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The science, research, and innovation that go into producing a pork pound are incredible. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to continue this role as editor of Farm Journal's PORK newspaper. I'm not sure there is a bigger group of minds in agriculture than the players in the American pork industry. And simply, there is no better job than this one to discover what motivates these leaders and take advantage of their knowledge.
Every day, I speak with extraordinary people who relentlessly pursue excellence, not only for the good of their society, but also for global pork production. I just spoke on the phone with Paul Sundberg, executive director of the Center for Information on Pork Health (SHIC). We visited the SHIC work program for 2019. If you do not look at the research projects they have planned, check it out.
A reason to celebrate
As he thinks of the coming year, he is full of reasons to be optimistic and be careful. Sundberg says he's hoping for the best and anticipates the worst. He is eager to discover new opportunities to badyze large datasets to advance the health of hogs.
"I am delighted to be able to provide producers with information as quickly as possible to help them on their farms," Sundberg said.
Over the last two years, Sundberg and others have sought to standardize how major veterinary diagnostic laboratories catalog and report test results. SHIC can now take information from diagnostic laboratories and research regional trends and disease fusion almost in real time, he says.
"If a disease appears in Georgia and it is sent to laboratory A for badysis while the same disease appears in Pennsylvania and is reported in laboratory B, we can now look at what is happening across the country to determine if there are trends or problems that arise, "says Sundberg.
Think globally act locally
When I asked Sundberg what had pissed him off this year, he could not deny that African swine fever (ASF) kept him awake at night.
"Recently we have heard a lot about how ASF is getting under control from China through official channels," Sundberg said. "According to unofficial information from experienced people in this country, this virus is under-reported, continues to circulate and has a significant impact on China."
Sundberg says he is mistaken on the side of people with field experience right now. The pressure this exerts on the American pork industry is not to be rejected.
"I do not see the pressure of the FAA diminishing at all," he says. "The global market is only reinforcing this pressure whenever a virus is spreading rapidly in other parts of the world. My key message for producers is to think globally and act locally. You can look at what's going on globally, but the best way to prevent the introduction of diseases here in the United States is to act locally. Make biosecurity a priority of your farm every day. This is the most important thing we can do. "
After a few weeks of traveling to the Midwest and catching up with producers, opinion leaders and business owners, I am more than ever convinced that our industry will continue to rise to the challenge of producing the best product. possible despite the difficult circumstances will inevitably come our way.
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