What separates great growers from the rest? In Part 2 of the Communication That Drives Results series, Dr. Spencer Wayne is joined by swine producer Brandy Lanning of Three Lakes Livestock and Pipestone Veterinary Physician's Assistant Erin McCoy to discuss one of the most important drivers of success in wean-to-finish production: communication.

From coordinating pig movements and managing health challenges to setting expectations and strengthening grower relationships, effective communication plays a critical role in barn performance. Throughout the conversation, Brandy and Erin share real-world experiences showing how strong communication between owners, growers, veterinarians, and consultants leads to healthier pigs, better teamwork, and improved production results.

The Importance of Growers in Swine Operations

Growers are the backbone of every barn. Their daily care, decisions, and attention to pig health make a measurable difference in:

• Pig growth and performance

• Barn efficiency

• Overall farm success

Brandy shares her experience managing barns, training new growers, and keeping teams engaged. Dr. Wayne and Erin provide veterinary insights, demonstrating how effective communication and guidance support both pigs and people.

Setting Clear Expectations and Practical Training

A key theme throughout the episode is that successful communication goes beyond simply giving instructions. Managers and consultants cannot assume growers understand what needs to be done or why it matters. Effective training is:

• Hands-on and practical

• Continuous and supportive

• Focused on both the task and the reasoning behind it

When growers understand the "why," they take ownership of the "how." That ownership builds confidence, improves consistency, and strengthens barn culture.

Motivation, Trust, and Data-Driven Decisions

The conversation also explores how communication builds trust. Recognizing effort, celebrating wins, listening to grower feedback, and maintaining open dialogue all contribute to stronger working relationships and long-term success.

Brandy and Dr. Wayne discuss how data related to pig health, growth, mortality, and feed efficiency can become a powerful communication tool. When growers understand how their daily actions impact performance, they're more engaged in continuous improvement.

Key Takeaways for Pig Producers

Listeners will walk away with practical strategies to:

• Improve communication with growers

• Build stronger relationships across production teams

• Train and motivate barn staff more effectively

• Use data to drive better decisions and pig performance

• Create a culture of accountability and continuous improvement

Whether you're a contract grower, swine producer, farm manager, or production consultant, this episode demonstrates why good barns have great growers and how communication remains one of the most powerful tools for improving pig performance and farm success.

What happens when a farm manager from rural America and a pig care technician from Mexico are working toward the same goal but don't speak the same language?

In Part 1 of the Communication That Drives Results series, host Dr. Spencer Wayne sits down with Giovanna Penuelas and Sam DeHaas to discuss one of the most important topics facing today's pork industry: building successful teams across language and cultural barriers.

For many pig farmers, working with a multilingual workforce is no longer the exception. It's the reality of modern swine production. But communication challenges are about much more than translating English into Spanish. They're about trust, training, safety, relationships, and creating an environment where employees can succeed and pigs receive the best possible care.

Giovanna shares her experience of leaving Mexico and adapting to life in the United States, from navigating Midwest winters and learning new production systems to helping other agricultural professionals make the same transition. Sam brings the producer perspective, discussing what farm owners and managers can do to help employees feel welcomed, supported, and set up for success from day one.

The conversation is packed with practical insights for swine producers, including how farms are using bilingual leadership, translation technology, visual training tools, and hands-on coaching to improve communication. The group also discusses a common challenge on every farm: making sure employees truly understand instructions, protocols, and safety expectations rather than simply nodding in agreement.

Along the way, you'll hear lessons on culture, teamwork, leadership, and why even a small effort to speak someone else's language can make a lasting impact.

Whether you manage a sow farm, oversee a wean-to-finish system, or operate a family-owned grow-finish site, this episode offers valuable insights into workforce development, employee retention, farm culture, and communication in modern pork production.

Because at the end of the day, successful pig farms aren't built on pigs alone. They're built on people, and strong communication is often the difference between good teams and great ones.

