Swine

Have you ever unloaded a group of pigs that are heat stressed following transportation? How do you manage transportation during months of high heat and humidity to prevent or minimize heat stress and transport losses? Here are a few tips to help your pigs weather summer heat and humidity.  It all comes down to managing these three basics: water, air...

When I was first being introduced to the swine industry six years ago, I barely scratched the surface on seeing how fast-paced the industry drove its own improvement. Growing up on a purebred beef cattle farm, the idea of upgrading production practices was pretty foreign aside from some attempts at lower-stress handling facilities. Our idea of genetic improvement was expanding...

Some of the most common pests within a hog operation include your common house fly and fruit fly. These pests are not only a risk for transferring diseases, but are also a nuisance to the animals and people that work or reside in these barns. Once these pests are established within your operation it can be very difficult to control...

Generations of the Sturtevant family have raised crops and livestock on the same land in northwestern Illinois since the 1850s.  While the size and scope of the farm that Mark Sturtevant owns and operates with his father, brother and cousins, has changed over the years, their focus on continuous improvement, animal health and productivity has been consistent. Mark, along with...

Food Safety Modernization Act: Highlights for pig producers and feed manufacturers It may only be June but many feed mills are currently gearing up for the September 18th deadline to be compliant with the newly installed Food Safety Modernization Act, or FSMA. This new federal regulation was actually put into law in January of 2011 but feed mills are just now...

Pipestone Veterinary Services is excited to announce the addition of Bethany Swine Health Services.  The acquisition made in April of 2017 will bring Pipestone Veterinary Services to five clinic locations with 34 veterinarians on staff. Pipestone’s veterinarian Dr. Adam Schelkopf’s family has successfully operated the Bethany Animal Hospital for more than 40 years.  Dr.’s Mike and Charles Schelkopf, brothers and...

The FDA inspector will likely tell you the specific VFD that they randomly selected which prompted a visit to your farm – be prepared with details on that VFD / group of pigs such as: How long did you medicate the pigs?  Does this match up with the duration listed by your veterinarian on the VFD? You may need to...

We are proud to welcome Dr. Monte Fuhrman to the Pipestone Veterinary Services team! Dr. Fuhrman is a native of Warner, SD and graduate of South Dakota State University and Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Since graduation, he has spent his career providing swine veterinary service and consultation across the mid-west, including South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North...

Scours can be a difficult and chronic issue within a farrowing barn. Not only does it affect the health and growth of the pig, but it also can be detrimental to people whom work in the farms daily. For this article, I will not be talking about treatments for scours, but rather potential areas on your operation that you could...

Since 1942, Pipestone Veterinary Services (PVS) has provided quality care to animals large and small. As we celebrate our 75th anniversary in 2017, we’d like to highlight some of the rich history of the practice that has called home to the Pipestone community for so many years. The Pipestone Vet Clinic was founded in 1942 by Drs. E.A. Schwein and P.A...