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Fire Breaks Out Overnight at Illinois Pig Farm

A fire broke out at Cedar Ridge Farms, a seedstock swine operation owned and operated by the six sons of the late Fred and Betty Grohmann near Red Bud, Ill., early on April 14. 

Multiple area fire departments from Red Bud, Hecker, New Athens, Baldwin and Waterloo responded to the blaze in a hog building that caught fire shortly after midnight, the Republic-Times reports. The fire resulted in substantial damage to the structure as well as the loss of several pigs.

The Grohmanns told local reporters that the cause of the fire and the cost of damages and losses are not yet known. However, they said things could have been worse. One of the barns was completely empty and the other had hogs they were getting ready to send to market, many of which had recently been shipped. 

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In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.