Tune in to learn how better communication can lead to safer farms, stronger teams, improved pig care, and better production results.

Summer heat can have a major impact on pig comfort, feed intake, growth performance, and overall barn efficiency. In this episode of the SwineTime Podcast, host Dr. Spencer Wayne is joined by Dr. Joseph Yaros, Pipestone veterinarian and Director of the FarmPro Team, to discuss proven strategies producers can use to reduce heat stress and keep pigs performing during the hottest months of the year.

Using the acronym SUMMER, Dr. Yaros outlines the key areas swine producers should focus on when preparing barns for hot weather. The conversation begins with the importance of properly configured stir fans and how strategic airflow can help maintain more consistent barn temperatures. The discussion then moves to updating ventilation controller settings, including adjusting bandwidths and fan staging to improve cooling efficiency during summer conditions.

The hosts also cover the proper use of misters and evaporative cooling systems, explaining why timing, duration, and pig size all play a role in achieving the desired cooling effect. Listeners will learn why simply adding more water is not always the answer and how improper mister settings can create excessive humidity and reduce cooling effectiveness.

Additional topics include maximizing airflow through functional fans, identifying ventilation bottlenecks, and understanding the concept of desired room temperature versus controller set point. Dr. Yaros explains how maintaining cooler conditions can encourage pigs to eat more feed, increase water intake, and support improved average daily gain throughout the finishing period.

The episode also highlights the importance of emergency preparedness, including testing generators, backup thermostats, alarm systems, temperature probes, and emergency curtain drops. As temperatures rise, equipment failures can quickly become critical, making routine maintenance and system checks essential for protecting animal welfare and preventing losses.

Whether you manage nurseries, finishers, or sow farms, this episode delivers practical, field-tested advice on heat stress prevention, swine barn ventilation, summer pig care, airflow management, emergency planning, and pig performance optimization. Tune in to learn how small adjustments to your ventilation and cooling strategies can help keep pigs comfortable, healthy, and growing all summer long.

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) remains one of the most costly and challenging diseases facing the U.S. pork industry. In this episode of the SwineTime Podcast, Pipestone veterinarians Dr. Spencer Wayne, Dr. Cameron Schmitt, Dr. Joel Nerem, and Dr. Adam Schelkopf discuss new findings that reinforce a critical but often overlooked factor in PRRS prevention: sow farm location.

Drawing from data across Pipestone-managed farms, the team evaluated how many neighboring pig farms were located within a 10-mile radius of each sow farm. The results were clear: the closer sow farms are to other pigs, the more frequently they experience PRRS outbreaks. Farms located in low-density pig areas consistently had fewer breaks, while farms in high-density regions experienced repeated infections despite significant investments in biosecurity.

The discussion highlights that tools such as air filtration, feed mitigation, transportation protocols, and enhanced biosecurity remain essential. However, these interventions are additive and can be overwhelmed in areas with extremely high pig density. In many cases, location proved to be one of the strongest predictors of long-term herd health.

The veterinarians also explored how a relatively small number of “repeat offender” sow farms may contribute disproportionately to the spread of PRRS throughout the industry. These farms often experience recurring outbreaks, continually exposing downstream production systems to the virus through weaned pigs.

As the National Swine Health Strategy prioritizes PRRS reduction, the group suggests that relocating sow farms to lower-density areas could significantly improve herd health, animal performance, and producer profitability. Many producers have already made the move, shifting sow operations away from traditional pig-dense regions in favor of locations with lower disease pressure.

The takeaway is simple: while no farm is completely risk-free, where a sow farm is located matters more than ever. Strategic site selection, combined with strong biosecurity practices, may be one of the most effective tools available for reducing PRRS and improving the health of the national swine herd.

In this episode of the SwineTime Podcast, host Dr. Spencer Wayne is joined by Dr. Bob Thaler of South Dakota State University (SDSU) and President of Pipestone Service, Hannah Walkes, for an in-depth discussion on the future of higher education in agriculture and what it means for the next generation of ag professionals.

