing of their employees. While some of these facilities have scheduled a date to reopen at reduced capacity, others remain closed with no announced plans to resume operations.

How Would Veterinary Diagnostic Labs Test for African Swine Fever?

What would African Swine Fever testing look like through the lens of our veterinary diagnostic laboratories? Interestingly, we know exactly what it looks like, because it’s already being done at sites such as the Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory at South Dakota State University.

What Livestock Owners Should Know About Vesicular Stomatitis

Because it’s not a common occurrence in most areas every year, reports of Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) in the media often raise questions among livestock owners. Here are answers to some of the more-common ones that may pop up.

Virtual PQA Plus and TQA Certification Training Available

May 19, 2020

The National Pork Board has recently announced the opportunity to offer and complete Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus and/or Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) certifications virtually.

Methods to Slow Finishing Pig Growth

In abnormal situations, like with the packing plant closure we’re currently dealing with, pork producers may need to “hold” their pigs past normal marketing dates in order for other processing options to open up. We can accomplish that in two ways: altering internal barn environment and changing diets.

Nursery Pig Performance Impacted by Total Dissolved Solids in Water

Because water quality can vary considerably between production sites, it is important to identify the qualities of water that impact the growth performance of nursery pigs.

Pork Producers and the One Health Movement: Actions at the State Level

The term “One Health” has been coined to describe the concept that the health of people, animals and their environment are inextricably linked. The most commonly considered examples of One Health in practice are zoonotic diseases. For pork producers, influenza strains that originate in pigs, but pass to people are a pertinent example.

What Would African Swine Fever Look Like if it Hit the US?

The incursion and expansion of African Swine Fever (ASF) into China has raised concerns among producers and regulatory officials about the threat the disease may pose to the U.S. swine industry.

Horizontal Bed Biofilter Construction: Lessons learned at the SDSU gestation unit

This article outlines the design considerations, experiences and cost to construct a horizontal bed biofilter for a pit fan on the new South Dakota State University Swine Education and Research Facility gestation room.