Maintaining motivation among your producers is challenging during a PRRS outbreak (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome) but it is an important action to be taken to keep a swine herd healthy. During the Swine Link event held in Des Moines, Iowa on July 13, 2013 and sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI), Dr. Erin Johnson, PRRS Technical Manager for BIVI led …
CTIC Tour Host Big Believer in Filter Strips
Healthy soils are products of good management practices. And topping the list of practices for Terry Bachtold (shown getting an appreciation present for all his hard work of hosting), one of the host farmers for last week’s Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., is using filter strips. “I’m a big believer in filter strips,” he exclaimed. “Whether …
The Future of SIV
What is the future of SIV, or swine influenza virus? While most don’t know the path SIV will take for sure, Dr. Marie Culhane may be a better predictor of both due to her work on SIV. Dr. Culhane is an associate clinical professor with the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and she gave a presentation on the Future …
Good Drainage Key to Managing Watershed Runoff
On the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., we’ve talked a lot about nutrients draining into the local watershed and how to prevent that. Part of that formula includes controlling any water drainage from the land, and Phil Algreen with Agri Drain, a company that specializes in drainage management, talked to the crowd about some of …
Biosecurity – PEDv Update
Wonder what is happening with biosecurity in the swine industry? You can get the 411 from Dr. Lisa Becton, director of swine health information for the National Pork Board, who gave an in-depth presentation during Swine Link sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Becton discussed biosecurity as it relates to PEDv or the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus. PEDv was first confirmed in …
CTIC is Good Way to Show Good Practices
The latest Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., has been a good way for the farmers of that region to showcase what they are doing to be good stewards of the environment, while making sure they maintain a good bottom line. Pauley Bradley with John Deere and a member of the CTIC is shown welcoming everyone to …
Farmer Appreciates Crowds, Support on CTIC Tour
Good crowds from around the area and many parts of the country turned out for last week’s Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., and that was appreciated by the local farmers. “Today we had a lot of people here. When you go to all that work, and you put these plots in, and you try to figure …
CTIC: Using Cover Crops to Boost Yields
Getting the most out of what you’ve got is a goal that most producers have, and during last week’s Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., the value of using cover crops to boost a bottom line was shown. Mike Plumer is a retired University of Illinois Extension educator in agriculture and natural resources and currently a consultant …
Communication Key to Cooperation in CTIC Tour
Cooperation is key for successful conservation practices in agriculture, and the key to that cooperation is good communication among all the players. That was the message attendees of the recent Conservation Technology Information Center tour in Livingston County, Ill., heard. “If you want to go back to a simple recipe for success, cooperation among many industries, many individuals and many …
CTIC Panel Addresses Soil Quality, Nitrate Levels
One of the best parts about the Conservation Technology Information Center tour is the conversations that come up, either through formal panels or just informal talks. On the more formal side, local Livingston County, Ill., farmer Marcus Maier (pictured seated, holding the microphone) sat on a panel during the tour that addressed soil health and the issue of nitrate runoff …