With nearly 40 years of experience in animal science, extension, and agricultural education, Dr. Thaler shares how universities have evolved—and where they must go next. The conversation explores how student expectations, work ethic, and learning styles have shifted over time, especially in the wake of digital learning and post-COVID changes. While online tools and technology have created new opportunities, the group emphasizes that hands-on, in-person learning remains critical, particularly in livestock production and swine management.

A major theme of the episode is how SDSU stands out among land-grant universities. From state-of-the-art swine facilities to strong partnerships with organizations like Pipestone and commodity groups, SDSU continues to invest heavily in creating real-world learning environments. The discussion highlights how these investments directly impact student success, workforce readiness, and agricultural innovation.

The episode also dives into agriculture careers beyond the farm, showcasing the wide range of opportunities available today—from production and veterinary medicine to business management, engineering, HR, and precision agriculture. With the rapid growth of precision livestock farming and ag technology, preparing students with both technical and leadership skills is more important than ever.

For farmers, parents, and students, Dr. Thaler offers practical advice on education pathways. He stresses the importance of getting off the farm for education or training, whether through a two-year technical program or a four-year university degree, to gain new perspectives and skills needed to manage modern, complex agricultural businesses.

As Dr. Thaler approaches retirement, he leaves listeners with powerful reflections on leadership, mentorship, gratitude, and purpose, reminding us that developing people—not just production systems—is the key to a sustainable future in agriculture.

In this episode of SwineTime, host Dr. Spencer Wayne is joined by Pipestone Nutritionist, Dr. Ethan Stas, to break down key takeaways from the Midwest Animal Science Conference — widely regarded as the “Super Bowl” for swine nutrition professionals. With dozens of rapid-fire research presentations packed into a single event, Ethan distills the most relevant insights into practical, on-farm applications for producers.

A major focus of the conversation is soybean meal — one of the most talked-about topics at this year’s conference. Drawing from large-scale commercial studies, including trials involving nearly 100,000 pigs, Ethan explains how higher soybean meal inclusion levels consistently improve growth performance and deliver stronger returns on investment. Beyond basic amino acid content, the discussion highlights the complexity of soybean meal as a nutritional ingredient, suggesting that pigs benefit from components that go beyond what can be replicated through synthetic amino acid formulation alone.

Spencer and Ethan also explore how diet formulation strategies shift when incorporating ingredients like distillers grains, and why setting minimum soybean meal or crude protein levels may be critical for maximizing performance. Additional discussion touches on emerging ingredients such as high oleic soybeans and key considerations like trypsin inhibitor levels, especially in more sensitive nursery pigs.

The episode then shifts to nursery management, tackling the ongoing challenge of post-weaning diarrhea. Ethan reviews both traditional and emerging nutritional strategies, including the roles of zinc oxide, copper, and dietary acidification. He also introduces the concept of acid binding capacity (ABC), a newer, more holistic approach to managing gut health by evaluating the acidifying potential of the entire diet. The conversation emphasizes how combining feed and water acidification strategies may create synergistic benefits for gut health and nutrient absorption.

Packed with practical insights and backed by current research, this episode offers valuable guidance for producers looking to improve performance, manage health challenges, and make more informed feed and nutrition decisions.

In this episode of the SwineTime Podcast, host Dr. Spencer Wayne welcomes Dr. Adam Schelkopf, Pipestone veterinarian and partner, for a candid discussion on air filtration in wean‑to‑market pig barns and where it realistically fits into today’s PRRS control strategies.

PRRS continues to be one of the most challenging and costlydiseases in pork production. While air filtration has been successfully used for decades in sow farms and boar studs, applying that same technology to growing pig barns has long been considered impractical. However, increasing pig density, neighborhood disease pressure, and repeated outbreaks are pushing some producers to re‑evaluate whether filtration could serve as an additional biosecurity tool in select wean‑to‑market systems.

