All of us have worked with people, so we know that not one person is the same as another. Each individual learns and implements their skills differently in their career – and workers in the swine industry are no exception. In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. Sarah Probst Miller about her work as a veterinarian and her usage of her “See it. Do it. Teach it.” concept to further on-farm training and develop leadership skills for people involved in the livestock industry.

Early in her career as a pig veterinarian, Dr. Sarah Probst Miller realized she could not make a difference in the lives of animals without educating folks on-farm and motivating behavioral change in people. 

So she founded AgCreate Solutions, Inc., a company focused on creating innovative learning and marketing experiences. AgCreate Solutions has created and delivered immersive learning experiences across many species through a “See it. Do it. Teach it.” concept.

Through AgCreate, Dr. Miller and her colleagues create videos, imagine and design immersive e-learning experiences, develop websites, design logos, coordinate photo shoots, train future leaders, and more! Dr. Miller and her team have provided the pork, dairy, aqua, beef, and veterinary world with hundreds of learning experiences.

Additionally, Sarah has worked as an on-farm pig vet for over 20 years and still serves pig farms around the world with on-farm training and leadership development consultancy.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

- United Animal Health (http://www.unitedanh.com/)

- Adare (https://adarebiome.com/)

Lawsonia intracellularis can have a significant impact on the capabilities of the small intestine of pigs. This can cause a wide range of effects, from weakened immunological function to reduced nutrient absorption and slowed growth. In this episode, Dr. Emma Helm explains her research study, which had the intention of explaining some of the physiological changes in the small intestine of swine that can occur due to a Lawsonia outbreak.

Meet the guest:

Dr. Helm received her M.S. and her Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from Iowa State University. Her research focused on how swine intestinal integrity, intestinal function, and skeletal muscle metabolism are affected by various health challenges caused by pathogens, such as Lawsonia intracellularis and Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. After finishing her post-doctorate, she accepted a position at Virginia Tech, where she has been acting as a Research Assistant Professor. Dr. Helm plans to focus current and future research efforts on understanding the biological mechanisms that define swine physiology, particularly intestinal physiology, during stress events.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

- United Animal Health (http://www.unitedanh.com/)

- Adare (https://adarebiome.com/)

Biosecurity is getting more and more advanced every year. Today, we are beginning to see how technology and cooperation can be combined to improve biosecurity across the world and help minimize the spread of disease amongst swine operations. In this episode, I talk to Dr. Gustavo Machado about his work with the RAB app, in collaboration with SHIP, to create a rapid response web app to standardize biosecurity plans.

Dr. Gustavo Machado has graduated in Veterinary Medicine at the Federal University of Santa Maria, in Brazil, and received the degree of Master of Science in Veterinary Epidemiology – Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD) – from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, also in Brazil. His Ph.D. was earned while he worked with computer scientists on the development of machine learning tools applied to epidemiology. Throughout his career, he has held the positions of Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Postdoctoral Associate in the Veterinary Population Medicine Department at the University of Minnesota, and led his research on transboundary epidemiology in the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology. Nowadays, he holds the position of Assistant Professor at NC State University in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

- United Animal Health (http://www.unitedanh.com/)

- Adare (https://adarebiome.com/)

Streptococcus suis is present in almost all pigs and is considered endemic in all countries with an extensive swine industry. However, not all forms of Streptococcus suis in pigs are inherently pathogenic. In today’s episode with Dr. Jessica Santos-Streauslin, we talk about her work studying Streptococcus suis as well as identifying what new work needs to be completed to develop a commercially available vaccine.

Dr. Jessica Santos Streauslin is a veterinary Ph.D. student at Iowa State University. She grew up in Brazil and received her DVM in Brazil before beginning her Ph.D. in 2018. At Iowa State her research focus is primarily on Streptococcus suis in swine.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

- United Animal Health (http://www.unitedanh.com/)

- Adare (https://adarebiome.com/)

What causes ear tip necrosis in pigs? For years the answers have varied widely from genetics to mycotoxins as well as many other hypotheses. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Matheus Costa about his research determining the causative agent for ear tip necrosis. Several past hypotheses have been ruled out, and a breakthrough discovery may be here very soon…

Meet the guest:

Dr. Matheus Costa is a veterinarian from Brazil who earned his PhD at the University of Saskatchewan in 2016. After receiving his PhD, he worked as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota and Utrecht University before returning to the University of Saskatchewan for an assistant professor position there. He teaches swine medicine and swine health and production. His research is focused on developing approaches to reduce antimicrobial use and mitigate disease spread. Dr. Costa is specifically interested in the issues associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the animal-human interface and how they pose challenges for sustainable food production, welfare, and public health. Recently he has focused his research on infectious diseases to which antibiotic treatment is the only option for treatment in the industry (e.g swine dysentery and streptococcal meningitis).

