SHIC Talk

SHICTalk host Barb Determan is joined by Dr. Montse Torremorell and Mark Schwartz from the University of Minnesota and SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder for this episode. They discuss their Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program study examining the electrostatic precipitator (ESP) for removing pathogens from the air in swine barns as well as a similar biocontainment aspect for the technology. 

On this episode of SHIC Talk, Dr. Teng Teeh Lim shares insights from his Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program project on novel entry systems. Joining him for the discussion are SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton and our host, Barb Determan. Dr. Lim is an Extension professor and engineer at the University of Missouri.

On this episode of SHIC Talk, host Barbara Campbell Determan is joined by Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research Scientific Program Manager Dr. Miriam Martin LeValley along with SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder and Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton. They talk about the ongoing SHIC/FFAR collaboration directing H5N1 research with 10 round 1 projects awarded in summer 2025 as well as a second request for proposals issued and due March 24, 2026. 

SHIC Talk Addresses Pig Caretaker Motivation for Biosecurity

On the latest episode of SHIC Talk, host Barb Determan welcomes SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder and guests Dr. Michael Chetta and Josh Holtkamp of Talent Metrics Consulting. Dr. Chetta and Josh discuss results of their research project addressing pig caretaker motivation for performing biosecurity tasks. Their results reveal simple, low cost ways for owners and managers to increase biosecurity task compliance with rewards and motivation.

Join SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton and host Barb Determan as they review how to access and use SHIC information including disease monitoring reports, research results, and more. 

A collaborative team of investigators from North Carolina State University, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Iowa State University, and University of California Santa Cruz investigated if piglets infected with PoAstV4 exhibited reproducible lesions in the respiratory tract. Funded by the Swine Health Information Center, the study showed infected piglets shed the virus in nasal secretions, exhibited tracheitis and bronchitis with virus detected in tissues, and developed a productive immune response to infection. Principal investigator Dr. Michael Rahe, North Carolina State University, discusses results, which are the first to confirm that PoAstV4 can be a primary cause of epitheliotropic viral infection in the respiratory tract of piglets, with SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder and host Barb Determan.

In this episode of SHIC Talk, Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder, Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton, outgoing founding board member Mark Schwartz, and host Barbara Campbell Determan talk about the organization's 10th anniversary. They share SHIC's origin story, evolution, and unwavering commitment to its mission to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments.

Swine Health Information Center Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton discusses a Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program project, Industry-Wide Assessment of Bioexclusion Practices Across US Swine Farms, with principal investigator, Dr. Gustavo Silva, Iowa State University in this episode of SHIC Talk. The study, funded in partnership by SHIC, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and Pork Checkoff, defined biosecurity practices used across wean-to-harvest sites through an industry-wide questionnaire and developed a rapid-risk assessment tool for producers. The study assessed current bioexclusion practices among a diverse group of producers across swine-producing states in the US. Further, the study developed methods that veterinarians, production managers, and producers could implement to improve on-farm biosecurity. Findings showed that biosecurity on wean-to-harvest sites is inconsistent across the industry and that tools for increasing biosecurity could include relatively simple practices such as bench entry.

SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder and Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research Scientific Program Director Dr. Jasmine Bruno discuss the tremendous response to the organizations' joint call for research proposals on H5N1 in swine.

SHIC Talk host, Barb Determan, welcomes SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton along with Dr. Erin Kettelkamp, Swine Vet Center, and Dr. Daniel Moraes, Iowa State University, to discuss their SHIC-funded Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Program projects on biosecurity related to fan curtains and manure pumping.