Succession planning is one of the most crucial and challenging aspects of managing a family farm. It’s not just about passing down land and equipment—it’s about ensuring the farm’s future success and preserving your family’s legacy for generations to come. Jim Marzolf, Executive Vice President of Pipestone Business, shares key insights on navigating the challenges…
Category: Articles
Dean Lueck: Biosecurity from the Truck Wash
After 21 years with Frito-Lay, Dean Lueck made a career shift and joined Pipestone Management as the Truck Wash Manager over six years ago. Today, he leads a 12-person team responsible for washing and disinfecting 85 to 90 livestock trailers each week, a critical step in maintaining biosecurity and preventing the spread of disease between…
Kelly Kortleever: Safeguarding Animal Welfare
For nearly 15 years, Kelly Kortleever has played a key role at Pipestone Veterinary Services as a Health Technician, focusing on auditing biosecurity, safety, and animal welfare at sow farms. “Health is one of the most important drivers of success for farmers, and it starts with the health of their sow herd and wean pigs,”…
Mandy Matthiesen: Good Data Creates Good Decisions
Mandy Matthiesen has been with PIPESTONE for 11 years, rising through the ranks to now manage the Information Bureau. She leads a six-person team responsible for ensuring accurate data reporting across the company’s sow farms. “Good data creates good decisions,” Mandy emphasizes, explaining that her team validates the information entered by farms to ensure it…
Tyler Clayton: Logistics in Action
For Tyler Clayton, Order Fulfillment Lead at Pipestone Veterinary Services, supporting farmers begins with efficient logistics. Having been with the company for six years, Tyler leads a 10-person team responsible for ensuring that the medications and supplies prescribed by PIPESTONE’s veterinarians reach farms promptly and cost-effectively. “We aim for over 99.2% accuracy on all orders,…
Ensuring Pig Nutrition When Life Gets Busy
It’s one of the most wonderful times of the year, and no it’s not Christmas, it’s harvest time! Corn stalks flying and bean stubble being made is a farmer’s dream and at the forefront of everyone’s mind. However, we can’t forget about our 4-legged friends in our barns. The importance of keeping the right ration…
Maximizing Profit: Managing Market Weight Variations to Boosts your Bottom Line
As pig farmers, we know that every stage of production, from breeding to finishing, is crucial. But even when we’ve done everything right up until the last few weeks, there’s still a lot of money on the table when it comes to marketing your pigs. This final phase—selling your pigs at the right weight and…
Welcoming Wean Pigs
Preparing for the arrival of new wean pigs to your barn is an exciting but important process that requires careful planning. Here’s a step-by-step checklist to ensure everything is ready: Pre-Arrival Checklist Communication Confirm Arrival Details: Coordinate with the sow farm to confirm the arrival date and the number of pigs expected. Vaccination and Medication:…
The Value of Manure
As you all know, manure has many benefits that help improve soil fertility. Aside from the ever-popular discussions about Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium (NPK), manure provides many other micronutrients such as Sulfur, Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Copper, Iron, Manganese and Zinc. Manure from a farrow to wean operation could generally have $10-20/acre in value from these…
Ventilation Challenges: Practical Solutions for Healthier Herds
Effective ventilation is one of the most critical factors in maintaining a healthy and productive swine operation. It influences air quality, temperature control, and the overall environment for the pigs. However, achieving the right balance in ventilation comes with its challenges, especially when factoring in barn design, fan efficiency, and climate conditions. Precision in managing…
Welcoming New Team Members
Running a family farm comes with unique challenges, especially when managing employee relationships. Whether your team consists of family members or outside hires, selecting the right person within your operation to manage employees is crucial. They do not need know every detail about the operation; in fact, they might not even have farm experience. What…
Focus on your Feed Order
Ordering feed for your pigs is an essential responsibility on the farm. It may seem straightforward, but it plays a critical role in both the performance of your animals and their overall health. Incorrect feed orders can not only disrupt feeding schedules but also pose serious biosecurity risks. Here are a few tips and tricks…
