Katie Johnson, Author at Pipestone

Episode #90: The Future of Ag Education and Insights from SDSU’s Dr. Bob Thaler

Health

Turning the Wheel on Swine Health

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.

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Health

Data vs. Disease: Winning the Wean-Finish Performance Battle

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.

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Nutrition

Episode #89: Inside the ‘Super Bowl’ of Swine Nutrition

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Sustainability Report

Sustainability Report 2025

Honoring generations of agricultural stewardship, Pipestone remains committed to caring for animals, supporting our people, and protecting natural resources—an ongoing journey highlighted in our 2025 Sustainability Report.

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Employee Stories

Team Members Exemplify Caring

At Pipestone, we live and breathe our core values: Integrity, Caring, Commitment, Growth, and Teamwork. We’re taking a closer look at each value, exploring what they mean to us and how they shape our organization. Our values are the foundation of who we are and how we work together.

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Health

Episode #88: Wean‑to‑Market Filtration: Raising the Bar on PRRS Biosecurity

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Health

Wean-to-Market Filtration: Advancing the Next Generation of PRRS Biosecurity

“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.

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Health

Episode #87: What’s Ahead for Herd Health? Insights from AASV 2026

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FarmBooks

Making Smart Barn Investments: A Practical Guide for Pork Producers

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.

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Management

Mastering Pig Flow: Confusion to Consistency

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.

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