Month: July 2017

Genetic Improvements Drive Success

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…

Preventing and Managing Heat Stress

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…

Antibiotic Resistance Myth Busters

Often we are so overwhelmed with information being shared – through main stream news, social media, and conversations with friends or co-workers.  It can be challenging to decipher what is true versus a myth.  As a veterinarian and mother of two young children, I recognize the importance of getting the facts about the food we…

Meet the Sturtevants

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…