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

- United Animal Health (http://www.unitedanh.com/)

- Adare (https://adarebiome.com/)

With ASF so close to our borders, we need to make sure we are prepared for if it spreads to the U.S. because if it crosses our borders, we need to act fast. One of the main factors contributing to the success of containment is speed, so identifying its presence on your farm must be quick. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Rachel Schambow about her work on new enhanced passive surveillance protocols for ASF to help verterinarians and managers try and catch the virus before it spreads to other farms.

Meet the guest:

Rachel is a graduate student in the department of Veterinary Population Medicine working with Dr. Andres Perez. Her current studies focus on African swine fever epidemiology. She grew up in south-central Wisconsin in a mixed animal veterinary practice and raising and showing Suffolk and Tunis sheep. She has been interested in public health and epidemiology since before veterinary school and is enthusiastic about tackling problems that affect livestock industries. She holds a bachelor’s degree (Physiology, 2016) from the University of Wyoming and a DVM (2020) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

- United Animal Health (http://www.unitedanh.com/)

- Adare (https://adarebiome.com/)

Having effective biosecurity protocols is critical, especially with ASF not too far away from our borders. While they may be commonly found on large scale facilities, many small farmers may not have many practices in place. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Andréia Arruda about some of the work she has been doing teaching proper biosecurity practices to producers, show pig breeders, and even children.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

- United Animal Health (http://www.unitedanh.com/)

- Adare (https://adarebiome.com/)

Lawsonia intracellularis, the bacteria that causes ileitis, leads to poor animal performance through poor feed conversion, and even mortality for pigs. That’s why it is a major concern for many pig producers across the globe. Therefore, it's essential to understand how sows contribute to maintaining Lawsonia in the farms. How does it happen? When does it happen? And how can we control the situation? In this episode, Rachel Patton and I discuss Lawsonia intracellularis shedding by sows on commercial farms, its effects on the litter, and what research to expect in the area. We also briefly discuss the Lawsonia vaccine's role in this scenario.

Rachel Patton completed her Bachelor's Degree in Zoology in 2018 and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) in 2022, both at The Ohio State University. She worked as a Veterinary Assistant at MedVet from 2019 to 2020, as an Intern at Boehringer Ingelheim in 2020, and completed an internship at Carthage in the summer of 2020.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

- United Animal Health (http://www.unitedanh.com/)

- Adare (https://adarebiome.com/)

Rotavirus, without an effective commercial vaccine solution, continues to be a problem for the swine industry. Numerous methods have been tested to help develop immunity in piglets, one of which involves feeding rotavirus frozen into ice cubes to sows so that they will develop antibodies to the virus and pass those antibodies to her piglets through colostrum. In this episode, I talk with Seth Melson about his survey results evaluating industry standards for making these Rotacubes and his thoughts on what steps need to be taken to improve their effectiveness.

Seth Melson is a 4th-year Veterinary student at the University of Minnesota. He was first introduced to pigs while growing up on a wean-to-finish farm in southern Minnesota. He received his B.S. from UMN in 2019 before joining the veterinary program. Besides his family farm experiences, he worked at Pipestone and Swine Vet Center in the summer of 2020 and 2021 respectively.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)

- JBI (https://www.jbidistributors.com/)

What if I told you that you could improve litter growth rate without any nutritional changes? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well in this episode with Dr. Jay Johnson, we discuss his research on sow heat stress and the impacts it can have on litter performance as well as technological innovations that can help reduce heat stress on the sows.

Dr. Jay Johnson received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Missouri, and his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. After receiving his Ph.D. he went to Purdue University for his Postdoc. Dr. Johnson now works for USDA as a research animal scientist specializing in heat stress across multiple species, but primarily focuses on swine. The overall goal of Dr. Johnson's research program is to evaluate the impact of the environment (i.e., heat stress) and production stage on livestock physiology, welfare, and metabolic health to develop mitigation strategies that will improve animal well-being and productivity. He has received many awards including the USDA-ARS MWA Early Career Scientist of the Year award in 2019 and the Midwest American Society of Animal Science Outstanding Young Researcher Award in 2021.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Visit us at https://swinehealthblackbelt.com

The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Boehringer Ingelheim (https://www.swineresource.com/)

- Skov (https://www.skov.com/)