Spring has been stubborn this year. Much of the Midwest is still experiencing cool, wet weather with temperatures dipping below freezing at night. For many producers, dairy calving season is every day, so it’s important to stay vigilant with newborn dairy calves amid our fluctuating weather. Dr. Erika Nagorske, DVM with Four Star Veterinary Service in Chickasaw, Ohio, recently shared

PRRS, labor, sow housing and foreign animal disease top the list for this veterinarian who is also a pork producer Dr. Peter Schneider, veterinarian at Innovative Agriculture Solutions a partner of Four Star Veterinary Service, spoke to attendees at the Annual Four Star Pork Industry Conference held in Muncie, Indiana in September 2024. His family also owns a 1,200-sow farrow-to-finish

Quick tips for beef calving season  Erika Nagorske, DVM with Four Star Veterinary Service in Chickasaw, Ohio recently spoke to The Cattle Site’s Sarah Mikesell about challenges during beef calving season. Dr. Nagorske is based out of Rushmore, Minnesota. With calving season upon us, some producers may just be starting while others may be knee-deep into the season. It seems

If your calves are producing tears, that’s a good thing, according to Dr. Taylor Engle, veterinarian with Four Star Veterinary Service, Chickasaw, Ohio. All land mammals – including calves — have the ability to produce “reflex tears” to lubricate their eyes. So, if your calves are shedding tears, don’t cry. Those tears are actually a very helpful component of their

Rotavirus can create a missed opportunity for sow farmers Anthony Holowka, DVM with Four Star Veterinary Service in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, recently spoke to The Pig Site’s Sarah Mikesell to explain the clinical signs of rotavirus, how to treat rotavirus with natural planned exposure and a few lessons learned using natural planned exposure in the breeding herd. What is rotavirus? Rotavirus

What happens in the nursery is critical for post-weaning success Dr. Jason Woodworth, research professor at Kansas State University, spoke to attendees at the Annual Four Star Pork Industry Conference held in Muncie, Indiana in September 2024. His message focused on getting pigs off to a strong start in the nursery and setting them up for success post-weaning.   Preweaning

Grain supply side macroeconomics are shifting Brian Burke, president of John Stewart & Associates, spoke to attendees at the Annual Four Star Pork Industry Conference held in Muncie, Indiana in September 2024. Burke consults and advises managers on commodity risk across the wide variety of agricultural businesses. John Stewart and Associates works with grain elevators, livestock operations, feed operations, biofuels and plants

Tim Burnside, swine farm manager at I & S Furrer Farms in Wolcott, Indiana, spoke at the Four Star Veterinary Service Pork Industry Conference in Muncie, Indiana, to share his experience as a swine farm manager.   Tell us about I & S Furrer Farms. We have about 1,800 sows and are a farrow-to-finish operation with three finishing facilities. At

More and more small and medium sized farmers are transitioning from bull breeding to embryo transfer to step up their genetics and compete with larger farms Dr. Aaron Lorenz, veterinarian with Four Star Veterinary Service, recently spoke to Global Ag Media’s Sarah Mikesell in Muncie, Indiana, at the Four Star Veterinary Pork Industry Conference about the industry’s transition to embryo

How to keep baby pigs alive while making them bulletproof Dr. Larry Coleman, veterinarian, spoke to attendees at the Annual Four Star Pork Industry Conference held in Muncie, Indiana in September 2024. His message focused on the four key steps that are needed to improve newborn piglet survivability while setting them up for success for the next six months.  

Have you ever had a disease pop up and you’re 99% confident that you know what it is only to have diagnostics come back and tell you you’re wrong? Becca Riggs, DVM with Four Star Veterinary Service in Rushville, Indiana, had this experience recently with what turned out to be an unusual presentation of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. Dr. Riggs recently spoke

Swine health is critical to ensuring a quality, nutritious product for domestic and international consumers of US pork. While monitoring a swine herd for domestic diseases is part of a farm’s daily routine, foreign animal diseases (FADs) like African swine fever (ASF), classical swine fever (CSF) and foot and mouth disease (FMD) tend to take a back seat. Part of