Genetics Can Boost Swine Herd Health

Jun 13, 2022

Herd health is a constant worry for pork producers, especially with increasing restrictions on the use of antibiotics and other preventative treatments. Recent improvements in biosecurity practices can help, of course, but breeding for disease resilience offers a vital, complementary approach.

“Genetic improvement can be an important component in a comprehensive strategy to combat the impacts of disease,” says Jack C. M. Dekkers, Ph.D., a C.F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. “How pigs respond to disease has a substantial genetic component and can, thus, be selected for. While resistance to some diseases is determined by a single gene, resistance to most diseases is controlled by many genes and is not complete.”

Measuring Resilience

In his upcoming talk at United Pork Americas in Orlando, Fla. (Sept. 7-9, 2022), Dekkers will discuss how and why genetics can play a critical role in lessening the impact of disease on pork production. “An understanding of the genetic basis of resistance and resilience of disease will help producers determine the best sources of genetics for their operations,” Dekkers says.

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Video: WARNING! Rough Start To Breeding Season!!

WARNING! Sheep Breeding Season Begins With A Bang! Breeding season is officially underway at Ewetopia Farms, but it didn’t exactly start the way we planned!

This vlog begins with us sorting through our rams to find the perfect match for a customer’s breeding program. What should have been routine quickly turned dangerous when one of our more nervous rams panicked. In seconds, Arnie’s knee was injured, and then I was slammed hard onto the concrete floor — both of us taken down by one ram!

Thankfully, it was just bruises, but it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and powerful mature rams can be. Once we recovered, it was time to get back to the real work — the start of breeding season.

We sorted the ewes into four breeding groups (two Suffolk and two Dorset), checking parentage as they ran through the chute, deworming those that needed it, and setting aside thinner ewes for session two of breeding season in a month’s time.This staggered approach keeps lambing organized and prevents overcrowding in the barns.

From rogue rams to the excitement of new breeding groups, this episode is full of action. Stay tuned for the next vlog, where we’ll share how we chose the rams for each group!