Swine in Minnesota

Rising Researcher: Lucas Ferreira investigates how viruses spread during swine transport

or nearly two years, Lucas Ferreira has visited two swine harvest plant facilities biweekly, collecting samples and studying how often market hog transportation trailers get contaminated during unloading and what risk factors are associated with it.

“We know those trailers are going to the farms and getting the pigs to bring them to facilities,” he explains. “But nobody knew if those trailers leaving the facility were contaminated, how often it was happening, or the type of factors that might be related to it. The reality is there was no data —not just in the United States, but internationally.”

Dr. Talita Resende discusses Sapovirus in Suckling and Weaned Pigs with Diarrhea on The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast

Dr. Talita Resende, Assistant Professor and Food Animal Diagnostician at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, explains how sapovirus affects suckling and weaned pigs with diarrhea. She discusses PCR interpretation, rotavirus and E. coli coinfections, intestinal sampling, and in situ hybridization for clearer diagnostic decisions.

For the good of pigs and people

For the average person, packages of pork products in the grocery store meat section represent ingredients for a meal.

For the Swine Disease Eradication Center (SDEC) at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), those products represent the culmination of years of productive partnerships between academia and the swine industry that have advanced research into eliminating deadly diseases that cost pork producers billions of dollars each year.

NC State student Molly Jones wins 2026 Morrison Swine Innovator Prize

Perle Zhitnitskiy presents Molly Jones with he 2026 Morrison Swine Innovator Prize — North Carolina State University veterinary student Molly Jones (left) is presented with the Morrison Swine Innovator Prize by Perle Zhitnitskiy, associate professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, on Sept. 21 at the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Molly Jones, a veterinary student from North Carolina State University, is the 2026 winner of the Morrison Swine Innovator Prize, an award given to veterinary students who want to make a difference in swine health and production.

The award was presented on Sept. 21 at the annual Allen D. Leman Swine Conference hosted by the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Veterinary students interested in swine health and production were eligible.

Rising Researcher: Marcello Melini studies viral interactions to improve swine farm biosecurity

For Marcello Melini, the role of a veterinarian doesn’t stop at the exam room door. It’s a charge that extends beyond the realm of animal health care and into human health as well.

When it came to a career path, swine health provided an opportunity for him to make an impact in areas benefiting both people and animals.

“For me, the swine field in veterinary medicine allows me to be involved in several of these areas and also provides an additional challenge, which is making the best decision for a herd based on the evidence of a few,” he says.