USDA NIFA awards Food Animal researchers more than $2.7 million

With the new support, CVM researchers will help animals and producers across the swine industry

The United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) recently funded more than $2.7 million worth of research at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). The projects that benefit from this funding will help the food animal agriculture industry maximize production and advance strategies for keeping animals healthy. This recent investment in the CVM’s research represents another milestone in the decades-old relationship the College has with USDA NIFA, which has established a history for furthering food animal agriculture across species and contexts.

College leadership looks forward to how this new funding, when paired with CVM investigators’ expertise, will further the science that powers animal welfare and food security across the country.

The list of awardees includes Dr. Montse Torremorell and Dr. Noelle Noyes who will work on the elimination airborne viruses from swine barns and antibiotic resistance in swine, respectively. Dr. Jerry Torrison, head of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will launch a new pathology residency program in collaboration with South Dakota State University.

Left to right: Dr. Montse Torremorell, Dr. Jerry Torrison, and Dr. Noelle Noyes

Multiple vaccinations: what effect on M. hyopneumoniae infection?

Dr. Betlach and the team from the MycoLab recently published a study in the journal Vaccine, regarding the impact of multiple vaccines against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. They assessed bacterial load and protection against infection in gilts.

Highlights

Vaccination against M. hyopneumoniae reduced bacterial load in infected gilts.
Vaccination of both infected and contact gilts reduced M. hyopneumoniae transmission.
Genetic diversity of M. hyopneumoniae was not influenced by vaccination.

Impact of the Recombinant PRRSv Horsens Strain on the Reproductive Performance of Pregnant Sows

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

In this article published by Zoetis in collaboration with the University of Denmark and Copenhagen, the authors discuss that there are currently at least 18 commercially licensed modified live vaccines (MLVs) for the control of PRRS in the global market and because these vaccines are live viruses, precautions need to be followed in order to maintain their safety.

Transporting Pigs in Cold Weather: a podcast

Did you know that the UMN swine extension group has their own podcast?

In this episode, University of Minnesota Swine Extension Educators Sarah Schieck Boelke and Diane DeWitte discuss what it takes to transport pigs when the temperature is low. They also talk about unfit pigs for transport, loading density, proper setup of the trailer, and knowing current driving conditions.

Phase-Feeding: Do Fewer Phases Compromise Growth Performance in Grow-Finish?

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

This week, Dr. Mariana Menegat for Kansas State Univeristy shares her latest results when evaluating the optimal number of phases in feeding growing pigs.

Key Points

Fewer dietary phases, i.e. from 4 to 3 or 2 phases, with lysine levels set close to the requirements does not compromise growth performance of grow-finish pigs.