Feeding the Sow for Healthier Piglets
Do you think you can impact the health of your piglets in the nursery by what the sow is eating at the sow farm? We had the very same question and set out to conduct a research trial to test the idea. If we could improve the health and performance of the pigs in the…
Celebrating Cathy Bryan: A Pillar of Teamwork
Cathy Bryan is a key figure at PIPESTONE, exemplifying the core value of teamwork through her 26 years of dedicated service as Lab Manager. Her role is crucial in ensuring precision and reliability in the lab’s operations, directly supporting the farmers that PIPESTONE serves. A path to PIPESTONE Cathy’s career began with a degree…
Successful Transport for the Season
PIPESTONE proudly collaborates with over 30 owner-operators across 11 different states, many of whom oversee additional drivers under their authority. This cohesive and dedicated team—from logistics coordinators to truckers and high bio-secure trailer washers—each played a crucial role in ensuring the safe and efficient transport of over 8 million wean pigs in 2023. We compiled…
Tools to Minimize Hemolytic E. coli
Warm, humid weather can bring on more intestinal issues in recently weaned pigs. The causes of looseness are many and include viruses (rotavirus and PEDV most commonly), bacteria (hemolytic E. coli and salmonella), parasites (coccidia), and environmental and nutritional factors. Today we will focus on best practices to minimize the chances of hemolytic E. coli…
Mosquito Management
Due to the abundant rainfall this Spring, Mother Nature has created optimal conditions for mosquito breeding. Adult mosquitoes, capable of traveling up to 3 miles from their breeding grounds, pose a threat by biting and potentially transmitting viruses. Additionally, mosquito bites on animals can leave blemishes on the hide of animals posing challenges at harvest…
Chasing the Impossible: What Animal Welfare Goals Will We Achieve Next?
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to attend the final Advancing Animal Welfare Together Symposium that was hosted by the late Dr. Angela Baysinger. During one of the sessions, we were asked to think about challenges that at one point the swine industry felt were impossible to overcome, but that we later accomplished. My…
Wean-to-Finish Biosecurity: Simple Start Tips
Ensuring the health and safety of our pigs is a top priority for every swine producer. While we often focus on biosecurity measures at sow farms, it’s just as crucial to implement strong protocols in wean-to-finish barns. What do we know Disease doesn’t discriminate. We need to maintain our biosecurity mindset throughout the production cycle…
Team Members Exemplify Teamwork
At PIPESTONE, we live and breathe our core values: Integrity, Caring, Commitment, Growth, and Teamwork. This year, we’re taking a closer look at each value, exploring what they mean to us and how they shape our organization. Our values are the foundation of who we are and how we work together. Join us as we…
Understanding Ileitis in Pigs: Impact, Detection, and Management
Ileitis is a significant concern in pig production, presenting both health challenges for the animals and economic ramifications for producers. This disease, caused by the bacteria Lawsonia intracellularis, affects pigs worldwide and is particularly prevalent during warm weather months when feed intake can fluctuate. Let’s break down what you need to know about ileitis: How…
Taking Advantage of Risk Management
I like to give my dad a hard time that all he had to do was farm the ground and feed the livestock to make a sustainable profit. I say this jokingly, but he recognizes that there is some truth in that statement. He sees the farm faced with more and more business decisions every…
Team Members Exemplify Growth
At PIPESTONE, we live and breathe our core values: Integrity, Caring, Commitment, Growth, and Teamwork. This year, we’re taking a closer look at each value, exploring what they mean to us and how they shape our organization. Our values are the foundation of who we are and how we work together. Join us as we…
Team Members Exemplify Commitment
At PIPESTONE, we live and breathe our core values: Integrity, Caring, Commitment, Growth, and Teamwork. This year, we’re taking a closer look at each value, exploring what they mean to us and how they shape our organization. Our values are the foundation of who we are and how we work together. Join us as we…
Is your Ventilation Ready for Spring?
As someone who thrives on outdoor adventures, I eagerly anticipate the warmer weather and the lively buzz that spring brings. But it’s also the time when our barn ventilation systems kick into high gear. With temperatures climbing during the day and dipping at night, it’s crucial that our ventilation systems keep pace with the changing…
Team Members Exemplify Caring
At PIPESTONE, we live and breathe our core values: Integrity, Caring, Commitment, Growth, and Teamwork. This year, we’re taking a closer look at each value, exploring what they mean to us and how they shape our organization. Our values are the foundation of who we are and how we work together. Join us as we…
Navigating the Next Generation: A Roadmap for Swine Industry Transformation
At the recent American Association of Swine Veterinarians conference, attendees were treated to an enlightening presentation by Dr. Joel Nerem, Veterinarian at Pipestone Veterinary Services. Dr. Nerem, delivering the prestigious Howard Dunne Lecture, provided invaluable insights into the future of swine veterinary medicine under the theme, “Next Generation Swine Veterinarians: Who are we and where…
Riding the Wave of Feed Cost Fluctuations
Feed costs make up 60% to 70% of production expenses, making it crucial for producers to monitor market trends as they work to enhance the profitability and sustainability of their pig farms. Recent trends indicate a notable decline in feed prices, particularly in essential ingredients like corn and soybean meal. This decline presents an opportunity…
Unleashing Genetic Potential through Careful Management
In the realm of pig farming, maximizing genetic potential is a constant pursuit. Despite common perceptions that pigs are the “easy part” compared to human challenges, the reality is that ensuring optimal conditions for pigs involves overcoming various hurdles. Among the challenges present at your farm, which has the greatest potential to impede performance? …
Employees Exemplify Integrity
At PIPESTONE, we live and breathe our core values: Integrity, Caring, Commitment, Growth, and Teamwork. This year, we’re taking a closer look at each value, exploring what they mean to us and how they shape our organization. Our values are the foundation of who we are and how we work together. Join us as we…
Ingris Rivas: A South Dakota Master Pork Producer
Ingris Rivas was recently named a 2023 Master Pork Producer at the 55th Annual South Dakota Pork Congress in January. Ingris’s journey began in August 2017, marking the start of her career in swine production at PIPESTONE. South Dakota Master Pork Producers are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the state’s swine industry. Starting as…
Seth Holmstrom: A South Dakota Master Pork Producer
A standout star at PIPESTONE is Seth Holmstrom, who serves as the Manager for Elm Valley Farms. Starting as a Pipestone Emerging Leader in November 2018, Seth honed his skills at Big Sioux before landing the role of Site Manager at Elm Valley in March 2019. Since then, he’s been leading with passion, dedication, and…
2024 Health Outlook – USA Swine Industry
It’s that time of year again. . . time for 2024 predictions. For the U.S. swine industry (and most of the world), 2023 has been a year most pig farmers would like to forget – not because disease issues were worse than normal, but because market prices have not been favorable. The short-term outlook is…
Dedication, Growth, & Commitment: Mark Uilk Receives Prestigious David Neuberger II Core Values Award
Integrity, Caring, Commitment, Growth, and Teamwork – these are the core values of PIPESTONE. They serve as a road map for all employees in pursuing the company mission of Helping Farmers Today Create the Farms of Tomorrow. The David Neuberger II Core Values Award is an honor bestowed upon individuals who exemplify the Core Values…
Turning Data into Information takes both Analysis and Perspective
Data analysis is the process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information. However, without proper data analysis, you may draw the wrong conclusion. Without perspective, you may think things are going really poorly, when in reality, they are not; or the reverse may be true. You need both…
Feed Mill Biosecurity
Biosecurity is a word we hear often in swine production but what does it truly mean? When I think about an how to explain this topic to a feed mill, I tend to use the following: Biosecurity is a means to create practical and science-based methods to reduce the likelihood of viruses and bacteria entering…
The Importance of a Healthy Gilt Source
A commercial sow farm has two options when it comes to replacement gilts, the first is to raise them internally, and the second is to purchase them from another site or company. Producing replacements internally requires a very broad and intensive management style to effectively run two different populations within one farm. The other challenge…
How Much can you Invest to Prevent Disease?
Ben Franklin is credited with saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The proverb holds true today and is particularly relatable for pork producers. A disease event has the protentional to increase your production costs, reduce your production efficiency and increase your lost opportunity in the wean-to-finish phase of production. At…
Utilizing Products to Improve Wean-to-Finish Biosecurity
Disease does not stop at the sow farm; biosecurity protocols are beneficial in protecting our pigs when implemented in wean-to-finish sites. A helpful strategy to apply biosecurity is to remember the 5 P’s: Pigs, People, Products, Property, and Pests. Dr. Rachel Stika Jensen, Veterinarian at Pipestone Veterinary Services, recommends the following products to enhance your…
How Low should the pH go?
