When it comes to pathogens in swine, one plus one amounts to more than just two, according to Dr. Tom Painter, Director of Veterinary Health Services for Cargill Pork.
He told other swine vets at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar in Denver last week about a study they did on the economic costs of different combinations of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, PRRS, and swine influenza virus (SIV). “We found that when you had a combination of PRRS and Mycoplasma, PRRS and SIV, that the production costs in the form of average daily gain, culls and mortality, was a lot higher than either antigen alone,” he said.
As a result, Dr. Painter said that preventative measures such as vaccinations for those pathogens proved to be well worth the investment. “The result that you get from Mycoplasma negative pigs is excellent return,” he said. “Also, it’s clear that if you vaccinate a pig three weeks before they’re exposed to the PRRS virus, that the cost of the mortality and culls is substantially less.”
Listen to my interview with Dr. Painter here: Dr. Tom Painter with Cargill Pork
BIVI Summit at Mile High 2012 photo album
That expansion has brought with it both opportunities and challenges for producers, according to Iowa State University Professor of Animal Science Dr. John Patience, who spoke to swine veterinarians last week at the 
At the 
Dr. Hurt spoke to swine veterinarians on the topic of “Global Feed Economics in a Biofuel World” during the 
The first part of the seminar is focused on higher feed costs and right now attendees are hearing about “Global Feed Economics in a Biofuel World” from Dr. Chris Hurt, Purdue University Professor of Agricultural Economics. After Dr. Hurt, Dr. Steve Pollmann of Murphy-Brown will talk about how to deal with the high cost of feed in commercial pig production.
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“We realized that the livestock auction market owner has a key role in the value that producers capture for the cattle they sell and has a significant influence on the health protocols that producers follow,” BIVI Brand Manager Monica Porter said. “We want to partner with LMA members to help educate cattle producers on ways to improve their end product through flexible health programs, like our Range Ready Quality Feeder Calf program.”
It may not look like much on the outside, but the new 
To keep the research pigs healthy, Phil says there is very limited access – which is why the dedication ceremony this week was held at the Ridge Golf Clubhouse down the road. “Shower in, shower out. The researchers who enter the facility gown as if they were entering a surgical operating room,” Phil explains. “The air that enters the facility is sterile-filtered. Anything that could interfere with the health of the pigs is excluded.”
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds both attended the dedication of a new 
It is always a pleasure to cover the 
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