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Pork producers target costly swine diseases

Collaborating to help improve herd health in the swine industry.

Nebraska Pork Producers Association Executive Director Seth Mitchell says the industry would like to eliminate both Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and PED. “It’s an ambitious goal, but I think that’s where we as an industry want to get in order to be more profitable and be more efficient.”

Eastern Nebraska pork producer Ryan Preister says those diseases continue to have devastating impacts requiring an all-hands on approach to protect herds. “To understand where their flows are going, understand biosecurity for their employees and ultimately to try and get to a point where we’re all comfortable with each other’s operations on what we’re all working together to produce a healthy product.”

He says he understands concerns about sharing data from producer to producer and farm to farm. “Everybody keeps things close to their chest, right? I think it’s about educating producers that the more information we can share collectively within reason, I think that makes us better as an industry.”

South-central Nebraska producer Walt Traudt says it’s critical producers, policy makers, researchers and the private sector work together. “To get everybody in that room who is doing every piece of pork production. That’s the great first step. That’s when productive conversations start happening.”

They say that the National Swine Health Strategy has been very important so far, but more producers should get involved.

Seth Mitchell:

Ryan Preister:

Walt Traudt: