USDA to host third African Swine Fever Action Week

Oct 02, 2023

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is hosting its third annual African Swine Fever (ASF) Action Week from October 2 - 6, 2023, according to a government-issued press release.

USDA-APHIS is encouraging US swine producers, small farms and pig owners to join us and learn about ASF and what they can do to help protect the US swine herd.

ASF has never been detected in the US, but since its detection in the Dominican Republic and Haiti in 2021, USDA has partnered with industry and states to enhance already strong safeguards to protect US swine from this costly disease.

”The longer ASF continues to circulate around the globe, the greater the threat to the US swine industry,” said Rosemary Sifford, APHIS veterinary services deputy administrator, and Chief Veterinary Officer.

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Video: Sow Reproduction in Free-Choice Barns - Dr. William Flowers

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. William Flowers from North Carolina State University explains sow reproductive performance and behaviors in free-choice gestation barns. He discusses social hierarchy, stress responses, feeding behavior, and the influence of housing design on fertility outcomes. Understand how sow interactions can affect production results and management decisions. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Overall, sows, even the dominant sows, choose to spend about 70% of their time in the stall portion.”

Meet the guest: Dr. William Flowers / william-flowers-998b348a is the William Neal Reynolds and Alumni Distinguished Professor of Animal Science at North Carolina State University. His teaching covers swine production and reproductive management, while his research focuses on improving fertility in swine. Dr. Flowers holds a B.S. in Animal Science from Virginia Tech and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Missouri. Listen to The Swine it Podcast Show Canada with Dr. William Flowers on all major platforms.