Swine

  By: Brian Stevens, President of Big Stone Marketing Here it is the middle of August and we have some pretty significant changes underway in the Pork Industry and I thought I should talk about it in this month’s newsletter.  The topic is the additional packing capacity our industry is...

You have the diagnostics in hand. The results tie your stomach in knots, the sample is PRRS virus  PCR positive. If you are lucky, you have not experienced this before but if you are like the other 99% of the people in the swine industry, you have had this feeling...

Often we are so overwhelmed with information being shared – through main stream news, social media, and conversations with friends or co-workers.  It can be challenging to decipher what is true versus a myth.  As a veterinarian and mother of two young children, I recognize the importance of getting the...

Have you ever unloaded a group of pigs that are heat stressed following transportation? How do you manage transportation during months of high heat and humidity to prevent or minimize heat stress and transport losses? Here are a few tips to help your pigs weather summer heat and humidity.  It...

When I was first being introduced to the swine industry six years ago, I barely scratched the surface on seeing how fast-paced the industry drove its own improvement. Growing up on a purebred beef cattle farm, the idea of upgrading production practices was pretty foreign aside from some attempts at...

Some of the most common pests within a hog operation include your common house fly and fruit fly. These pests are not only a risk for transferring diseases, but are also a nuisance to the animals and people that work or reside in these barns. Once these pests are established...

Generations of the Sturtevant family have raised crops and livestock on the same land in northwestern Illinois since the 1850s.  While the size and scope of the farm that Mark Sturtevant owns and operates with his father, brother and cousins, has changed over the years, their focus on continuous improvement...

Food Safety Modernization Act: Highlights for pig producers and feed manufacturers It may only be June but many feed mills are currently gearing up for the September 18th deadline to be compliant with the newly installed Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA. This new federal regulation was actually put into law...

Pipestone Veterinary Services is excited to announce the addition of Bethany Swine Health Services.  The acquisition made in April of 2017 will bring Pipestone Veterinary Services to five clinic locations with 34 veterinarians on staff. Pipestone’s veterinarian Dr. Adam Schelkopf’s family has successfully operated the Bethany Animal Hospital for more...

The FDA inspector will likely tell you the specific VFD that they randomly selected which prompted a visit to your farm – be prepared with details on that VFD / group of pigs such as: How long did you medicate the pigs?  Does this match up with the duration listed...