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If you ask most pig producers what makes an operation run well, you’ll hear things like genetics, feed, or barn design. And all of that matters. But talk to enough people, and one thing keeps rising to the top: communication. At the end of the day, pig production is a team sport.

Hauling pigs during warm weather requires extra attention to detail to protect animal welfare and maintain efficiency. From shifting temperatures to long hauls, success comes down to preparation, adaptability, and consistency in daily practices. Keeping these key considerations in mind can help producers and drivers navigate summer conditions with confidence.

Modern swine production demands more than simply moving pigs efficiently from one barn to the next. Health pressures, labor constraints, and tighter margins have raised the bar for how we manage our systems. One tool I’ve seen continue to prove its value, especially at scale, is pig flow.

Swine production systems inherently have variation or deviate from the average. Differences in mortality, growth rate, feed efficiency, and market outcomes exist even when pigs are managed under the same general protocols.

“Great innovation only happens when people aren’t afraid to do things differently” (George Carter).  It has been nearly 20 years since the first commercial sow farms were filtered with the goal of controlling PRRS virus. This was certainly different at the time. Farmers and veterinarians didn’t know if it would work.

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.