Swine Extension

Animal science master's degree student Brigit Lozinski and her Advisor Lee Johnston are doing research on how the quality of water supplied to nursery pigs might affect their health and performance. The research is being done in Morris at the West Central Research and Outreach Center in collaboration with the Minnesota Pork Board and Christensen Farms.

Watch the Exploring Water Quality and Swine Health video to learn more about this ongoing research.

By Sarah Schieck, Swine Extension Educator
Minnesota participated in a United States Department of Agriculture Swine Fever Exercise for Agriculture Response (SFEAR) functional exercise September 23 - 26. During the exercise Poultry Educator Abby Neu and Swine Educators Diane DeWitte and Sarah Schieck served as Evaluators. The exercise involved many players including those from federal, state and local agencies, as well as industry. The 14 states playing along had to work through a hypothetical African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak. Exercise play included the following critical activities and tools needed during a foreign animal disease (FAD) response:

By Jason Ertl, Ag Production Systems Extension Educator in Nicollet and Sibley counties
Originally printed in The LAND - October 18/October 25, 2019


The annual fall harvest is well underway in many parts of the Upper Midwest with corn, soybeans and other row crops moving from the field to the grain bin or elevator. Crop yield, hog prices, weather and other operation-related logistics will occupy the mind of every producer. During this busy time of year, however, the absence of one key element on the farm can quickly turn a successful season into tragedy. The failure to recognize important safety measures, especially those associated with manure pits and their safety hazards, can endanger the lives of humans and animals alike, which make safety the top priority to everyone working on the farm.

With this fall being wet just like last fall, Extension Manure Educator Chryseis Modderman has put together a list of tips from commercial applicators for applying manure in adverse weather conditions. Check out her article on the UMN Extension Minnesota Crop News blog.