Dr. Schelkopf is clear throughout the episode: filtration is not a solution to PRRS. It does not eliminate risk, and it does not replace foundational biosecurity practices. Instead, filtration should be viewed as a risk‑management option—one that may help certain producers improve their odds by reducing the frequency of PRRS breaks or delaying exposure during critical production phases.

A key focus of the discussion is timing. Many herds break with PRRS shortly after pigs are placed, before vaccines have enough time to provide meaningful immunity. In those scenarios, filtration may help protect pigs during their most vulnerable early weeks, allowing immunity to develop andreducing mortality or production losses. Even a short delay in exposure can make a significant difference in outcomes, without implying long‑term disease exclusion.

The episode also explores how wean‑to‑market filtration systems could function in practice, emphasizing that there is no single standard design. Possible approaches may include inlet filtration during periods of negative‑pressure ventilation, with protection that is often seasonal due to the need for tunnel ventilation at certain times of the year. Because barn design, geography, management style, and disease pressure differ from operation to operation, the exact setup will vary by producer and facility. These realities reinforce the importance of realistic expectations—filtration may improve the odds against disease exposure, but it does not create a sealed or disease‑proof environment.

Execution and economics are also central to the conversation. Both veterinarians stress that filtration in wean‑to‑market barns only makes sense when weighed against the true cost of repeated disease breaks, lost performance, and mortality. The value proposition will differ widely by operation, region, and disease pressure. Just as important, success depends heavily on execution. Filtered growing pig barns demand strong ventilation management, attention to airflow and sealing, routine monitoring, and caretakers who consistently operate at a high level. Not every barn, team, or productionsystem is well‑suited for that level of complexity, which is why filtration is best viewed as a targeted option for select situations rather than a universal recommendation.

Finally, Dr. Schelkopf stresses that basic biosecurity still matters most. Showering, boot and clothing changes, controlled access, and disciplined routines remain essential. Filtration cannot compensate for weak fundamentals.

For producers facing chronic PRRS pressure and asking, “What else can we do?”—this episode offers a realistic, experience‑based perspective on where wean‑to‑market air filtration fits, where it does not, and why it should be considered a tool, not a cure.

In this episode of the Swine Time Podcast, host Dr. Spencer Wayne welcomes fellow Pipestone veterinarian Dr. Evan Koep to break down key takeaways from the 2026 American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) Annual Conference. Fresh from Las Vegas, Dr. Koep shares the most important discussions influencing today’s U.S. swine industry — including disease management trends, emerging technology, and national herd‑level health initiatives.

Dr. Koep highlights how PRRS virus evolution continues to challenge the swine industry. Compared to several years ago, current viral strains show greater virulence, increased persistence, and reduced elimination success rates, pushing veterinarians to reconsider traditional timelines and strategies for herd stabilization and virus removal. The conversation also touches on the appearance of newer PRRS variants, which have contributed to widespread finishing‑site outbreaks across the Midwest.

Another major topic from AASV was the growing momentumtoward national-level eradication efforts, particularly for PEDv and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. With PEDv prevalence in sow herds now extremely low, experts believe eradication may be achievable. Dr. Koep also discusses Minnesota’s statewide Mycoplasma initiative and how it could align with future guidelines under the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Program.

The episode also covers updates on new industry tools, including an upcoming injectable ileitis vaccine, noted for low site-reaction rates in preliminary data. Dr. Koep shares insights into AI-driven innovations, such as wearable ear-tag sensors designed to detect early signs of disease through movement, temperature, and behavior tracking. He also reflects on camera-based technology for weight estimation and pig counting — promising tools that have seen slower adoption due to real-world limitations and the need for refinement.

Dr. Koep closes by discussing biosecurity research, trailer contamination findings, influenza surveillance updates, and the value of industry conferences in bringing new research, diverse perspectives, and practical insights back to veterinarians and producers.

This episode provides a rich recap of AASV 2026 — ideal forproducers, veterinarians, and industry professionals focused on herd health, productivity, and the future of swine industry technology.

