Articles

Every pork producer eventually faces the same set of questions:Should I fix this barn? Tear it down? Build new? Rent someone else’s? And with today’s construction prices, none of those decisions come easy.

Pig flow, sometimes called the “pig wheel,” is the planned pattern of how pigs move from sow farms to nursery or finishing barns over time. While it may sound simple, getting pig flow right is one of the most important drivers of barn efficiency, pig performance, and overall profitability.

The most difficult decisions in a business are often the ones made least often—strategic investments, new ventures, partnerships, or major directional shifts. They carry high stakes and uncertain outcomes, and managers are flooded with data, inputs, and expectations, making it hard to know what truly matters.

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.