Articles

Harvest 2025 is wrapped up, and as feed ingredient samples roll into labs, testing is bringing clarity to an otherwise chaotic growing season. Mother Nature delivered a year of extremes—record rain and humidity in some areas, drought stress in others, and near-perfect conditions elsewhere.

Preparing for African Swine Fever (ASF) or other Foreign Animal Diseases (FADs) can feel chaotic, with global spread, trade implications, and response scenarios all competing for attention. Yet clarity doesn’t come from trying to track everything—it comes from preparation.

It is that time of year again when when the cool environment preserves viruses, and pigs face their greatest health challenges due to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSv) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv).

With breakeven pressures lifted, now is the perfect time to step back from working in your business and focus on working on it—making strategic plans today to future-proof your farm and secure long-term success.

When it comes to running a successful wean-to-finish operation, the condition of your facilities is more than just a backdrop—it directly impacts efficiency, animal welfare, and long-term profitability. Future-proofing your farm starts with a strong foundation, both literally and figuratively.

Crisp air, the hustle and bustle of harvest, bonfires, football, and pumpkin spice everything—all remind us of the beauty of fall. Unfortunately, the season also brings back the all-too-familiar hack of influenza in pigs. Effectively managing influenza not only protects herd health but also helps secure the long-term productivity of the farm.

Over the past decade, ethanol plants have become increasingly efficient at squeezing every last bit of oil out of corn. This is good news for the ethanol industry. But this is a challenge for the DDGS by-product we rely on for swine diets.

Choosing a supplier isn’t all that different from dating—it’s not just about looks (or price). It’s about finding a dependable partner who checks all the boxes and shows up when it counts.

Today’s pig farms have access to a wide range of technologies—from mobile phones to specialized software—that help us track production and communicate more effectively. But even with these tools, communication gaps still exist. We often assume that because employees record and analyze the data, everyone on the farm understands what it means.

Adequate. Mediocre. Tolerable. These are not adjectives we want to use to describe the standards we have for aspects of our business. So why would we ever accept these terms when it comes to the standards we have for pig health? Maybe we don’t think of having standards for health.

Farming has always been a risky business. Markets shift, input costs climb, weather patterns change, and disease threats never fully go away. But the pig producers who manage risk well don’t just react—they prepare. And preparation starts with discipline. Risk management isn’t about avoiding risk altogether.

When summer temperatures climb, managing barn conditions becomes critical—not just for comfort, but for pig health and performance. Misters are a key tool in helping pigs stay cool. When barn temperatures rise above a set threshold, misters activate to wet pigs and begin the process of evaporative cooling.