Eastern States at Imminent Risk of PRRS Lineage 1C Variant Incursion

Mar 27, 2023

The Swine Health Information Center reports swine farms in the eastern U.S. states are now at imminent risk of contracting the PRRS Lineage 1C variant.
The Swine Health Information Center's domestic swine disease surveillance report, for March indicates the overall number of PRRS cases in February was about the same as in January.

SHIC Associate Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder says we saw increases in Kansas and Missouri and the PRRS Lineage 1C variant strain was detected in several states.

Clip-Dr. Megan Niederwerder-Swine Health Information Center:

We see that there is an increased risk of this PRRS Lineage 1C variant to eastern states.Historically we have seen that the Lineage 1C was primarily focussed in those Midwestern states.

We're now starting to see the Lineage 1C variant expand into those eastern states and really is considered an imminent risk for those states.The good news is that we don't have a lot of animal movements from the Midwest region to the eastern states but there are certainly equipment, including live haul equipment and trucks which could be possible carriers for this Lineage 1C variant of PRRS virus that are facilitating the dissemination into those eastern states.

It's going to be really important for those states that have high breeding herd volumes such as North Carolina, that those states do everything to maintain a negative status from PRRS Lineage 1C variant.

It'll be important to consider thinking about biosecurity and biocontainment approaches that are specific to truck washes, site cleaning and disinfection, feed mill as a risk and hauling trucks to think about reducing the risk of that Lineage 1C variant from spreading and affecting the breeding herd inventories that are in those eastern states.

Dr. Niederwerder notes a webinar at the end of February which focussed on new PRRS strains emerging in the U.S. and in Spain can be accessed through the Swine Health Information Center's web site at swinehealth.org.

Source : Farmscape.ca

Video: You Be The Judge: Evaluating 8 Breeding Rams!

It's time for some honest feedback here at Ewetopia Farms! Today, we’re showing you all eight rams we used for breeding this year. Instead of just presenting them, we thought it would be fun to create a “Ram Report Card” — where we point out both their strengths and areas for improvement.

But here’s the twist: you be the judge! In the comments, let us know what you like about each ram and what you think could be improved. No ram is ever perfect, but every one of them brings something valuable to the flock. By sharing perspectives, we all learn more about what to look for in good breeding stock.

At Ewetopia Farms, we raise registered Suffolk and Polled Dorset sheep, focusing on high-quality genetics, structure, and friendly temperaments. Evaluating breeding rams is part of the bigger picture of building stronger flocks — and we’re excited to share the process with you.

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