AgWired

The last presentation at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar did not focus on PRRS. Instead we heard a presentation from Chad Stahl, North Carolina State University, on controlling post wean scours. Yeah, it’s as nasty as it sounds too.

Chad was talking about post E. coli caused post weaning diarrhea and ways to mitigate it in your herd. How bad is it? Chad says that in a USDA survey of the largest swine producers 78% reported incidences of the disease. It is a big problem but there is a tremendous amount of variation in the outcome of the disease because different pigs react to it differently. He says research has shown that one mitigating practice would be leaving the piglets on the sow longer. He says that any producer can call his department at NC State for more information. Chad Stahl Interview

BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album.

We’ve heard about the oral testing of hogs for disease from Jeff Zimmerman, DVM, Iowa State University, before, here and here. But a guy with a last name of Zimmerman is worth hearing again! And that’s what we did at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar.

Jeff has found in his work that there is a better way to test pigs and that’s via oral fluids. It saves on manpower and that alone makes it a good idea for hog producers. But there are other advantages that include better reliability in testing for diseases like PRRS. Additionally, he says that there is research being done to use this type of diagnostics to monitor for antibiotics in oral fluid. Jeff showed us several video clips from his research showing how they’ve actually trained pigs to create the samples. It makes for a much easier, less volatile situation when you need to test your herd. Jeff Zimmerman Interview

BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album.

When it comes to hog production your veterinarian is one of the first sources of information and often considered a “team member.” At the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar Mike Elsenmenger, DVM, Swine Vet Center, talked to us about production.

Mike wanted attendees to know that to have successful grow-finish pigs it starts at the sow farm and that it really starts back at the gilt developer and a lot of time needs to be spent there in the barns preparing the pigs to enter the finish barns. He also wanted the group to know that while PRRS is extremely important, so are the other things. However, because PRRS is so important he says systems need to be created that will produce a PRRS negative pig. Then producers have more options. A negative pig is one that has never seen PRRS virus. Mike Elsenmenger Interview

BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album.

The first presentation of the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica Swine Health Seminar focused on the control of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome which is better know as the PRRS virus. Dr. Laura Batista, DVM, Boehringer Ingelheim, provided a look at various projects to create area or regional control of the disease. She was also encouraging attendees to get involved or start projects in their area.

Laura says the BIVI team supports these projects and initiatives because the PRRS virus is the most important disease right now. She points to the $1.5 million it is costing the industry each day. The projects she has studied and supported range from very local areas (county) to very large regions (state). This is an international effort too. She’s been involved with projects in Canada, Mexico and now France. She says that the efforts have been pushed mostly by veterinarians so far but it really needs farmer/producer buy in and she says that has been coming along nicely. Laura Batista Interview

BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album.

The emcee for the North Carolina Swine Health Seminar is David Gocken, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica North America National Sales Manager for the Swine Group. I spoke with him before we got started to get an overview of the program here.

David says this is the 10th annual seminar that BIVI has conducted and although it has been in different places, the facility we’re in was the first one. That’s kind of fitting for an anniversary.

The seminar will include an economic update for the industry in addition to presentations on animal health issues. David says the seminar attracts senior executives to operations managers within various farms and types of production systems and from as far as Iowa. He hope they leave the seminar with some good technical business information that will help them with their operation. He says the seminar has evolved beyond an educational business event to a social one with attendees bringing their families and getting to know each other in a very casual family friendly atmosphere. David Gocken Interview

BIVI Swine Health Seminar Photo Album.