AMES, Iowa — The first session of PigX, a monthly podcast developed to share information from the national Improving Pig Survivability project with those in the swine industry, will air June 1.
Jason Ross is director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center and professor of animal science at Iowa State University. He said the podcast is a component of a coordinated effort by the project team to provide information on research results that people can put to use immediately in their operations.
“With 30% of piglets never making it to market, that’s a costly issue,” he said. “We’re working directly with producers, with allied industry partners, and with an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff from Iowa State, Kansas State University and Purdue University on individual projects to identify mortality causes and develop strategies to reduce mortality.”
Each podcast session will include different speakers, each focusing on specific information and knowledge gained from the project. The initial session speakers include Ross and Joel DeRouchey, project team member from Kansas State, describing the survivability project itself; Chris Hostettler, director of animal science for the National Pork Board, and Tim Kurt, CEO of Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, the entities that funded the $2 million project.
The goal of the PigX podcast is to bring together experts in the swine industry to discuss practical, science-based strategies that pork producers can use to reduce mortality in all phases of production. Listen to this preview of the podcast and put June 1 on your calendar.
Participants can find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify or Stitcher.
PigX podcast updates also will be available on the project website.
IPIC was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort of the colleges of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. Its mission is to promote efficient pork production technologies in Iowa, maintain Iowa’s pork industry leadership and strengthen rural development efforts. Through IPIC, Iowa producers receive accurate and timely information to make their operations more efficient and profitable.
— Jason Ross, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
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