Hemolytic Escherichia Coli (E. coli) is a challenging pathogen due to its high morbidity and high mortality in weaned pigs. It causes severe diarrhea and sudden death. Our tools to control and reduce hemolytic E. coli are limited and unfortunately becoming less effective due to antimicrobial resistance. Acidification of drinking water for swine has been…
Biosecurity Solutions for Wean-To-Finish Systems
Unfortunately, summer is over and the fall season is upon us, followed soon by winter. From a disease management perspective, it is also the season when major swine pathogens get a break from the sun and heat. Typically, as barns start to close up and we enter minimum ventilation rates overnight, respiratory disease is not…
Biosecurity and County Fairs
A fairly biosecure way to enjoy your local fairs: Everyone at the fair has a responsibility to protect pig health. Going to fairs, or anywhere else that has pigs from a different source, creates risk for your farm. There are easy and effective steps you can take to mitigate those risks. As producers, it’s easy…
Nutrition & Production Strategies for the Weaned Pig
When we consider the number of stressors wean pigs face, it’s no surprise that starting pigs in the nursery can be challenging. So, the question becomes, what can we do to help? There are several practical ways to reduce stress, encourage pen exploration, and promote earlier feed intake to ensure a successful weaning transition. CREEP…
Developing your Business Strategy
What is a “Business Strategy” or a “Strategic Plan” for my business? It may be best to start with what is “not” strategy. Strategy is not operational best practices. Strategy is not a forecast. Strategy is not simply a plan to make more money this year. Business strategy is a long-term plan of action that…
Providing Solutions for Independent Pork Producers
Maurer Farms attribute increased performance to FarmTeam. In rural southwestern Minnesota, Preston Maurer works alongside his dad, Rick, on their family farm near Morgan. “We raise corn, soybeans, wheat, and hogs – finishing approximately 22,000 head each year, plus we do tiling on the side,” said Preston. With his diversified family farm in mind, Preston…
CVO Comments - April 2023
Our vet team is frequently asked, “What’s new at PIPESTONE?” This often elicits a casual response of “Oh, not much.” But, as I sat down to write my CVO commentary it occurred to me that there has been a lot happening at PIPESTONE that we’d like to share. Here is a brief list of updates…
Feed Mill Ownership
One distinct memory I have growing up was riding along with my Dad (before car seats) in the feed truck when he worked as a delivery driver and ultimately feed salesman for Wayne Feeds in Ireton, IA. He would stop at a gas station and let me pick out a jelly-filled long john or a…
Springtime Sustainability Tips
Sustainability is a concept that has become increasingly important to large companies and national governments. However, most people don’t realize that sustainable practices can help you conserve resources and reduce waste at home as well. As we enter Spring, there are many activities that fit into sustainable living that would not only be environmentally beneficial…
Risk Management
A profitable pork enterprise is the goal of every pork producer. There are many considerations when thinking of profitability in the pork production sector. One of the most critical is that of Risk Management. The main idea behind risk management is the desire to transfer the risk that a producer has in their hog inventory…
CVO Comments: The Economics of a Pig
What does disease cost? It ultimately depends on what disease (or diseases) your pig farm is challenged with – but disease has a cost and it can be measured in dollars and cents. Dr. Adam Schelkopf described it another way when he talked about the “Health Tax”. Every pig farmer pays this “tax”. Some pay…
Cost of PRRS
Time and time again as veterinarians we are asked what our highest priority need is in swine health today. The answer is simple and unfortunately has not changed for decades now. PRRS, or Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus, continues to be the most detrimental and costly disease that swine producers face in the United…
Internship Highlights
Each summer, PIPESTONE provides the opportunity for college students from all over the nation to gain real-world experience within the swine industry. This year, PIPESTONE welcomed 14 interns from 12 different colleges to work within 7 departments. These departments included production, information technology, nutrition, research, public relations, marketing and veterinary services. Throughout the summer, interns…
Join the Family Farm with Eyes Wide Open
Family businesses are often complex and making the decision to join the family farm is no different. Most young adults are exited to come back to the farm to do the work they love. The following is a list of questions the next generation should consider answering about their family business, themselves and their family…
Why Rye?
