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Call for Participants: Production Impacts of PRRSV-2 1C.5.32 and Other Variants (1A.2, 1H.18)

By Abbey Canon

The University of Minnesota Swine Group is seeking sow farms and grow-finish farms that have recently broken with PRRSV-2 variant 1C.5.32,  variant 1A.2, or 1H.18 to contribute to a research study on PRRSV-2 virulence.  This study addresses the virulence and production impacts of a novel PRRSV-2 variant, denoted as 1C.5.32, which began spreading rapidly in the Midwest in late 2024. We aim to quantify this new variant’s virulence and production impacts in sow farms and nursery-age pigs in comparison to other prevalent variants (1A.2 and 1H.18), and quantify the role of co-infections in shaping PRRSV severity..

Eligibility:  

  • Sow farms and grow-finish farms with recent PRRSV-2 outbreaks associated with 1C.5.32, 1A.2, or 1H.18.
  • Willingness to share production records, especially related to mortality, morbidity, vaccination history, and interventions from ~5 months prior to outbreak onset through ~5 months post-outbreak
  • Located within 4 hours of Twin Cities (or willingness of field veterinarian to collect and send samples to UMN).
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Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.