If you have not heard about the Certified Swine Sampler Collector (CSSC) Training Program yet, you soon will. Many state veterinarians across the Hog Belt have already adopted the program and have begun planning on how to launch the CSSC program in their respective states to get more producers trained.

“We’re excited by the response that we’ve been getting across the country,” says Pam Zaabel, DVM, Director of Swine Health with the National Pork Board. “More states and swine veterinarians are seeing the value of what the training program could mean to their response time during a foreign animal disease crisis.”

The CSSC program, an industry-wide initiative jointly managed by the National Pork Board, the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, and Iowa State University, can help in a foreign animal disease response by increasing sample collection capacity by allowing the current on-farm labor force to be a critical asset in collecting samples correctly and submitting them to certified laboratories. The program also assures state and federal animal health officials that producers and caretakers have been trained prior to an outbreak through a standardized process to correctly collect, handle, and submit samples.

For USDA Category II accredited veterinarians with swine experience who wish to train individuals to become CSSCs, the first step is to contact the State Animal Health Officials in the state(s) where they plan to train or use CSSCs to confirm their eligibility to participate in the program and any additional requirements that exist. For more information and to access the training materials, go to securepork.org/cssc.

AgView adoption grows, new feature offers everyday utility

After more than a year since its release, AgView, the free online software platform for contact tracing of pigs, has gained acceptance by half of the nation’s state veterinarians and AgView accounts continue to grow among producers of all sizes. AgView was developed by the National Pork Board, using Checkoff funding, to promote business continuity and make disease traceback and pig movement data available to state animal health officials on day one of a foreign animal disease outbreak.

“We’re very pleased with how the first year of AgView adoption has gone, but we have much more to do to ensure all producers and veterinarians see the value of getting on board,” says Patrick Webb, DVM, Director of Swine Health at the National Pork Board.

The newest feature of AgView is called Account Management Partner (AMP). The AMP feature allows swine veterinarians to request permission from their existing clients who are using AgView to help them prepare for an African swine fever outbreak and leverage locations, movements, and lab data to better manage/treat/prevent/track existing endemic disease threats such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, influenza, porcine circovirus, etc.

To learn more about AgView, including AMP, please visit agview.com. For questions, please contact Dr Patrick Webb at pwebb@pork.org or call 515-223-3441.

Trackable manure management strategies can save farmers money

By using a free On-Farm Sustainability Report, courtesy of the Pork Checkoff, producers can now refine their nutrient management plan and evaluate how the report can set a baseline for their farms and bottom lines. According to the Sustainable Environmental Consultants, swine manure has an average nutrient (N, P, K) savings of $120/acre when applied at 4000 gallons/acre. 

On-Farm Sustainability Reports will help producers recognize key sustainability metrics on their operations. It will help track, measure, monitor, and report the sustainability story of each operation and the US pork industry. Complete the form found at porkcheckoff.org/sustainability to let us know you re interested in receiving a customized report for your farm.

For more information or if you have questions, contact Dr Brett Kaysen at bkaysen@pork.org or 515-223-3528.