Farmscape News

Ohio State University Research Sheds Light on Rotaviruses A and C Impact on Suckling and Weaned Pigs

Dr. Lisa Becton - Swine Health Information Center — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for April 14, 2026

Research conducted by Ohio State University is shedding new light on the impact of Rotaviruses A and C on the health and productivity of suckling and newly weaned pigs.
Rotaviruses A and C are common causes of diarrhea in suckling and weaned pigs.
A Swine Health Information Center funded study conducted by Ohio State University looked at the detection of Rotavirus A and C in suckling and weaned pigs and their contribution to swine respiratory disease.
SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says researchers wanted to evaluate nasal and fecal RNA for Rotavirus A and C and also determine whether that can be associated with respiratory disease.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:
How they did this, they performed a cross-sectional study on six swine farms taking multiple samples from suckling and weaned pigs and looked at animals that were healthy, experiencing diarrhea or showed respiratory signs.
They also wanted to be understand what was happening with pigs that died of undefined causes at any of those research farms to determine if Rotavirus was present in different organs including the respiratory tract.
Results overall demonstrated that Rotavirus A and C were present on all six farms.
The prevalence of different Rotaviruses did vary greatly between farms but overall, 88 and 29 percent of piglets were positive for Rotaviruses A and C respectively.
Consistent with prior research, the highest Rotavirus A prevalence enviroloads were found in diarrhetic pigs that were on farm.
However, suckling pigs with respiratory signs only showed from farm six and diarrhetic suckling pigs from farm five also had increased Rotavirus A loads.

Dr. Becton says this information can be used by producers, veterinarians and even other researchers to understand the changes that may be occurring in these clinical presentations with the goal being to reduce the impact of the virus on these young pigs.
Details on this study can be found in SHIC's February 2026 eNewsletter.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Public Awareness of Dangers Posed by Eurasian Wild Boar Continues to Build

Dr. Wayne Lees - Squeal on Pigs Manitoba — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for April 13, 2026

The coordinator of Squeal on Pigs Manitoba reports public awareness of the damage that can be caused by wild pigs and the risk they pose to domestic pork production continues to build.
Last year 206 wild pigs were trapped and removed from the Manitoba landscape.
Dr. Wayne Lees, the coordinator of Squeal on Pigs Manitoba, says there are many reasons we don't want wild pigs, specifically Eurasian wild boar, running loose including the damage they cause to the environment and to crops, their impact on native wildlife as well as their potential to spread disease.

Quote-Dr. Wayne Lees-Squeal on Pigs Manitoba:
Generally speaking, most folks are aware of the wild pig control efforts and we've been pretty active in getting out to various venues, meetings conferences, news reports and trying to spread the message that these wild pigs don't belong here.
They're an invasive animal and, if folks report sightings, then we will collaborate with land owners and help to get rid of them for them.
We continue to get really good collaboration from the public on reporting sightings of wild pigs.
That's one of the first ways that we learn where wild pigs are in the environment so that's a really important part.
They've reported pigs through our web site, which is www.squealonpigsmb.org or through our toll-free number which is 1 833 SPOT-PIG.

Dr. Lees says the message has reached a fairly large audience.
He says you can obviously never reach 100 percent of the people but public awareness is actually fairly high.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Farm Groups Encouraged to Work Together to Dispel Misinformation About Food

Dorothy Long - CanadianFoodFocus.org — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for April 10, 2026

The Managing Director of Canadian Food Focus says it's important for all segments of agriculture to work together to help dispel the increasing amount of misinformation circulating through social media about food.
Canadian Food Focus, located at canadianfoodfocus.org, is a national not for profit organization committed to providing consumer education and delivering science-based information to help Canadians understand where their food comes from and how it's grown and raised.
Dorothy Long, the Managing Director of Canadian Food Focus, says the site leads with food and not necessarily with farming because, when consumers are thinking about agriculture, they're really thinking about their food.

Quote- Dorothy Long-Canadian Food Focus:
The level of online misinformation about food and farming, especially around topics of nutrition, sustainability, animal care has really exploded on line and continues to grow and grow.
If agriculture is not present on those platforms and not showing up with practical relatable content then somebody else is going to fill that gap.
I would say from a farmer's perspective there's a lot on the line.
Public trust affects policy; it affects markets and ultimately their license to farm.
So, we really felt that we needed that sustained ongoing credible voice that lives where consumers can find the information that is relatable to them.
I think there's lots of commodity groups and companies doing good work in this area but consumers don't necessarily experience the food system in a silo so that's where Canadian Food Focus lets the sector come together and speak with a more unified voice about the whole food system, about the whole plate and not just one ingredient or issue.

Long notes all of the site's content is science based, it's developed and reviewed by subject matter experts and it’s presented in plain consumer friendly language.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Governments Urged to Prioritise Renegotiation of CUSMA

Cam Dahl - Manitoba Pork — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for April 9, 2026

The General Manager of Manitoba Pork suggests the renewal of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement needs to be the number one priority of governments in Canada from coast to coast.
The first mandatory joint review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement officially starts July 1st.
An article circulated through Manitoba community newspapers and posted to the Manitoba Pork web site looks at the challenges facing agriculture and issues "A Call to Leadership."
Cam Dahl, the General Manager of Manitoba Pork, suggests, while it is important to focus on having more value-added processing here at home and diversifying our export markets, we can't forget about our closest and largest export market.