Capturing Farm to Fork Benefits through Feed Hybrid rye has been gaining traction as an alternative feed stuff in the upper Midwest. Compared to conventional rye, the hybrid varieties have shown to be better yielding, less susceptible to ergot (a grain fungus) and more drought tolerant. From the agronomic standpoint, hybrid rye can reduce the…
Manure Management
The Do’s and Dont’s the Do’s Manure Application Manure is the constant byproduct of every producer operation. Continuing to be constantly aware of your manure disposal and application procedures can help to avoid last minute emergencies from popping up and leading to costly, short-term solutions. Developing a couple of steady habits can ensure the smooth…
Biosecurity
Why is it important in wean-to-market barns? Biosecurity. It is a big bold word but has it revolutionized the swine industry over decades? We go to extraordinary lengths to enhance sow farm biosecurity, which has historically been rewarded well. This begs the question: why do we not have near the standards for biosecurity in wean-to-market…
5 Steps to Ensure Proper Handling and Transport of Pigs to Market
Proper handling and transporting of pigs to market is the final step in raising pigs. Following these basic but necessary steps helps to ensure the farmer can capitalize on the significant dollars they have invested in and worked hard to produce. 1. Proper Choring Throughout the pig’s life, properly walk the pens while choring to…
Pig Care Management: Early, Middle & Late
Early Pig Care Management As hog producers, we strive to provide a safe and healthy environment to raise our animals. It is crucial to take the following steps to start your pigs to ensure you’re providing a strong foundation for the rest of the group. Before placing pigs, barn sanitation, feed, water, and environment…
FarmTeam Value
Today’s modern pig farmers have to balance and put focus on countless areas of impact in order to maximize success. In the newly weaned and growing pigs, herd health, feeding strategies, marketing, and risk management are just the beginning to a long list of important details. One additional area of focus that cannot be forgotten…
Feed Management: How to Manage Your Feeders
In the midst of record feed prices paced by $7-8/bu corn, in-barn feeder management should be a top priority for all producers. Spending over $100/pig in feed cost is already painful enough and shouldn’t be exacerbated by improper feeders or feeder settings. I tend to break feeder management into 3 buckets: Selecting the…
Three Foundations of Proper Pig Care: The animal, environment and equipment
Daily observations are not just a Pork Quality Assurance catch phrase, they are a foundational principal of proper pig care. Pig well-being and welfare starts with a daily evaluation of the animal, the environment, and the equipment. The Animal There are the obvious items we should be checking every day. Does the pig have food…
CVO Comments: Animal Welfare- How Does Your Farm Stack Up?
At the recent Pipestone Summit, we had an interesting exchange on pig farm biosecurity and the contrast between biosecurity measures employed at the sow farm and those effectively implemented in the wean to finish (W-F) farms. The takeaway for most was the striking gap found between sow farms and growing pig sites, with the breeding…
PIPESTONE Sustainability: Carbon Footprint
“Climate change” and “climate crisis” are topics that have gained the attention of policymakers and businesses across the globe. The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report released in 2021 noted, “Unless there are immediate, rapid, and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emission, limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C will be beyond reach.” As…
PIPESTONE Sustainability: Safety
⇒ In support of our Core Values of integrity, caring, commitment, growth and teamwork, employee safety is our top priority. Along with the great responsibility we have of caring for our animals, we understand that there are inherent risks to people safety within the swine production industry. Supporting staff personally visit; various support groups personally…
PIPESTONE Antibiotic Use Standards (PORK)
We recognize the growing global concern over Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), its impact for human medicine, veterinary medicine, public and animal health, as well as society and the shared concern of antibiotic use’s influence on AMR. PIPESTONE’s commitment to Responsible Antibiotic Use and reduced AMR serves as the framework for our Pipestone Antibiotic Use Standards (PORK).…
Two Reports to Boost Your Confidence in Decision-Making
How can you use data to drive your decision-making process? Big Stone Marketing, in collaboration with other PIPESTONE business units, would like to share two reports to help you get there: Precision Marketing & Marketing Report. Precision Marketing The precision marketing reports allow producers to more specifically control the impact of day to day…
Chief Veterinary Comments- Data Driven Decisions
We live in the so-called “Information Age”. Data is being collected all around us. Today, the power of computing and digital technology have made collecting, analyzing and transferring data easier than ever. As a result, we have more information than ever at our fingertips. Good information for making business decisions can be invaluable; however, it…
Performance Impact of an Older Weaned Pig
The process of using data to make strategic production decisions is not new for PIPESTONE. It’s a process that usually starts with a concept, sometimes born of intuition, but more often born of necessity. It also requires a collaborative effort by PIPESTONE business units to bring the concept full circle. In 2016, Pipestone Applied Research…
Communicating Your Story to Consumers
Today, consumers are asking more questions than ever about where their food comes from and how animals are cared for. As a farmer and agriculturalist, it is our responsibility to share our story. To earn trust, communicating shared values is 3-5x more important than just sharing information. Consumers want to find shared values, such as…
Balancing Act: Biological Performance & Feed Cost
