Swine Extension

Reprinted as posted on Swine in Minnesota blog October 3, 2023 Dr. John Deen was recognized at this year’s Leman Swine Conference for his work in the swine group at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine. He hosted the wrap-up panel at the conference and wrote a reflection on his 24 years of service. Thank you, Dr. Deen for your contributions to the Swine Group! Read Dr. John Deen’s reflection .

By Emily Kreckelberg, UMN Extension Farm Safety and Health EducatorOriginally printed in The LAND - as the October 15, 2023 Swine & U Column In September, we recognized National Farm Safety and Health Week with the theme “No one can take your place.” Emily Krekelberg, farm safety and health educator with University of Minnesota Extension provides year-round farm safety education. In an October issue of The LAND, she shared some safety reminders for farmers and their families. These reminders are good not only during harvest, but all year long. Read about farm safety reminders.

With several successful California Prop 12 certifications behind her, Dr. Cara Haden from Pipestone Veterinary Services has important insights about the compliance process. She shares with the At The Meeting team how important detailed documentation is to the Prop 12 certification process. On ‘At the Meeting’, honoring Dr. Bob Morrison are Dr. Montserrat Torremorell (College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota), Dr. Gordon Spronk (Pipestone Veterinary Services) and Dr. Tom Wetzell (Swine Veterinary Consultant), is a podcast sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA, Inc. In each episode, veterinarians and other swine experts join the podcast to discuss the most recent topics in swine health and production. Listen to the podcast (20:51 minutes).

We are seeking sow and grow/finish farms to collaborate on research about swine industry environmental sustainability metrics. The objective of this work is to test new methods for measuring and estimating methane and nitrous oxide production from stored manure. We expect that this research will contribute to the National Pork Board’s commitment to People, Pigs, and Planet® by improving the accuracy of on-farm greenhouse gas emission estimates. This effort is funded by the USDA and coordinated by Dr. Erin Cortus, an Extension engineer. Who is eligible: Deep-pit barn sites. Farm sites within a 2-hour drive from St. Paul, MN are preferred. What you get: Participating farms will have access to unique data on manure emissions from their facility and consultation with our research team. Participation will be private and confidential. Farm data will be deidentified and stored securely. How to join: If you are interested in participating, please indicate your interest with the form below.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) amends the organic livestock and poultry production requirements. The updates include new provisions for livestock transport and handling, slaughter, and poultry living conditions. The updates also expand and clarify existing requirements covering livestock care and production practices and non-avian living conditions. The new standards become effective January 2, 2025. Learn more about USDA’s new standards for organic livestock and poultry production.

Lee Johnston was selected as an Outstanding Extension Faculty at the 2023 UMN Extension Dean’s Distinguished Awards Banquet. Dr. Johnston is a familiar face to pig farmers across Minnesota and has provided decades of valuable nutrition and management research over the years. Congratulations, Dr. Johnston! Read about Dr. Johnston’s accomplishments and the other award recipients.

A few in-person Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA+) and Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) certification sessions are being scheduled this year. The sessions scheduled in 2023 include the following dates and locations: November 14 - Mankato, MN - MN Pork Board Office, 151 St. Andrews Ct., Ste 810 PQA+ certification is scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon and TQA from 1 to 4 p.m. at all locations unless noted otherwise. Pre-registration is required by contacting Colleen at Minnesota Pork Board at colleen@mnpork.com or call 507-345-8814. If you need to renew your PQA+ or TQA certification and a date listed above does not accommodate your schedule, or if your farm has a large group of employees needing certification, please contact Colleen Carey at Minnesota Pork Board office at 507-345-8814 or colleen@mnpork.com to schedule an alternative time for a training. Classes are provided by the University of Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Pork Board PQA+ and TQA certification can be completed onlin

Congratulations to the following swine faculty and educators from the swine Extension team who have had their work published recently. Ruffatto, K., Shurson, G. C. , Muenich, R. L., & Cusick, R. D. (2023). Modeling National Embedded Phosphorus Flows of Corn Ethanol Distillers’ Grains to Elucidate Nutrient Reduction Opportunities. Environmental Science & Technology, 57(38), 14429-14441. Doi: 10.1021/acs.est.3c02228

In the podcast Swine Extension Educator Sarah Schieck Boelke speaks with PhD student Marcello Melini about his research on the infectivity of PRRS virus variant 1-4-4 as it compares to other PRRS virus variants. Listen to the podcast: z.umn.edu/SwinePodcastEpisode37  (October 20, 2023)