Quote-Cam Dahl-Manitoba Pork:
The U.S. is our largest market for Canada in almost everything.
We do need to look at diversification; we do need to look at other markets but that proximity of our North American partner isn't going to charge and so it's absolutely critical that the renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement be the number one priority of governments from coast to coast.
If we can come out of the review and the renegotiation with most of that agreement still intact and continue to move agriculture and food products across North American in an integrated way, that will help insulate us from that instability.
The flip side of this is, if we come out of this with the United States withdrawing from the agreement or with tariffs on agriculture and food products that is going to have a significant economy on farmers from coast to coast.

Dahl notes all one has to do is look at the price of gas today and then think about how food gets to the grocery store to recognize the impact that the increase in the cost of energy is going to have on the cost of farm inputs, the cost of running processing plants and the cost of food.
Dahl's article can be accessed at manitobapork.com.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Increased Fuel Prices Resulting from Middle East Conflict Expected to Disrupt Feed Grain Markets

Dr. Al Mussell - Agri-Food Economic Systems — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for April 8, 2026

The Research Lead with Agri-Food Economic Systems warns the increased use of biofuels to augment fossil fuel supplies in response to the conflict in the Middle East could end up being highly disruptive to feedstuff and feed grain markets.
Agri-Food Economic Systems has released an Independent Agri-Food Policy Note which examines the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on energy and food and the resulting adjustments that will need to occur.
Agri-Food Economic Systems Research Lead and the author of the Agri-Food Policy Note Dr. Al Mussell observes the war in the Middle East is generating a cascading disruption in both energy and food.

Quote-Dr. Al Mussell-Agri-Food Economic Systems:
Fundamentally agriculture and food are affected by conflict differently than any other segment of the economy and we needed to understand that.
Fuel is quite a bit more expensive in short order and, when you affect the prices of your energy complex, you affect the petrochemical complex which is manifest in particularly your nitrogen fertilizers, it's going to get into pesticides and that's above and beyond transportation costs of all of the various inputs and outputs that farmers and consumers are involved with so there's all of that.
But what I think you could easily miss is that, when you're talking about hydrocarbons, the fossil fuel complex, and in agriculture we deal with carbohydrates.
If they sound like similar words, they are.
They're both calories.
We transform one into the other on a regular basis, all the time in fact, so you can't have a crisis in hydrocarbons and not have a crisis in carbohydrates.
It could be a little delayed but this will come around and that's the worry that we have now.

Dr. Mussell suggests, as biofuels are be called upon to augment fossil fuel supplies, we will need to figure out how to facilitate investment and growth into declining a fossil fuel market.
He says this could end up being highly disruptive in feedstuff and feed grain markets and could spill over into long term adjustments.
The Independent Agri-Food Policy Note can be accessed at agrifoodecon.ca.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Manitoba Pork Issues A Call to Canada's Agricultural Leadership

Cam Dahl - Manitoba Pork — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for April 7, 2026

The General Manager of Manitoba Pork is calling on Canada's agricultural leadership to take the lead in formulating strategies to protect the Canadian economy.
An article circulated through Manitoba community newspapers and posted to the Manitoba Pork web site examines the challenges facing agriculture and issues "A Call to Leadership."
Manitoba Pork General Manager Cam Dahl says war has triggered supply chain disruptions and is pushing up input costs while the review of the Canada U.S. Mexico Agreement, the threat of U.S. tariffs, Chinese tariffs on pork and Europe's non-tariff trade barriers threaten the Canadian economy.

Quote-Cam Dahl-Manitoba Pork:
We’re seeing greater uncertainty in what the world is going to look like six months from now in terms of trade and that's where it comes to the importance of being able to insulate not just agriculture, not just the pork sector but the Canadian economy from those impacts.
That means having more value-added processing here at home.
That means looking to diversify our export markets and agriculture can help drive some of that change and really be a greater driver of the Canadian economy.
First and foremost, agriculture leaders, whether that's the associations or farm groups or our processing and input companies, our technology companies, agriculture in general needs to take the lead.
We need to go to our governments and say this is what we're going to do.
This is how we're going to accomplish our goals of trade diversification, this is how we can accomplish our goals of increasing rural employment, this is how we're going to accomplish our goals of increased value added processing and present governments with common solutions that cross the industry rather than having a set of solutions for the pork sector and a set of solutions for the canola sector and a set of solutions for the cattle sector.
We need to have a set of solutions for agriculture in general and that requires significant leadership on behalf of the industry.

