Resources

Publish Date: April 30, 2012

Worker health is an important concept for the pork industry. Not only should worker health be assessed during employment, but before employment as well. Pre-employment physicals can help pork producers match a potential employee with a specific job in the operation. In addition, pre-employment physicals should be part of an overall occupational medicine and health promotion program. Worker health should also be assessed periodically for active employees. This may include hearing tests and measurement of respiratory function.

Publish Date: November 1, 2022

When there is a nutritionally relevant issue on a farm and biological samples need to be sent to the diagnostic laboratory, it is common to send the samples in the mail overnight.

Publish Date: November 1, 2022

Collecting a blood sample is a minimally invasive procedure. However, a basic understanding of blood components and sampling equipment can help ensure accurate and appropriate sampling. Certain factors should be considered prior to submitting a blood sample for analysis.

Publish Date: June 8, 2023

If concern arises about a possible nutritional deficiency or toxicity in a swine diet, a feed or biological sample can help identify the issue. Since neither feed nor biological tissues are fully homogenous in character, the source of the sample must be accurately portrayed. This means it is imperative to take a suitable and representative sample that accurately represents the parameter of interest and its source.

Publish Date: June 8, 2023

Improving the sustainability of the United States' (US) pork supply chain requires a better understanding of the relationship between the environment and production practices. Pork producers play a crucial role in environmental stewardship, however, the impact of production efficiency on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission has not been well-established. Interpreting the influence of specific production metrics on GHG emission is essential for benchmarking and improving the environmental sustainability of the pork industry.

Publish Date:

The answers to these questions have been provided from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy and applies to Iowa Pharmacy Practice Act for veterinarians and distributors in the state of Iowa.

Publish Date: January 20, 2016

Thank you for being a volunteer to work with our county fair swine weigh in. PEDV is a new disease that has raised the importance of biosecurity. This is important to our local pork producers and pork industry.  This is an educational opportunity for farm and non farm youth and adults. The principles are important for swine weigh-in but will continue to be important at fair time.

Publish Date: May 1, 2022

The introduction of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus (PEDV) in 2013 into the US swine industry pointed toward feed ingredients as the likely route of introduction. Subsequent research trials have documented viruses can survive in feed ingredients and complete feed for transoceanic shipping (30 and 37 days) and transcontinental shipping (23 days.) Authors of the transoceanic trial concluded: 1. Viruses can survive in feed, but survival is variable and depends on specific properties of each virus; 2. Certain feed ingredients or feed products present a better matrix for virus survival than others; and 3. Select ingredient matrices seemed to enhance the survival of multiple viruses. This fact sheet focuses on three research papers which evaluated compounds to mitigate virus-contaminated feed. The compounds are classified into two different groups. Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) viruses: African Swine Fever (ASF) and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD); and Domestic viruses: Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSV), Senecavirus A (SVA), and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDV) are discussed.

Publish Date: April 1, 2022

The overarching goal of the swine industry is to provide high-quality protein to feed the world’s growing population. Improvements in production efficiency are continually being made to create a better and more sustainable product. Sustainability in the swine industry can be calculated using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). An LCA is a holistic approach to analyze the cumulative environmental impacts of the different phases of swine production. Swine production LCAs can inform producers and consumers how certain production practices impact the environment. The methodology of an LCA can be divided into four sections: goal and scope definition, inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation.

Publish Date: November 1, 2022

The importance of water in swine production cannot be overstated, as it is essential for normal metabolic function and is the nutrient consumed in the largest quantity by pigs. Water also is critical for regulating body temperature, excreting waste, and is required to maximize feed consumption. Therefore, insuring pigs have access to water adequate in both quality and quantity is paramount.