Animal welfare is one of the main concerns for animal producers all over the world. Sometimes however, it is hard to maintain efficiency while maximizing animal welfare. In this episode, I talk with Jason McAlister to find out how we can improve animal welfare while simultaneously improving the efficiency of our production facilities. We may just need to get down on all fours and think like a pig would…

"Engineers tend to like right angles, pigs do not. We have to put ourselves in the position of the animal we are moving.” - Jason McAlister

What you’ll learn:

1. Moving from meat science to animal welfare
2. The biggest challenge of educating about animal welfare
3. Thinking from a pigs perspective
4. Differences between how we treat cattle vs pigs
5. Animal welfare from different cultures

Meet the guest: Jason McAlister, president and CEO at CloverLeaf Animal Welfare Systems, started his career at the world-famous Gilbertville Meat Locker. He went on to work with IBP and Tyson until 2007, when he transitioned to Triumph Foods. He has since led their animal welfare program, was a past NAMI animal welfare committee chair, and served as an advisor to the National Pork Board’s animal welfare committee. Jason has taken part in many taskforce projects including the common swine industry audit task force. Jason founded CloverLeaf in 2007 to help small and medium-size businesses with their animal welfare programs. CloverLeaf has successfully expanded across the Americas with clients from Canada to Brazil. They have even expanded into Africa and are pursuing opportunities to make a difference in Europe. 

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

- Bioverse (https://myhealthyfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

There are a ton on areas in the swine industry where you can be an asset. Working in a feed mill is another example of being a critical step in the industry without having to actually work directly with pigs. In this episode, I talk with Victoria Wilson about her work as a feed mill coordinator and her experiences getting involved in swine production with no prior swine experience.

"There are so many facets of swine production that we don't always think about and being able to show people all the options can help bring in more employees. It's not always about the pig, a lot of people don't even have to look at a pig for their role in the swine industry." - Victoria Wilson

What you’ll learn:

1. Grain receiving at the mill
2. Mycotoxin levels
3. NIR Scanning
4. Pelleting process
5. Advice for young students
6. Introducing agriculture to children

Meet the guest: Victoria Wilson grew up just outside of St. Louis, Missouri and attended the University of Missouri for her Bachelors degree in Animal Sciences. Though she was first interested in cattle, she decided to to join the swine industry after becoming interested during her course work. After graduation in 2019 she attended Iowa State University to get her Master’s degree in Swine Nutrition. After graduation in 2021 she became Ms. Rodeo Missouri where she traveled across the US to promote agriculture for 6 months before joining Seaboard Foods as a feed mill coordinator. 

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

- Bioverse (https://myhealthyfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

Mycotoxins in swine feed are something that requires constant monitoring to accurately identify the concentrations of individual mycotoxins and to decide how best to respond. New studies have shown that some mycotoxins affect our pigs even at lower levels than we previously thought. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Chris Parks and Dr. Don Giesting about how mycotoxins can affect pigs and at what thresholds we need to be concerned and looking for methods to mitigate the negative effects they have on the animals.

“We have started to see research showing mycotoxins affecting pigs at much lower levels than what we would have deemed acceptable in recent years. It changes how you look at things in the big picture.” - Dr. Chris Parks

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

1. How mycotoxins impact swine
2. Mycotoxin interactions
3. Long-term impacts of zearalenone
4. Mycotoxins and immune suppression
5. Antioxidant effect
6. Thresholds for mycotoxin concentrations
7. The T2 mycotoxins

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀: Dr. Don Giesting leads the MicroNutrition innovation approach and execution at Cargill. He has several years of experience working with technology and product solutions, product development, and business development for several animal feed products. 

Dr. Chris Parks works at Cargill within an account team structure (key account manager, nutritionist, nutrition analyst, and production specialist) to identify customer needs and develop solutions. He also works directly with customers on nutrition consulting (diet strategy, nutrient analysis, ingredient supplier selection, and economic modeling).

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

Part of keeping our industry strong is performing quality research to ensure we are getting the most out of our pigs as possible. To do that, we need quality researchers and institutions that are willing to work together. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Bob Thaler about the role that universities and production systems play in the industry and how we can work together and train grad students to all perform high-quality research that is beneficial to the industry. 

