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Dying Navy Veteran Receives Pig Heart Transplant

Surgeons have successfully transplanted a pig’s heart into a dying man – only the second patient to undergo such an experimental feat, the Associated Press (AP) reports. Two days after his surgery, the man was cracking jokes and able to sit in a chair, Maryland doctors told AP on Friday.

Lawrence Faucette, a 58-year-old Navy veteran from Frederick, Md., was facing near-certain death from heart failure. Unfortunately other health problems meant he wasn’t eligible for a traditional heart transplant,  doctors at University of Maryland Medicine told AP.

Doctors said they were thrilled at Faucette’s early response to the pig organ, but pointed out that the next few weeks are critical.

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Why U.S. Soy consistency defines swine profitability

Video: Why U.S. Soy consistency defines swine profitability

When pigs face respiratory disease or summer heat, producers know what’s coming: uneven growth, reduced feed intake and the logistical headaches of variable market weights. Behind those challenges lies a question of consistency, not just in management, but in feed formulation itself.

For Dr. Tom D’Alfonso, Worldwide Director of Animal Nutrition at the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC), the solution starts in an unexpected place – a U.S. soybean field.