Dr. Spencer Wayne welcomes Dr. Adam Schelkopf, Health Director for Pipestone Management, for a discussion on the overall health status of PIPESTONE-managed farms. Historically, this time of year brings an increase in illness, especially PRRS infections. Dr. Schelkopf reports less than 10% of PIPESTONE-managed farms breaking with PRRS over the last two years, which is far better than in the past. He attributes the improvement to compounding interventions over time. Feed mitigation is the most recent strategy implemented at PIPESTONE, having been in place for 2-3 years it correlates well to the reduction in PRRS over the last two years. Over the last 15 years air filtration has been implemented in nearly 70% of farms. And lastly, location selection. The good health reported from an isolated sow farm pays dividends.

In regard to the wean-to-finish side, Dr. Schelkopf stresses the importance of alternatives to antibiotics – management, environment, sanitation, and biosecurity. Though the availability of generic drugs may be greater, the introduction of new antibiotics is not expected. Dr. Schelkopf recommends this recipe for success: “Start with a high-health pig and protect it through the wean-to-market phase with biosecurity.”

PIPESTONE's mission is "Helping Farmers Today Create the Farms of Tomorrow." The SwineTime podcast was created for pig farmers and individual pork producers around the country.

Monthly podcasts are available on Spotify, Google Music, iTunes, and on Pipestone.com.

Dr. Spencer Wayne welcomes Marty Rost, Environmental Specialist with PIPESTONE, to talk about the valuable commodity we have in manure. The pair discuss the importance of understanding its value and making it work for you and your neighbors.

Marty talks about the differences in facilities he sees and shares insight on finding opportune times to pump a farm. Additionally, Dr. Wayne asks Marty to explain why safety is such a crucial part of manure management and outlines procedures to minimize health risks for both humans and livestock.   

PIPESTONE's mission is "Helping Farmers Today Create the Farms of Tomorrow." The SwineTime podcast was created for pig farmers and individual pork producers around the country. Hosted by Dr. Wayne, the podcast contains pork industry news, advancements in animal care, and how to enhance your productivity.

Dr. Barry Kerkaert, Chairman of the Board, takes the reigns and puts Dr. Spencer Wayne in the hot seat to celebrate our 50th episode of the podcast.  

The pair discuss the goals of SwineTime and reflect on some of Dr. Wayne's favorite episodes. He shares behind-the-scenes happenings reflecting on memorable guests and the impactful work our experts have shared on the podcast.  

Dr. Wayne and Dr. Kerkaert close the celebration with their interpretation of our mission - Helping Farmers.

Dr. Spencer Wayne welcomes Hannah Walkes, President of Pipestone Services, to chat about the recent leadership transitions at PIPESTONE - including the creation of two divisions, Pipestone Services and Pipestone Partnerships.

Hannah provides insight into how her upbringing and tenure at PIPESTONE have fueled her passion and made her uniquely qualified to take the reigns as President of Pipestone Services. She outlines her goals and shares what customers, shareholders, and employees can expect from the company going forward.

In this episode of SwineTime, host, Dr. Spencer Wayne, is joined by Dr. Taylor Spronk to talk about the pig promotion activities happening at PIPESTONE.  Dr. Taylor discusses the county and state fairs that PIPESTONE supports with exhibits and live sows across Minnesota, South Dakota, and Iowa.  Additionally, she describes the Discovery Barn, championed by PIPESTONE’s own Sylvia Wolters, which is an agricultural experience at the Sioux Empire Fair in Sioux Falls, SD.

The pair chat about interacting with the public and sharing information about pig farming at these types of events. Dr. Taylor also addresses biosecurity concerns that arise when going to a fair and steps we can all take to mitigate the health risk to commercial herds.

In this episode of SwineTime, host, Dr. Spencer Wayne, sits down with Jon DeJong, President of Pipestone Nutrition to talk about what’s new with his team and all things nutrition. Pipestone Nutrition provides economic-driven, feed ingredient procurement and performance-based diet formulations that fit both your operation and your bottom line.

Dr. Wayne and DeJong discuss a variety of interesting topics surrounding swine nutrition. DeJong shares how his team manages wean-to-finish nutrition vs. sow nutrition and the challenges that arise when diagnosing issues in the barn. They look at the types of feeders commonly used today, how they have evolved both in the U.S. and

PIPESTONE's mission is "Helping Farmers Today Create the Farms of Tomorrow." The SwineTime podcast was created for pig farmers and individual pork producers around the country. Hosted by Dr. Wayne, the podcast contains pork industry news, advancements in animal care, and how to enhance your productivity.

Monthly podcasts are available on Spotify, Google Music, iTunes, and on Pipestone.com.

In this episode of SwineTime, host, Dr. Spencer Wayne, sits down with Dan Hanson and Giovanna Penuelas to discuss FarmTeam, a service offering of Pipestone Business. FarmTeam utilizes the human resource expertise of PIPESTONE to provide independent pork producers access to qualified farm employees for grow/finish teams.

From a producer’s perspective, Hanson, the Director of FarmTeam, highlights the benefits for producers and the steps taken by FarmTeam to ensure a successful experience for both parties. From a team member’s perspective, Penuelas, FarmTeam Coordinator, shares some common challenges a TN will face when moving to the U.S. and how she supports their transition. Tune in to learn more!

In this episode of SwineTime, host, Dr. Spencer Wayne, sits down with Damon Vander Maten, Director of FarmBooks for Pipestone Business. Dr. Wayne and Damon talk about the accounting demands on producers and define what it means to be financially sustainable. He explains how the FarmBooks program came to be and what value it provides an operation.

Dr. Wayne calls on Damon to share his thoughts on what should be monitored more closely this year, key items to review, and new ideas to improve reporting. Your financials should be a tool used in decision-making, tune in to learn more.

PIPESTONE's mission is "Helping Farmers Today Create the Farms of Tomorrow." The SwineTime podcast was created for pig farmers and individual pork producers around the country. Hosted by Dr. Wayne, the podcast contains pork industry news, advancements in animal care, and how to enhance your productivity. Monthly podcasts are available on Spotify, Google Music, ITunes, Anchor, and on Pipestone.com.

In this episode of SwineTime, host, Dr. Spencer Wayne, sits down with PIPESTONE Nutritionists Hayden Kerkaert and Jacob Koepke. They share their perspective on what factors are impacting today’s high feed costs and discuss considerations for producers to remain profitable despite rising costs.

PIPESTONE's mission is "Helping Farmers Today Create the Farms of Tomorrow." The SwineTime podcast was created for pig farmers and individual pork producers around the country. Hosted by Dr. Wayne, the podcast contains pork industry news, advancements in animal care and how to enhance your productivity.

Monthly podcasts are available on Spotify, Google Music, iTunes, Anchor and Pipestone.com.

In this episode of SwineTime, host Dr. Spencer Wayne and PIPESTONE CEO Dr. Luke Minion answer all your big burning questions: what’s to come in the pork industry next year? What’s new with PIPESTONE? And will Luke ever run for office? Fresh off the campaign trail against a Sioux Falls ballot measure that would have prevented the construction of a new Wholestone Farms pork processing facility, Luke runs through the challenges and successes of his involvement in the campaign and his thoughts on this brief entrance into the political arena. Catch up on the new YellowStone and GreenStone programs now offered by PIPESTONE for cattle and carbon farmers, how they add value for producers and what the future holds for these projects.