“The Ag industry is really small, you will be doing business with the people sitting next to you in college. Make those relationships and develop connections early because in the future you will then have several friends in the industry that want to help you” - Dr. Bob Thaler

What you’ll learn:

1. The University’s role in swine research
2. Transitioning research into production 
3. Studies on hybrid rye
4. Energy and trial setup
5. Above ground burial for ASF outbreak
6. Getting more students into grad school

Meet the guest: 

Dr. Robert Thaler graduated in 1988 from K-State with a Ph.D. in swine nutrition. He received bachelor's and master's degrees from South Dakota State University. He returned to SDSU to serve as a swine extension specialist, teacher, and in administrative roles. Bob is a staunch supporter of the Land Grant University mission. His passion is to provide practical solutions for producers and in mentoring students. He has served in leadership capacities for the American Society of Animal Science and the National Pork Board. His numerous awards include the 2013 "Master of the Pork Industry" from the National Hog Farmer, SDSU College of Ag and Biological Science "Teacher of the Year" twice, and the 2021 SDSU distinguished professor award.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

- Bioverse (https://myhealthyfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

Pigs will only be able to grow at their max potential if they are in good health, and an important component of having good health is having proper air quality and airflow in your barns. In today’s episode, I talk with Dr. Brett Ramirez about proper airflow, the importance of air quality in new and old barns, and other things to consider when designing a new swine facility.

"Ventilation is important and can't be ignored. It is something that works 24/7 and if it fails it's pretty catastrophic if you aren't prepared." - Dr. Brett Ramirez

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

- First steps when building a swine barn

- Things to look out for in a sow barn

- Putting new technology in old barns

- Finding the airflow sweet spot

- Designing a wean-to-finish facility

- New tech developments

- Importance of pig heat production

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Dr. Ramirez’s research and extension program encompasses swine and poultry production systems with a primary focus on: ventilation, natural resource and energy efficiency, animal energetics, environmental control, and precision livestock farming. Through mentoring students on fundamental and applied research projects, his program aims to generate practical solutions to current and emerging issues surrounding animal agriculture and its producers. He received his BS and MS in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2012 and 2014. Then, Brett completed his PhD at Iowa State University in late 2017 and transitioned to his current position as an Assistant Professor in the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

- Bioverse (https://myhealthyfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

We all know that we aren’t only a swine industry - we are also a people industry. We need people to keep our farms running and we need these people to be properly trained and enjoy what they do so they stick around. In this episode, I talk with Sara Pardall about her experiences as a swine farm manager as she shares insights and techniques to train employees and how to build a strong team of swine professionals.

"You can pay people all the money in the world, but if they don't feel like they belong, they aren't going to stay." - Sara Pardall

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

- Training farm staff

- Introducing employees on the 1st day

- Developing employee training programs

- Introductory techniques for swine newbies

- Promoting employees

- Working together as a team

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Sara Pardall holds a bachelor's degree of Animal Science from Iowa State University. She has over 8 years of sow farm management experience including managing teams in order to achieve KPI targets and objectives. Her areas of expertise include team development, and coaching, motivating, and training employees on the farm level. Currently, she is the project manager for the customer operations unit at Swine it. There, she ensures that projects are managed efficiently and effectively while providing excellent communication to all clients. Sara enjoys making new connections with other swine industry professionals, to share knowledge and ideas to further the development of the industry.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

What will the future of pig farming look like? That is an old question with many different possible answer. Some people imagine more robots and technology, but what about some changes that you may not see coming? In this episode, I talk with Dr. John Carr about his take on what the future of our industry will look like and what areas of swine production we need to further emphasize. Some of his answers may surprise you…

"We need to revisit feed. It's not about how we convert the best corn on the planet, but rather the worst corn on the planet." - Dr. John Carr