Dahl says the instability in geopolitics and world trade is a significant threat but it's also a significant opportunity for agriculture to collectively lead the way in providing solutions to the Canadian economy.
His article can be accessed at manitobapork.com.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

Purdue University Develops Diagnostic Test to Detect Multiple Pathogens that Cause Swine Respiratory Infections

Dr. Lisa Becton - Swine Health Information Center — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for April 2, 2026

Researchers with Purdue University have developed a diagnostic test that can detect multiple pathogens that can cause swine respiratory infections.
Researchers with Purdue University, with funding provided by the Swine Health Information Center, have developed a targeted next-generation sequencing panel to detect and differentiate multiple viral and bacterial pathogens responsible for respiratory disease in swine.
SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says the panel uses a parallel sequencing technology that allows for simultaneous sequencing of large numbers of nucleic acid fragments originating from both the host and the pathogen.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:
The intent of this different test is to be able to perform one single test to determine the pathogen profile in a diagnostic sample.
And this can also help to potentially detect emerging or unknow pathogens.
The pathogens include, but are not limited to, PRRS, Influenza A virus, PCV 2 and 3, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Strep suis, Glaesserella parasuis and APP.
Overall, there was approximately 25 different pathogens targeted.
It's also intended to guide treatment decisions, especially if you have bacterial coinfections, guide the interventions and decrease the reliance on sequential or repeated testing.
Most of the time these different pathogens require singular and different tests to get a full diagnosis and that can vary between both bacterial and viral pathogens.
One of the challenges that we do face in swine medicine is that coinfections can commonly occur and that makes diagnosis a challenge.
Having a test that be performed in one go or with one sample that can detect multiple pathogens at one time would be advantageous to determine what is causing a problem.

Dr. Becton says the next generation sequencing assay can detect multiple pathogens in one test.
The report on this work is available through SHIC's March eNewsletter at swinehealth.org.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

ASF in Wild Boar in Spain Heightens Urgency of Eradiating Wild Pigs from Manitoba

Dr. Wayne Lees - Squeal on Pigs Manitoba — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for April 1, 2026

The coordinator of Squeal on Pigs Manitoba says the identification of African Swine Fever in wild boar in Spain has heightened the urgency of eradiating wild pigs in Manitoba.
African Swine Fever was confirmed in wild boar in Spain in late November ending over 30 years of Spain being ASF-free although the virus has not infected domestic pigs.
Dr. Wayne Lees, the coordinator of Squeal on Pigs Manitoba, says because wild boar can be carriers of the disease the identitarian of African Swine Fever in wild boar in Spain has really put a focus on how ASF could impact Manitoba if it was ever introduced and is a very significant influencer on the urgency of removing wild pigs.

Quote-Dr. Wayne Lees-Squeal on Pigs Manitoba:
We've had really good support from the provincial government, from the federal government and from Manitoba Pork Council in our efforts in trying to ramp up our ability to find out where the pigs are and find out how best to trap them.
The issue in Spain is that wild boar are a native species there.
They actually have a population that is indigenous there and it becomes very difficult to try to track down all of these animals.
I was looking at the estimated density of wild boar in Spain and I was astounded because their density of wild boar is at least 10 times what we expect our most highly dense area is in the Spruce Woods area.
So, the situation in Canada is very different from the situation in Spain but we can certainly learn from their efforts as to how they're going about to control the populations.

Dr. Lees notes 206 wild pigs were trapped and removed from the Manitoba landscape last year and, when those pigs are removed, they are tested for African Swine Fever helping to the world that we don't have that disease.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers

SHIC Renews Funding for Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project

Dr. Lisa Becton - Swine Health Information Center — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Farmscape for March 31, 2026

The Swine Health Information Center has renewed its support for the University of Minnesota’s Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project.
After reviewing the 2025 accomplishments of the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project and its proposed 2026 objectives, the Swine Health Information Center Board of Directors has renewed its funding for 2026.
SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton says it's a voluntary long-term project representing at least 30 different production systems designed to monitor swine health related to several major pathogens.

Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center:
It really is important to be able to monitor any of these disease trends and that’s for several reasons.
First, we want to be able to identify what diseases are happening and when and are they consistent in their presentation?
Because secondly, if we aren't monitoring then we would not know if a disease presentation changes.
So, we've got to be able to identify when a disease changes in activity or in severity to be able to dig deeper and find out what's happening and then be able to respond accordingly.
The goal really is to reduce that negative impact to producers and be able to protect their pigs from future problems.
Really, the main priorities are the voluntary submission of herd health status for different production systems.
This includes PRRS and PED, Porcine deltacoronavirus and Seneca A virus.
It also tracks the disease trends and monitors for different emerging pathogen activity.
It is also important because it extends through different research projects doing further investigation into some of these changing trends which augments the results and responses that can be submitted to producers to help them understand how to better protect their herd health.

Dr. Becton says the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project is an essential component of SHIC's mission, to monitor and mitigate emerging disease pathogens.
She says being able to monitor these different swine health challenges and the trends that occur in production over time is very powerful and beneficial for producers.
For more visit Farmscape.Ca.
Bruce Cochrane.

*Farmscape is produced on behalf of North America’s pork producers