November 2025 – Swine in Minnesota

“Inside PRRSV: Close to Real-Time Variant Tracking” a podcast with Dr. Mariana Kikuti

Looking to learn something new this weekend? Check out this new podcast featuring the UMN Swine Group’s very own Dr. Mariana Kikuti!

Dr. Mariana Kikuti, Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, explains how PRRSV variant classification is structured and how it supports more effective monitoring of disease outbreaks in swine herds. She shares how lineage and variant tracking improve virus identification and situational awareness. Discover how real-time data enables smarter decision-making in swine health.

Want to dive deeper? Learn more about VUMs (Variants Under Monitoring) on the MSHMP website!

Beliefs, Behaviors, and Practices of Farm Biosecurity in the Midwestern U.S. Swine Operations

Today, we are sharing a recent published manuscript from a collaboration between the swine group and the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety at the University of Minnesota. The project focused on biosecurity practices from the Secure Pork Supply plan and the consistency with which they were applied on farms. The full text is available in open access on the journal Animals’ website.

40-farm study reveals swine mortality site virus risk

Swine mortality, particularly those caused by infectious pathogens, poses biosecurity risks and causes significant economic impact. Dead handling structures may act as sources of viral environmental contamination, but limited attention has been given to their role in biocontainment and bioexclusion of pathogens in and around farms. In this study, we tried to diminish this problem by assessing the environmental contamination around dead animal disposal structures in wean-to-finish farms and determining if the contamination levels differ according to how dead animals are managed.

Best of Leman: Bill Moore – Risks and opportunities for pork production in the changing economic landscape

This is our most popular series on the blog. Once a month, we are sharing with you a presentation given at the Allen D. Leman swine conference, on topics that the swine group found interesting, innovative or that lead to great discussions.

You can find all of the presentations selected from previous conferences on the blog here.

This presentation was given by Bill Moore of Compeer Financial during the 2025 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference.