Latest News From Hog Health

Steve Troxle, state commissioner of agriculture, said he is waiting for more diagnostic information from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and will work collaboratively with North Carolina dairy farmers.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners is making the name change, as it more accurately reflects the issue.

Kay Russo, DVM, Novonesis technical services manager for dairy and poultry, emphasized the situation is rapidly evolving and more clarity will come with time as researchers learn more.

Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, says the risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza impacting beef cattle in the state's panhandle – where dairy cows have been infected – is minimal.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reports that a human case of bird flu has been confirmed in Texas and identified in a person who had direct exposure to dairy cattle presumed to be infected with the disease.

Now that the mystery illness impacting some dairy herds has been revealed as the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza that has been impacting the U.S. poultry flock, pork producers are asking questions.

USDA says genetic sequencing revealed the mystery illness impacting Texas dairies is the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that's been in the U.S. The virus is carried by wild waterfowl.

Where is the pork industry on its path to a PRRS-resistant pig? Matt Culbertson, chief operating officer at PIC, provides an update.

Explosive numbers, deadly destruction, devastating economic impact. Is it possible to control the spiraling feral hog population in Texas? A new study shows a warfarin-based toxicant could help.

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is awarding $2.29 million through the National Animal Health Laboratory Network Farm Bill program to advance APHIS’ animal health preparedness.

As misinformation regarding the use of mRNA vaccines in livestock filter through social media, there are facts begging to be set straight.

EPA is proposing changes to rodenticides that would result in canceling products and uses, adding more requirements to labels, and reclassifying some products to restricted use pesticides. Here's what you need to know.

Drugs such as penicillin and some others routinely used to treat cattle, hogs and other food animals will be available only with a prescription from your veterinarian, starting June 12, 2023.

A fungus that causes "vomitoxin" has been found in some U.S. corn harvested this fall, causing headaches for growers and livestock producers and forcing ethanol plants and grain elevators to scrutinize grain deliveries.

Several factors have shrunk the U.S. swine herd and slowed expansion.

Protecting herd health is a priority for pork producers, but despite scientific advances and improved biosecurity measures, disease prevention, as well as timely detection and mitigation, remain constant concerns.

About 500 rural counties in the U.S. have too few or no veterinarians. The lack poses risks to farming livelihoods and, ultimately, the country's food supply.

Australian health authorities have detected Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in feral hogs in the Northern Territory.

Access to livestock drugs through over-the-counter (OTC) channels was curbed considerably starting in 2017. Soon, OTC antibiotics may no longer be available through traditional channels at all.

Easter egg supplies could be at risk due to the expanding outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers confiscated feral swine from a farm in El Paso County that later tested positive for pseudorabies.

Supply-chain disruptions are hitting America's meat producers and sending them scrambling for alternatives as they seek to care for farm animals and keep down costs.

African swine fever (ASF) is a nasty bug and it’s getting closer to the U.S. The highly contagious viral infection doesn’t infect humans, but it is 100% fatal to hogs. 

The pandemic and the shortage of food animal veterinarians have catapulted the concept of telemedicine forward. As ASF inches closer to the U.S., experts say telemedicine could become even more useful. Here's why.

USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service is mobilizing a stronger, and more comprehensive effort to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products.

Democratic lawmakers urge House leadership for $75 million in funding for USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to prevent and prepare for a possible African swine fever outbreak in the U.S. swine herd. 

USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urges the U.S. that it needs to be informed about the devastation African swine fever (ASF) can cause if it reaches the U.S. swine herd. Listen to his video message here.

Traps. Drones. Sharpshooters. Missouri officials are doing everything they can to control its feral hog population.

While there are lots of reasons to believe ASF in the Dominican Republic is not a sure sign it will penetrate the U.S. industry, still, everyone has become focused on it and how slippery it is to contain.

The Dominican Republic will slaughter tens of thousands of pigs after detecting outbreaks of African swine fever in 11 of the country's 32 provinces.

A rural veterinarian in Faribault County, Minn., is offering to give away his practice, clinic, pickup and even the vet clinic cat, in an effort to recruit his replacement.

The U.S. is continuing to take steps to keep African swine fever out of the country. USDA recently announced that it has approved blood swabs and spots as official African swine fever (ASF) testing tissues.

China's efforts to control African swine fever outbreaks among its pig herd remained complicated, with 11 outbreaks officially reported so far this year and new variants of the virus also present.

Large numbers of pigs are dying from ASF in China's top hog-producing province, say farmers and analysts, raising concerns it could spread further across the south and slow China's pork production recovery.

What happens when wild pigs are given 1,000 tons of groceries per day in the form of landfill trash? Expect a ticking time bomb, and quite possibly, a $50 billion blow to the entire U.S. pork industry.

Nearly 25% of the world’s crops are impacted by mycotoxins that if left unmitigated, can impact the entire food chain. Here's what you can do to fight from farm to field.

“The wild hog is very possibly the most dangerous animal in the wild. And he knows no enemies and he knows no fear,” says Hank Berdine of the Mississippi Levee Board in a new video series, Feral Swine in America.

Ohio State University scientists are looking for SARS-CoV-2 in animals and the environment.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught the country anything, it’s that there is a tremendous amount of synergy between the circumstances of a pandemic involving humans and those involving animals. 

The winning project in the Merck Animal Health High-Quality Pork — Precision Farming Award contest monitors the feeding habits and weight gain of pigs and can identify those that have gone off feed.

An RNA genetic sequencing method studied by researchers at the University of Minnesota finds that rapid, unbiased pathogen detection can be achieved at the species and strain level.

The race to find a vaccine for African swine fever (ASF) continues across the globe. Vietnam’s minister of agriculture says Vietnam might have a vaccine as early as 2021 following optimistic small-scale test results.

A field trial evaluating iron supplementation for baby pigs found the typical 200 mg iron shot at birth is not enough. Here's what Brittney Scales, DVM, learned when a client wanted to compare different methods.

Technology will transform animal ag in the years ahead. Whether you are on the adopting or the developing end of the spectrum, quick identification of technologies that have potential pitfalls will be a big advantage. 

Two diseases that affect pigs only offer insight on the COVID-19 pandemic, says Cassandra Jones, associate professor at Kansas State University.

Are you operating at peak capacity? A veterinarian shares why it’s so vital to take care of you.

As novel coronavirus (COVID-19) makes its way into the U.S., are you prepared for some of the more likely scenarios that could impact your operation? 

Several areas of research at Pipestone are showing promise to help swine producers improve both pig health and bottom line in 2020.

Everywhere veterinarians turned, the “mystery disease” was devastating sow herds and wiping out pigs. Read part one of our three-part series on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS).

Cash-traded weaner pig volume was above average this week with 58,350 head being reported which is 129 percent of the 52-week average.