There are several ways to evaluate feed cost and feed performance in wean-to-market pigs. Each method can provide a very different answer for the producer on what is the “BEST” way to feed a pig. In a perfect world we find the ideal marriage between biological performance and feed cost. However, the equation isn’t so…
A New Health Paradigm: How to Reduce the Health Tax
As swine producers, you all pay a health tax at the end of the year, whether you know it or not. This tax is paid on every pig and reflects the cost of less-than-perfect health in an operation. The health tax is often far larger than producers recognize and is consistently evident year after year…
Mexico: PIPESTONE's Experience in Mexico
PIPESTONE’s relationship with the Mexican swine industry is not new. Multiple interactions between our technical team and local players have occurred over the past few decades. However, it was not until 2015, when PIPESTONE had the opportunity to participate in a start-up project of 10,000 sows, that this relationship got more formally established. This successful…
China: Top 10 Learnings from Boots on the Ground Experience
The #1 key to preventing African Swine Fever virus (ASF) breaks is improving biosecurity. Be flexible. Use the sites and infrastructure around you to optimize health and production in ways you may not have attempted thus far. Use feed mitigants. Depopulating continuous flow sites with viral health challenges is key to recovering performance. Grow/Finish biosecurity…
Q&A with Mexico's Production Director, Ezequiel Guardado Valdez
Personal Background: I come from a very humble family that had to immigrate from Zacatecas to Jalisco in search of opportunities. I am the fourth of seven siblings. I have always been involved in agriculture. From my childhood I was forced to leave school and start working at age of 13 to help my parents…
Q&A with China's Production Director, Duan Lian Mao
20 years ago, PIPESTONE started consulting in China. Consultation then turned into management, and later, ownership. Today, PIPESTONE is a minority owner in Riverstone, the operations group in Shandong Province. PIPESTONE oversees day-to-day operation for Riverstone, and Dr. Luke Minion serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. In China, Riverstone is managing…
Chief Veterinary Officer Comments- Spring 2022
Pork is the most consumed meat in the world. As a result, pig farming is a global pursuit. While the USA exports a significant portion of the pork we raise (nearly 30%), most pork is consumed within the country where the pigs were raised. As PIPESTONE has grown and evolved over the last 25 years,…
Driving Force: Four Tips for Turning Swine Industry Passion Into a Career
Growing up, I was involved in the swine industry by showing pigs, helping vaccinate weaned pigs for local farms, and working for PIPESTONE in the wean-to-finish records department. As the time came close for me to think about college and my future career, I knew I wanted to work in the swine industry and help…
8 Winter Ventilation Concepts
There are many items to remember as winter ventilation is upon us of how we want barns to operate. Here are a few to think of as you are braving the cold. 1. Set Points This is what you are telling the barn to maintain temperature at. Typically, barns will be 1-2 degrees…
Risk Management
Having a risk management plan is critical for all hog producers, especially today with the extreme volatility of our hog and pork markets and with the increased risk of African Swine Fever making it into the United States. Hog producers really should protect their revenue and profit opportunities when they arise. Through Big Stone Marketing,…
Global Supply Chain Traffic Jam: Feed
There has been a lot of chatter regarding the global supply chain as of late. Whether it’s referencing store shelves being empty, truck driver shortages or national ports being clogged, there has been an increased awareness of disruptions. If we are truly going to solve the issues, we need to understand how we got in…
Supply Chain Crisis: Products
The 2021 supply chain issues are well known. Various news publications speak to the challenge of logistics via air, ocean, road and rail, as well as the lack of labor and materials. From an animal health perspective, the availability of raw ingredients that make up many of the products we use, or Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients…
Our Experience with Fighting African Swine Fever Transmission Through Feed
African Swine Fever (ASF) is an inevitable topic as we talk about the global swine industry, especially after August 2018 when ASF was reported for the first time in China, the world’s largest pig producer and consumer. As a highly fatal disease with no effective treatment or commercial vaccine, ASF resulted in a nearly 40%…
PIPESTONE Risk Assessment on African Swine Fever Reaching the United States
African swine fever (ASF) was diagnosed on Hispaniola in the Caribbean this summer, the Dominican Republic in July 2021, and in Haiti in September 2021. This is the first time since the 1980s that the virus has been found in the Western Hemisphere. It has never been diagnosed in the United States. There is a…
Driving Force: Three 'Non-Negotiables' for Vaccinating Young Pigs
When it comes to raising and investing in show pigs, our goal is to keep them healthy and productive in preparation for the show ring. The first few weeks of a piglet’s life are critical for setting them up with a strong foundation to help them develop immunity and protect them throughout their show career.…
U.S. Pork Exports Continue to Surge, Overcoming COVID and Other Challenges
Despite COVID-19 and what seemed like a dozen other challenges, the United States pork industry in 2020 exported a record amount of pork, and it’s poised to set a new record this year. In fact, through August 2021, America’s pork producers already had shipped to foreign destinations $5.8 billion worth of product compared with about…
Gifts for Good
One of the core values we live by at PIPESTONE is Caring. Caring means caring for our team members, animals and communities. Our charitable efforts aim to make a difference in the lives of our local and global community members. Domestically, we donate to: Children’s Home Society Atlas The Banquet in Sioux Falls…
I Wouldn't Bet the Farm on it.
