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USDA Will Allow Pork Plants to Increase their Maximum Line Speeds.

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invited nine pork processing plants to apply to a trial program to increase their maximum line speeds, Reuters reports, as supply chain disruptions and high demand drive up prices for pork products. The one-year pilot, which will demonstrate whether productivity in plants can be increased without risking worker safety, comes on the heels of a March court decision to throw out a 2019 Trump-era ruling that removed the speed cap. According to The Des Moines Register, some pork packing plants at the time were processing 1,450 head an hour and were ordered to reduce their line speed to 1,106 head in the same time period. One analysis found that pork companies would lose 2.5 percent of their processing capacity at the lower speeds mandated by the March decision, even with mandatory overtime. — Matthew Sedacca

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Dr. Robert Stwalley: Cooling Pads in Swine Barns

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As summer temperatures heat up, it's crucial to find ways to manage the rising warmth in swine barns. In this special episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Robert Stwalley from Purdue University discusses how cooling floor pads can alleviate thermal stress in swine barns. He explores the impact of heat on sows, boar productivity, and piglet welfare and explains how microclimate engineering supports animal performance and barn efficiency. Learn practical solutions for barn design and temperature management. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Thermal stress drastically affects sows, and barns are just compromising between overheating the sow and underheating the piglets."