On this episode of the Swine Time Podcast, host and swine veterinarian Dr. Spencer Wayne sits down with Erin Little, Director of Farm Stats and nutrition enthusiast, to discuss why pork is one of the most protein-efficient, high-quality protein sources available today. Together, they explore how pork can be a lean, affordable, family-friendly staple, breaking down the science behind protein intake, calorie efficiency, andpractical meal planning. This episode connects the farm to thetable—highlighting why pork deserves a leading role in healthy eating and modern nutrition.

Erin shares her insights from years of working in swine production and farm data, applying that same analytical mindset to human nutrition and meal planning. Listeners will learn practical tips for getting the most out of pork while keeping meals healthy, efficient, and delicious.

Erin dives into the concept of protein efficiency, showing how a simple pork loin delivers twice the protein per calorie compared to processed snacks like protein bars or packaged foods. She explains why pork is not only a lean and affordable source of protein, but also incredibly versatile for the whole family. Erin shares creative ways to prepare pork for kids, including kid-friendly pork “nuggets” from pork loin, as well as using ground pork.

The discussion also touches on broader trends in healthy eating, protein intake, and meal planning. Erin explains how knowing your protein needs can help you maintain muscle, manage calories, and make smarter food choices. She also walks through quick, easy ways to compare protein-to-calorie ratios when shopping, helping listeners make informed decisions at the grocery store.

Whether you’re a parent looking for nutritious pork recipes, a fitness enthusiast tracking protein, or someone curious about high-quality, efficient protein sources, this episode provides actionable insights and tips for everyday meals. Erin combines her experience in swine production, genetics, and nutrition to make pork accessible, tasty, and a top choice for healthy eating.

In this episode of the SwineTime podcast, staff veterinarian Dr. Spencer Wayne is joined by fellow veterinarian and former partner, Dr. Jean Paul Cano, for a discussion on African Swine Fever (ASF).

Dr. Cano is a swine veterinarian originally from Venezuela who completed his PhD in Minnesota and spent years working in U.S. production systems before relocating to Spain with his family. Now practicing near Barcelona, Dr. Cano offers a firsthand perspective on Spain’s recent detection of ASF in wild boar populations—and the ripple effects it has had across the pork industry.

ASF is a highly complex, resilient virus that affects only pigs, with a very high fatality rate and no commercially viable vaccine. Unlike more fragile viruses, ASF can survive for weeks in fresh pork, months in cured meats, and even years in frozen products, making biosecurity and containment especially challenging. In late November 2025, Spain confirmed ASF in two wild boars found dead in a state park near Barcelona—the country’s first detection since eradicating the disease in 1994.

Dr. Cano explains how geography played a critical role in the response. The affected area is surrounded by urban development and multiple fenced highways, creating a natural containment zone. Authorities quickly established control and surveillance rings, intensified carcass searches and testing, restricted animal movement, and implemented targeted depopulation strategies for wild boars.

Beyond animal health, the episode dives deep into economic consequences. Spain exports a significant share of its pork production, so ASF immediately disrupted global trade. While some countries halted imports entirely, others accepted pork from unaffected regions under strict regionalization rules. This approach helped Spain avoid a complete export shutdown, though prices still dropped roughly 30–35% in the weeks following detection.

The conversation also draws clear parallels to the United States. Drs. Wayne and Cano discuss how programs like the U.S. Swine Health Improvement Program (U.S. SHIP) are designed to provide the same kind of credibility and structure that allowed Spain to maintain market access. Regionalization, transparent communication, early detection, and pre-established biosecurity and traceability systems all proved critical in limiting damage.

The conversation leaves listeners with a practical reminder: ASF isn’t a hypothetical risk or a problem confined to other parts of the world. It’s already moving through major pork-producing regions, and the work done before an outbreak— biosecurity, traceability, and planning—is what determines whether an industry can keep moving forward or comes to a standstill.