Economics

African Swine Fever – a real and present global threat Dr. Chris Oura (Professor of Veterinary Virology, School of Veterinary Medicine Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago) explains what we know about the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus, what the associated clinical signs are, and the various paths of transmission. From the 2018 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, September 15-18, 2018, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA [video].

SwineCast 1033 Show Notes:

• In this episode of At the Meeting honoring Dr. Bob Morrison, we share a conversation on Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) breaks in the summer. Dr. Montse Torremorell joins Dr. Gordon Spronk and Dr. Tom Wetzel with special guests Dr. Cesar Corzo and Dr. Juan Sanhueza.
• The group talks about the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Program and what data they have been collecting and analyzing. One of the questions they are now able to address is if there are more new PRRS breaks this summer compared to other summers. One of the observations is that incidence of summer breaks is about 3% of farms, which is about 250,000 sows.
• Take away: 1) The industry should be looking at breaks all year long (not just in the fall / winter months) and 2) operations should continue practice disease prevention and spreading with regular biosecurity processes.

Understanding Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex Dr. Christa Goodell, Technical Manager, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., and Dr. Reid Philips, PRRS Senior Technical Manager, Boehringer Ingelheim, provides insight on the impact and costs of porcine respiratory diseases like Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC), Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome virus (PRRSv), and Influenza A Virus in Swine (IAV-S). Drs. Goodell and Philips outline approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and prevention within swine operations [video].

SwineCast 1027 Show Notes:

• Dr. Craig Morris, National Pork Board's Vice President of International Marketing, covers the past year pork export growth and highlights the possible futures for exports.

SwineCast 1026 Show Notes:

• Jarrod Sutton, National Pork Board's Vice President of Domestic Marketing, highlights the activities and programs that are geared to expand the demand for pork.

SwineCast 1025 Show Notes:

• Dr. David Pyburn, National Pork Board's Senior Vice President of Science and Technology, provides an update on the foreign animal disease preparation that the National Pork Board is supporting though the Secure Pork Supply Plan.

Opportunities for Swine Genetic Improvement Thomas Titus, TriPork, Inc., shares the opportunities available for genetic improvements in swine through technologies like CRISPR. Some observations: 1) The conversation of biologic and genetic tools like CRISPR are happening and the agriculture livestock world needs to be engaged in the conversation continuously, 2) Collaboration is critical [video].