Some pig traits can be easily improved with nutrition, but other things are better left to geneticists, and genetics can have quite a large impact on the performance of the sow and her offspring. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Mark Knauer about different sow selection parameters and which parameters the industry is focusing on for the next couple of years.

"When it comes to gestation feeding, there are several pieces to the puzzle that already exist and I think we are going to learn a lot more here in the next couple of years." - Dr. Mark Knauer

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

- Piglet survivability

- Maintaining ideal temperatures

- Piglet nutrient access

- Functional teats on a sow

- Defining a functional teat

- Milk and colostrum yield

- Piglet birth weight

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Dr. Mark Knauer was born and raised on a pure-line pig and cattle operation in southern Wisconsin. He received his B.S. in Agriculture Education and M.S. in Animal Breeding at Iowa State University. Following his time at ISU, Dr. Knauer completed his Ph.D. in Animal Breeding and Genetics at North Carolina State University. After graduating, he completed a short Postdoc at the Institute for Pig Genetics in the Netherlands before accepting a position with the National Pork Board as the Director of Animal Science. Dr. Knauer is currently a Swine Extension Specialist at North Carolina State University where he focuses on genetics and production management.

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

Learning, adapting, and overcoming challenges are constant battles everyone has to go through several times in life. The lessons learned from these experiences are extremely important in helping us find success throughout our careers. In this episode, I talk with Dr. James Kober about some of the lessons he has learned from being a practicing veterinarian for the last 35 years, as well as some issues in the industry that he thinks need to be addressed.

"If I sit in a lecture and can learn 1 or 2 take-home messages then that is a success. Take-home messages on any kind of continuing education are really important." - Dr. James Kober

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

- Perceptions of lifelong learning

- Organizational strategies

- Finding quality educational resources

- Dealing with information overload

- Industry issues that need more attention

- Water quality

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Dr. James Kober is a swine veterinarian in Michigan with many years of experience. He earned his bachelor’s degree in animal science in 1983 and his DVM in 1987, both from Michigan State University. He also holds a master’s in science from Iowa State in Swine Production Medicine. Dr. Kober’s first job after veterinary school was at a mixed animal practice in southern Michigan. Swine made up 50% of that practice and nearly all farms utilized outdoor production. He then moved to central Indiana and practiced with Dr. Max Rodibaugh, a great mentor and a leader in the industry. In 1993 he started his practice in Holland, Michigan, which he ran for 27 years before selling it in 2020.

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

Research is one of the most important ongoing goals of the swine industry. Performing these large-scale trials helps us find the best ways to keep our growth performance strong and our pigs healthy. In this episode, I talk with Dr. Brandi Burton about her field research trials on mycoplasma inoculation and mortality correlated biomarkers as well as good practices and mindsets we need to have as researchers, veterinarians, and nutritionists alike.

"Communication is really the biggest piece in being successful in field research." - Dr. Brandi Burton

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

1. Current field research on mycoplasma

2. Inoculation methods of mycoplasma

3. Antibiotic management

4. Serum Vitamin A impacts on mortality

5. Disease evaluations

6. Advice to other veterinarians

7. Data quality

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Dr. Brandi Burton received her bachelor’s degree in animal sciences in May of 2015 from the University of Illinois. Following graduation, Dr. Burton attended the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine where she graduated with her DVM in 2019. Currently, Dr. Burton works as an associate veterinarian for Suidae Health & Production. Some of her daily tasks include coordinating field-based research, organizing student externships, paperwork, sick calls, research proposals, budgets, etc. Although she is based in Northern, Iowa, Dr. Burton supports and oversees the health of sow and grow-finish farms over a span of three states: Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska.

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

Ever since Covid began, grain and hog prices have been a whirlwind of fluctuations that have had some serious impacts on swine production. With the current market having seen such large fluctuations in price, it is important that we understand where we are at and where we will be in the next quarter. In this episode, I talk with Joe Kerns about those exact topics: where we are economically, where we may be in late 2022 and early 2023, and what we should do to best increase our net revenue as an industry.

"Don't be afraid to let your feed conversions escalate a little bit because that will make you more money which is a major part of sustainability within our industry." - Joe Kerns

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:

1. Grain prices and where we’re headed

2. Economic use of soybeans

3. Pig reports today

4. Predicting late 2022 pig prices

5. Risk management

6. The future of pork cutouts

7. Price discovery in the industry

8. Key metrics of success

𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: Joseph Kerns, President of Partners for Production Agriculture, has thirty years’ experience working with producers, suppliers, and mills to support agricultural operations. He and his team assist clients with procurement and risk management activities related to hedging, ingredient purchase, optimizing relationships with mills, developing programs to assist in feed quality control, cost effective diet formulation, operational benchmarking, livestock marketing, generational transition, and business development. Prior to this consulting venture, he directed risk management activities for industry leaders such as ADM, Premium Standard Farms, Continental Grain, and Iowa Select Farms.

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/)

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

Dr. Mote holds an Assistant Professor and Swine Extension Specialist position at the University of Nebraska. In this episode, he discusses the longevity of replacement gilts and sows, including how critical it is to maintain balance and monitor gilt growth and what its effects are on the animals' structure. Have you watched this episode?

Dr. Levesque’s principal research interests of are protein and amino acid metabolism during pregnancy and maternal nutritional influence on offspring growth and development. In this episode, she shares her experience in nutrition for developing gilts and highlights how we must consider the differences between them and finishing pigs when addressing nutrition. What do you think about that?

Dr. Daniel Columbus is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science at the University of Saskatchewan and a Research Scientist of Nutrition at Prairie Swine Centre. In this episode, Dr. Columbus talks about how nutrition affects pig health. Have you watched it? Please, share your thoughts on that with us!

Here, Dr. Rademacher discusses ways to improve pig survival by identifying diseases in the herd earlier. Identifying a disease early, no matter what it is, will allow you to take better care of the pigs. As a result, the sooner you identify those at-risk pigs, the sooner they will be treated. What are your thoughts on this topic? Share them with us.

Dr. Levesque earned her Ph.D. at the University of Alberta and her post-doctoral training at Prairie Swine Centre and the University of Guelph. She now holds the position of Assistant Professor of Monogastric Nutrition at South Dakota State University. She shares some of her thoughts on gilt development and its differences from finishing hogs. Interesting, right?

In applied pork production, Dr. Vande Pol received her M.S. in 2016 and her Ph.D. in 2020 from the University of Illinois. In this episode, she discusses the most effective ways to increase piglet survival. Additionally, she describes how teats are classified based on pre-established criteria. Were you aware of that?