I’m an optimistic person by nature, but I’ve had to become more of a realist. This is truer than ever when preparing our business, and our clients, for the potential of a foreign animal disease entrance into the U.S. In recent months, I’ve pivoted from talking about IF an African Swine Fever (ASF) introduction will…
Feeding the Sow for Healthier Piglets
Do you think you can impact the health of your piglets in the nursery by what the sow is eating at the sow farm? We had the very same question, and set out to conduct a research trial to test the idea. If we could improve the health and performance of the pigs in the…
Behind the Label
Grocery shopping is a balancing act of buying the “best” for your family while also staying within your budget. With the large variety of food labels out there, it can be hard to know what you’re buying. When it comes to understanding food labels there are a couple points to remember. All…
Design Matters: Farm Layout Plays an Important Role in Pig Health
What are the greatest factors that influence pig health? Most will say the health of the sow farm, pig density and area disease pressure. While these are all true, a common item gets overlooked: the overall design of the operation. This topic can even be broken down into the macro and micro features of the…
Reduce Antibiotic Usage and Improve Full Value Pigs at Market
The goal for most swine producers is to make money raising hogs. With current ingredient prices, we have been getting many questions about how to reduce feed cost, which is a great question. However, many producers focus on feed cost per ton and immediately focus on the nursery diets. The most expensive feed cost per…
Problem?... Solution! The Importance of Responsible Antibiotic Use
I am old enough now to have seen a significant arc of attitude regarding antibiotic use. Our attitude. Public attitude. Government attitude. At one time, antibiotic use would have been a very quick decision for me or my clients. Problem?… Solution! But the landscape is different today, and for several valid reasons. If we are…
PRRSV 144: A Rapid Response to a National Crisis
In partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc., Pipestone Research has provided a rapid response to bring science-based answers to managing the emergence of PRRSV 144 L1C. Based on field observations from practitioners and producers, stating that, “This is the worst strain of PRRSV ever,” “Vaccines don’t work anymore,” and “Biosecurity protocols are ineffective,”…
The Evolution of PART
The Pipestone Antibiotic Resistance Tracker (PART) celebrates its fifth birthday this month. Like most things, a lot has changed in that time and we wanted to share a bit about the background, learning and forward vision of this important tool. In the summer of 2016, we welcomed a national fast-food chain to PIPESTONE to showcase…
Competitive Strategy on Farm
In 1980, Michael Porter, distinguished professor at Harvard Business School, wrote that competitive strategy is “how a firm can actually create and sustain a competitive advantage in its industry.” In his book Competitive Strategy, he outlines that the two basic types of competitive advantage are cost leadership and differentiation. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a…
Old Assets: Retain, Replace or Remodel?
Facilities play a large role in the health of your pigs and profitability of your pig business. As assets age, it’s important to evaluate your best facility strategy moving forward: retain, replace or remodel. Below are some considerations to take into account when making your decision. If your answer was “no” for…
Unintended Consequences of Well-Intentioned Employers
While this is not an exhaustive list for employers, it is a sampling of the most common mis-steps well-intentioned employers make as they work through their day-to-day responsibilities of running a business and employing a team. 1. Unrealistic Expectations Employers often set their expectations of employees high to encourage workplace efficiency…