Research Shows Viral Migrants in Feed Help Protect Against Infection

Research conducted by Pipestone Veterinary Services shows the value of using mitigants to reduce the risk of disease caused by viral contamination of feed. "Feed Biosecurity: The Key to Disease Control for the North American Swine Industry" was among the topics discussed yesterday as part of the second weekly session of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2020.

 

Dr. Scott Dee, the Director of Applied Research with Pipestone Veterinary Services, says products of various chemistries designed to mitigate the effects of viruses in feed were tested over five experiments.

 

 

We've got organic acids here, we've got medium chain fatty acids, we've got formaldehyde products, we've short chain, intermediate, long chain fatty acids, we've got individual acids, mixed acids, essential oils, probiotic fibre.

 

I wanted to do this with a lot of different chemistries so we could test different products of different types. So, how did we challenge the feed. I took PRRS, PED and Seneca. I mixed them together in about one pound ice blocks and basically climbed up the ladder of the bin and dropped it in the middle and then let Mother Nature take place and allowed that virus and that contaminated feed material to move into the rooms and let the pigs eat the feed naturally.

 

Then we would measure to be sure, did the viruses enter the room, did the pigs get sick, what were the clinical signs, were the pigs infected to see whether the viruses actually made it into the room and whether the mitigants had an effect, positive or negative. In all five experiments across the 15 products, all be it one was not effective, it was still better to mitigate than to not mitigate. Improved health and performance were observed in mitigated feed versus non-mitigated feed even in the face of infection.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.