Swine Performance

By Dr. Leah Gesing Swine producers use antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of disease, as well as positive impacts on growth promotion and feed efficiency. In the U.S. swine industry, most antibiotics are administered via feed and, according to 2012 sales data, most antibiotic use was for production and/or therapeutic purposes. These uses have

By James Thompson It’s that time of year! Youth across the country are rounding up their swine projects. These projects go a long way in teaching youth about responsibility.  Whether you’re competing at county, state or national levels, the swine project is a great way to build quality family time and a valued work ethic

More than 100 swine producers, Vita Plus consultants and industry peers came together March 27 and 28 for Vita Plus Swine Summit 2014 in Morton, Minnesota.  Keep reading for complete event coverage, including articles, videos, photos and speaker presentations. Biosecurity Panel:  Where Are You Headed? | Mitch Christensen, Norsvin USA; Pat Albright, Albright Swine Farms;

By Dr. Dean Koehler As our industry continues to react to and manage the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) outbreak, we’ve received many questions regarding spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) and the potential for the virus to spread through this feed ingredient.  Following are answers to a few common questions we’ve received to help bring some

By Spencer Jones Winter is drawing near and that means that pork production operations have quite a few projects to check off the list before the snow falls.  As we’re busy wrapping up harvest, it’s easy to overlook the simple things.  Let’s take just a couple of moments to brush up on some of the

By Scott Hall, Vita Plus safety director Grain harvest is quickly approaching.  As we get ready for the season, let’s take a moment to remember the number one priority:  stay safe. With Mother Nature often in the driver’s seat, harvest is naturally a stressful and exhausting time.  Don’t add to that stress with the tragedy

By Brendan Corrigan It’s common to observe significant differences in the activity levels, average weights, weight distributions within groups, and health statuses of groups of newly weaned pigs; and typical observations for these factors certainly vary from herd to herd.  These differences result from multiple variables, including disease exposure and immune development, genetic makeup of

By Dr. Dean Koehler Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) continues to be a big concern in the pork industry.  Dr. Darin Madson of the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory presented a PED update at the recent Iowa Swine Day. He reported that the number of confirmed positive premises in the U.S. had risen to 210. 

By Dr. Dean Koehler By now, everyone associated with the U.S. swine industry has heard about the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) outbreak that first hit the United States in mid-April.  This disease is caused by the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv). The severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration symptoms of PED are indistinguishable from TGE, which

By Nate Brown Over the past several years, pork producers and consultants have increased focus on concepts such as optimum market weight, Full Value Pigs© and other measures that attempt to define the dynamics of optimizing profits based on hog market weight. No matter what model or calculations are used, the process of defining what

By Dr. Dean Koehler With a lot of pressure to move toward group housing for sows, Dr. Tom Parsons, associate professor of swine medicine in the Department of Clinical Studies – New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, joined us at the Vita Plus Swine Summit to share his insight. Parsons studies

More than 150 pork producers, Vita Plus staff and industry partners recently gathered in Morton, Minnesota for the Vita Plus Swine Summit 2013.  This year’s event centered on the theme “All in…” as attendees learned about cutting-edge research and tools from top-notch speakers.  They also spent time networking and learning from fellow progressive producers from

By Brendan Corrigan We’ve been hearing a lot of guesses about where corn prices will be this summer.  Some say $3.50.  Some say $9. The USDA reports that 96 million acres of corn will be planted in 2013.  Jerry Gulke, president of the Gulke Group, an agribusiness research and marketing firm, says that if that

By Jim Garrison We all have a level of trust within our immediate family.  We have a level of trust with our business partners.  We have a level of trust within our best and most long-term friendships. We also have trust in our doctors or pastors. But do you trust all of the people with

By Julie Salyer Over the years, producers have used many different to help lower economic loss by answering the questions of “when” and “how many” pigs to top, leading to lower group weight variation when taking pigs to market. However, many might still be missing the mark. Vita Plus has adopted helpful tools that map

By Brendan Corrigan The recent heavy snows and strong winds in the Midwest have me thinking about barn ventilation. Not in reference to the correct set points and heater offsets, but rather the production, circulation and removal of heat and moisture in the barns. Extreme weather such as snow, wind and ice can wreak havoc