Fall is quickly approaching. As temperatures begin to shift, managing your barns’ ventilation becomes increasingly important for maintaining pig comfort, health, and performance. In this episode of Inside the Helix, Andy Jakubowski dives into the key considerations for transitioning your barn ventilation from summer to fall. We will discuss how seasonal changes can impact your barn's ventilation and affect your pigs. 

Does temperature really affect your sample results? The quick answer is yes, it does, and understanding why can make all the difference in collecting accurate, reliable data.

In this episode of Inside the Helix, Dr. Jamie Madigan explores how temperature impacts sample integrity, common mistakes that can compromise results, and practical steps you, as a producer, can take to ensure your samples arrive in the best possible condition.

As we get ready for World Pork Expo this week, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite podcasts, "Decades of Advancement: The Evolution of American Genetics." In this episode, Dr. Tom Rathje explains how DNA Genetics became the only independent, American-owned genetics company and worked to create a genetic program designed to maximize American producers' profitability. 

The first days after weaning are critical to a pig’s long-term success. How do you set them up to thrive from the start? In today’s episode, Dr. Steve Kitt shares practical insights on creating a seamless transition from the farrowing room to the nursery and setting the foundation for performance. 

Summer growth suppression in finishing pigs is one of the most persistent and costly seasonal challenges in the pork industry. In this episode, Dr. Steve Kitt discusses how misters in finishers can help producers recover approximately 7 pounds of live bodyweight and 5 pounds of carcass weight during summer marketing periods.

Dr. Jamie Madigan joins us to talk about the role of temperature monitoring in pig health and share insights from a Pillen Family Farms study evaluating new temperature-reading technologies—their benefits, limitations, and what they mean for the future of herd management. 

Moving and mixing pigs in the nursery is a common practice on commercial farms. Producers often pull smaller or compromised pigs into recovery pens to give them extra care and help manage variation in body weight. While this can improve welfare, mixing pigs also changes their social groups and may increase exposure to disease. In this episode, Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham reviews a recent trial that looked at how different nursery movement strategies affect pig growth, health, and survival in real-world nursery barns.

In this episode, Dr. Tom Rathje dives into why maternal lines matter and how they influence grow-finish performance from start to finish. 

In this episode, Paul Faris shares practical strategies and proven insights for successfully managing group-housed sows in a pen-based production system. From daily management routines to key welfare and performance considerations, Paul delivers actionable tips to help sow farm teams drive efficiency, consistency, and success. 

In this episode, Dr. Steve Kitt joins us to reveal the age-specific amino acid strategies every pig producer needs to know. From young pigs that thrive on low-protein, synthetic-boosted diets to finishers that falter when crude protein dips too far, this episode breaks down how to feed smarter at every stage.