Feedstuffs in Focus

Most farms chase averages and miss the levers that actually move sow productivity. We pull back the curtain on what truly drives reproduction and lifetime output: preparing gilts with purpose, managing health and stress to guard genetic potential, and leaning on objective, repeatable data instead of gut feel. With Dr. Chad Yoder of Elanco Animal Health, we connect the dots between environment, selection intensity, and the everyday choices that decide whether a sow flourishes or falls behind.We start by challenging one-size-fits-all SOPs. Housing systems, health status, and pen design aren’t background details—they’re the contex...

Protein took the main stage in the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and we dig into why eggs rose to the top. With Emily Metz, President and CEO of the American Egg Board, we explore the real-food case for eggs: complete protein, nutrient density, affordability, and a versatility that works for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything between. We also clear the air on cholesterol with current science and discuss how consumer understanding has shifted from fear to trust.The conversation turns to new brain health research, including studies indicating a relationship between eating two eggs a day and a...

Planning a smart, efficient International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) 2026 starts long before you hit the show floor. We break down the must-see sessions, the most valuable networking spots, and the tools that will help you navigate 665,000 square feet of exhibits and nearly 1,400 companies without missing the moments that matter.We talk with Victoria Broehm of the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) to find out more about a free AFIA Feed Production Education Program delivering fast, useful updates on FDA’s new ingredient review and consultation processes, GRAS reforms, EPA’s approach to formaldehyde, and OSHA’s heat injury...

Milk yield, fertility, and resilience don’t start in the parlor—they start at the intestinal barrier. We sit down with Dr. Elliot Neto, Dairy Technical Service Manager at Kemin North America, to unpack why gut integrity is the hidden driver of modern dairy performance and how a leaky barrier quietly siphons energy, components, and profit. From calves with permeable, naive guts to fresh cows facing intake swings and heat stress, we connect the physiology to practical decisions that make or break the lactation curve.We walk through the core stressors that challenge the intestine: inconsistent colostrum deli...

A billion-dollar-plus disease problem demands more than wishful thinking, so we went straight to the genetics that keep pigs alive and growing when pathogens hit. With Dr. Jenelle Dunkelberger of Topigs Norsvin, we unpack the science and the on-farm relevance of breeding for disease resilience—how it’s measured, predicted, and proven in real barns. The conversation starts with new analysis on PRRS costs and moves quickly into what genomic selection can do for finding and scaling animals that sustain growth and cut losses under challenge.We trace the story from customer reports of hardier terminal lines to c...

Some ideas feel too simple to matter—until the data proves they move the needle on survival. We sit down with Dr. Jordan Gebhardt from Kansas State University to unpack how feed form, small management choices, and genetics combine to cut nursery removals and mortality. From creep feed strategy to the surprising power of very large pellets, we explore why pigs eat more when feed doubles as a social stimulus and how that early intake protects against the post-weaning dip.We break down practical tools producers can apply right away: when and how to use mat feeding to...

Think water is the simplest input on a swine farm? We open the waterlines and find a living system that can quietly limit growth, blunt medications, and raise mortality if it goes unmanaged. With Dr. Gabi Doughan from Iowa State University, we connect barn-floor realities to lab-backed strategies that turn “clean enough” water into a performance advantage.We walk through a practical roadmap for testing what truly matters at the source and the drinker: pH and hardness that drive mineral scale, trace minerals that affect palatability and toxicity, and TDS, sulfates, and nitrates that can tip pigs into...

Want to see how tiny viruses could reshape dairy nutrition? We sit down with Dr. Hugo Monteiro of the University of California-Davis to explore the unseen forces inside the rumen and how they tie directly to feed efficiency, milk production, and methane reduction. His work connects residual feed intake (RFI), microbial ecology, and host genetics into a framework that makes efficiency measurable and actionable.We start by clarifying why RFI outperforms traditional metrics: it isolates true biological efficiency independent of milk yield and body condition. From there, we dive into the rumen as a dynamic battlefield where...

Weather rarely cooperates, cows never take a day off, and forage quality used to hinge on a calendar. We sit down with Phil Bollman, National Sales and Marketing Director at Forage Genetics International, to unpack how lower‑lignin alfalfa flips the script on the old quality‑versus‑tonnage compromise and gives dairy producers real control over digestibility, timing, and ROI.Phil draws on decades as a dairy nutritionist to explain why alfalfa remains the backbone of high‑performing rations: digestible fiber, protein, palatability, and natural buffering that pair cleanly with corn silage. Then we get specific about the Harv...

A skilled, year-round workforce, volatile trade winds, and a surprising turn in nutrition policy: that’s the terrain U.S. dairy is navigating right now. We sit down with Gregg Doud, CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation and former U.S. ag negotiator, to map the levers that actually move the needle—from immigration reform that reflects 365‑day operations to trade strategies that depend on credible, USTR-sealed agreements.Doud breaks down why H‑2A misses the mark for dairy, how House Ag Chair G.T. Thompson is uniquely positioned to shepherd bipartisan labor solutions, and what it reall...