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

- The future of swine production

- Labor issues

- Single serving sows

- Foreign animal diseases

- Crazy ideas that may not actually be all that crazy

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Dr. John Carr qualified as a veterinarian in 1982. After 5 years in general practice he returned to university to complete a Leverhulme Residency in pigs and a PhD in urinary tract problems of pigs at Liverpool specialising in Microbiology and Pathology. He has a Diploma in Pig Medicine and is a Diplomate of the European College of Pig Health Management. He has taught production medicine at several universities: UK; Liverpool and Royal Veterinary College, London, US; North Carolina and Iowa State and at Murdoch and Townsville Universities Australia. John runs a consultancy practice with clients in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. He currently teaches at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. John specialises in maintaining the health of pigs through promoting excellence in stockmanship and production practices.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

Arguably the best thing that the swine industry can do today to plan for the future is to get the next generation interested in agriculture. With less families having a background in agriculture today than in past generations, it is much more difficult to introduce children to the swine industry. In today’s episode with Dr. Joel DeRouchey, we talk about the importance of this subject and the opportunities we need to utilize to attract the bright minds of the future.

"Each one of you that are listening can have a large impact on spurring the interest of our youth in the swine industry." - Dr. Joel DeRouchey

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

- Youth involvement in the swine industry

- Involvement without an ag background

- FFA and 4-H

- Parents finding ag opportunities for their kids

- Shadowing opportunities

- International opportunities

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Dr. Joel DeRouchey grew up on a diversified purebred swine, cattle and sheep operation in Pukwana, South Dakota. He graduated with his bachelor's in Animal Science from South Dakota State University in 1997 and his M.S. (1999) and Ph.D. (2001) in Swine Nutrition from Kansas State University. He was hired in 2001 as the Northeast Livestock Extension Specialist for Kansas State University. In 2004, Joel moved to the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry as a Livestock Nutrition and Environmental Management Specialist and with a 40% Extension, 40% Research, and 20% Teaching appointment. Currently, he is a full professor and State Animal Science Extension Program Leader and has a 50% Extension and 50% Research appointment.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

Proper virus classification is necessary for the swine industry to ensure we can track nearby viruses' lineages and update vaccination and biosecurity protocols as needed. In this episode with Dr. Kim VanderWaal, we discuss classification processes today and new technology available that may help increase the accuracy of proper classification.

"We need to better understand the phenotype of the virus based on the sequence of the virus." - Dr. Kim VanderWaal

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

- Classifying PRRS virus strains

- RFLPs

- Lineages of strains

- Understanding the epidemiology

- Alternative classification processes

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Dr. Kimberly VanderWaal is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Veterinary population medicine. She received her Ph.D. in behavioral ecology back in 2013 from UC Davis. Her research aims to understand the dynamics of pathogen spread through animal populations, focusing on quantifying underlying drivers and overarching consequences of host and pathogen heterogeneity for disease transmission.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128

No matter what part of the swine industry you are a part of, you are ultimately working towards the same goal as everyone else - to produce affordable pork that the consumers want to buy. But what exactly do the consumers want to buy? In this episode with Dr. Marissa Hake, we work towards answering that question and learning how to build trust with the consumers so we can all work together to produce a product everyone wants.

"Zoom out a little bit and think about what you need on your farm in the coming years and what consumers are thinking about, and then figure out the best path for your business." - Dr. Marissa Hake

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

- How consumers are changing

- Building trust with consumers

- Transparency

- Educating consumers

- Working towards the same goals

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Dr. Marissa Hake is the Director of Animal Welfare and Sustainable Farming at Fairlife. She graduated from Michigan State University, receiving her Bachelor's degree in Animal Science, a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine, and a master's in Public Health. After graduating, she was a practicing dairy veterinarian for almost five years. Her interests include young-stock care and handling, on-farm protocol and culture development, and animal welfare.

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺.

The Swine it Podcast Show is trusted and supported by innovative companies like:

- Zinpro (https://zinpro.com/)

- Gestal (http://jygatech.com/)

- AB Vista (https://www.abvista.com/)

- Adisseo (http://www.adisseo.com/)

- Genesus (https://www.genesus.com/)

- Evonik (https://animal-nutrition.evonik.com/en/species/swine/)

- Cloudfarms (https://en.cloudfarms.com/)

Give us a Rating & Review - http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1460280128