Winter Weather Creates Swine Disease Control Challenges

Feb 05, 2024

The Associate Director of the Swine Health Information Center reports continued increased porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome and Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea activity last month, a reflection of the winter weather.

The Swine Health Information Center's monthly domestic swine disease surveillance report, released as part of its January eNewsletter highlights a spike in PRRS positivity in the wean-to-market category and higher than expected PRRS positivity in Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio and increased PED positivity in all age categories including higher than expected positive PED submissions in Missouri and North Carolina.SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says colder winter weather is typically a challenge.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:

PED especially I think has seen a signal in December.The advisory group noted that the amount of submissions had increased and right now that really warrants looking at what's going to happen in this next report to cover the month of January.That's going to give us a big note, is it more active in the winter or not?That's something I think we're definitely going to be watching for in this next reporting.

The same thing really assessing what the winter is doing.Traditionally with trends we do sometimes do see increased activity in colder months.Again, it also really makes us look at our transportation but even feed mill biosecurity and other steps, so something to be watching for in this next report.

Highlights of 2023, including discussion on the major findings for each of the pathogens monitored domestically highlight the Swine Disease Reporting System's January podcast.The full domestic and global swine disease surveillance reports can be accessed through the Swine Health Information Center's website swinehealth.org.

Source : Farmscape.ca

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.