One sneeze at the barn door can ripple through an entire system. We sit down with Dr. Emily McDowell of Pipestone Veterinary Services to dig into one of the most fixable pathway in swine respiratory disease: human influenza spilling over into pigs. Rather than chasing every virus already circulating in herds, we focus on the front door—how people, air, and tools move—and show why simple, consistent controls can slash introductions and keep productivity steady.We break down the practical moves that work under real barn pressure. Think sick-day policies that don’t punish crews, quick sympto...

One sneeze at the barn door can ripple through an entire system. We sit down with Dr. Emily McDowell of Pipestone Veterinary Services to dig into one of the most fixable pathway in swine respiratory disease: human influenza spilling over into pigs. Rather than chasing every virus already circulating in herds, we focus on the front door—how people, air, and tools move—and show why simple, consistent controls can slash introductions and keep productivity steady.We break down the practical moves that work under real barn pressure. Think sick-day policies that don’t punish crews, quick sympto...

The age-old compromise between quality and yield in alfalfa production has frustrated dairy farmers for generations. Harvest too early and you sacrifice yield; harvest too late, and quality suffers, requiring expensive supplements for high-producing dairy cows. This dilemma has pushed farmers toward increasingly frequent cutting schedules just to maintain quality – until now.Dave Witte and Parker Heise from Forage Genetics International reveal how the revolutionary HarvXtra Alfalfa trait is fundamentally changing alfalfa management on dairy farms. This innovative technology reduces lignin content in the plant, dramatically increasing digestibility and creating unprecedented flexibility for producers. Farmers can now ch...

Trust lies at the heart of agricultural innovation's greatest challenge. While technology has transformed countless industries, many promising agricultural technologies hit a wall at the farm gate. Why? Because farmers and ranchers need more than just promises – they need evidence, support, and validation from trusted sources.Land O'Lakes has launched an ambitious solution to this persistent problem. Their new coalition, AgRogue Growth Partners brings together Radical Growth, six major retail partners, and Winfield United to create a powerful innovation platform. As Jason Trusley, Senior VP and Chief Strategy Officer at Land O'Lakes explains, this platform addresses a cr...

Agriculture needs new voices and perspectives, but how do you attract talented individuals who've never considered careers in the field? Ryan Locke, National President of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences), offers a compelling answer in this eye-opening conversation from this week's Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Nebraska.Locke reveals how MANRRS bridges the critical gap between agricultural opportunities and underrepresented groups, going beyond mere awareness to actively create employment pathways. What makes this organization truly unique is its lifetime membership model—starting with high school students and continuing through retirement—creating a self...

Facing the stark reality that roughly one-third of all pigs in commercial production never make it to market, the swine industry has mobilized an unprecedented collaborative effort to tackle mortality head-on. The Improving Pig Survivability Project represents a groundbreaking partnership between academic institutions and commercial producers, funded by the National Pork Board and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research.This comprehensive initiative has already yielded tangible results. Enhanced individual sow care protocols have reduced mortality by 2-3% on multiple farms. Researchers have identified effective strategies for addressing prolapse issues while also discovering which common practices—like ce...

Avian influenza has hit Hickman's Family Farm in Arizona, wiping out 6 million egg-laying hens and forcing hundreds of layoffs. But as Glenn Hickman and veterinarian Dr. Kay Russo reveal, this devastating loss might have been preventable.The current H5N1 virus has evolved in an unprecedented way, jumping from birds to dairy cattle and even back to poultry operations. This complex transmission pattern has created a perfect storm for egg producers, with 28 million of last year's 39 million layer hen losses directly linked to spillover from dairy infections. The result? Americans paid a staggering $11 billion in higher egg...

Feed milling dynamics might not sound like the most thrilling topic at first glance, but as Shawn Bradshaw of Adisseo reveals, it's at the heart of animal agriculture's future. What truly defines success in feed manufacturing? Bradshaw takes us beyond the obvious metrics of quality and consistency to explore the multifaceted nature of operational excellence. Safety rightfully claims the top spot, encompassing both product safety and employee wellbeing, followed by regulatory compliance and cost management. These costs extend beyond the visible expenses of energy and labor to include less quantifiable factors like material shrinkage through handling, moisture l...

Could something as seemingly simple as air quality management cut your PRRS outbreak risk in half? The latest research suggests exactly that – and it's changing how producers think about biosecurity investments.A groundbreaking study from the University of Minnesota has revealed that properly implemented air filtration systems reduce PRRS outbreak risks by 51-58% compared to non-filtered farms. This comprehensive research analyzed data from the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project, representing about 60% of US breeding herds over a 15+ year period. What makes this study particularly valuable is its consideration of both positive and negative pressure filtration systems, along wi...

Every summer, pig farmers face a frustrating reality: heat stress causes carcass weights to drop by 8-10 pounds precisely when market prices peak. But what if you could capture those lost pounds and the profits they represent?Dr. David Rosero of Iowa State University and Dr. Bart Borg of Passel Farms reveal game-changing strategies to combat the summer weight dip through strategic soybean meal utilization. Their research demonstrates that understanding the minimum effective levels of soybean meal for each growth phase can maximize pig performance even during challenging heat conditions. With current markets offering dollar-plus prices during...