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Simplifying Animal Welfare on Farms with Bock Industries A Swine Web Q&A

Animal welfare can feel complex on busy farms, but practical tools and repeatable processes make it manageable—and measurably better. For decades, Bock Industries has focused on simplifying humane handling with equipment, training, and on-farm support. In this Q&A, Swine Web’s Jim Eadie speaks with Randall Bock about science-based stunning, common pain points, and simple upgrades that improve outcomes without adding burden to the workday.

Q: Bock Industries has been involved in animal welfare for many years. What inspired your focus on making welfare simpler for farmers?
A: We did our homework on animal welfare. For us, animal welfare became understandable through a combined study of animal science and engineering principles. Our specialty is animal welfare at slaughter—whether that’s normal stock culling, biosecurity, or plant processing. Our captive-bolt tools make handling all these requirements easy, effective, and humane.
We’ve learned the scientific reasons that make animal welfare at slaughter humane and measurable. Farmers are busy people doing important work; our mission is to make this particularly hard job easier and consistently humane. Building on our engineering expertise, we have developed tools that efficiently support welfare objectives with convenience.

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Advancing Swine Disease Traceability: USDA's No-Cost RFID Tag Program for Market Channels

Video: Advancing Swine Disease Traceability: USDA's No-Cost RFID Tag Program for Market Channels

On-demand webinar, hosted by the Meat Institute, experts from the USDA, National Pork Board (NPB) and Merck Animal Health introduced the no-cost 840 RFID tag program—a five-year initiative supported through African swine fever (ASF) preparedness efforts. Beginning in Fall 2025, eligible sow producers, exhibition swine owners and State Animal Health Officials can order USDA-funded RFID tags through Merck A2025-10_nimal Health.

NPB staff also highlighted an additional initiative, funded by USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Veterinary Services through NPB, that helps reduce the cost of transitioning to RFID tags across the swine industry and strengthens national traceability efforts.

Topics Covered:

•USDA’s RFID tag initiative background and current traceability practices

•How to access and order no-cost 840 RFID tags

•Equipment support for tag readers and panels

•Implementation timelines for market and cull sow channels How RFID improves ASF preparedness an