Swine & U

America’s swine health study census has taken place in agriculture since 1983. It has a tremendous impact on perspectives of livestock health in the United States. Conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture, this study takes an indepth look at livestock operations, their management and their health. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service oversees the National Animal Health Monitoring System. NAHMS works with the National Agriculture Statistics Service to collect the data and evaluate it.

The National Animal Health Monitoring System

NAHMS was formed to collect, analyze, and disseminate data on animal health, management and productivity across the United States. The NAHMS team conducts national studies on the health and health management of U.S. livestock populations. U.S. livestock commodity groups, along with the people who work within the industries, use the NAHMS information to meet their information needs.

NAHMS teams conduct species studies on a rotating schedule. They first collected swine data in 1990, followed by studies again in 1995, 2000, 2006, and 2012. In 2007 they collected information about swine raised in small-scale operations. In the years between these swine studies, they are learning more about health management in dairy, beef, sheep, equine, goats, bison, cervids and aquaculture. Each species is on a rotating schedule which implements a study every five to six years on average.

Data collected from previous swine studies can easily be found on the internet at the NAHMS website. The NAHMS Swine Studies website contains data from all previous NAHMS swine studies, and tremendous information which has been analyzed and distilled to illustrate changes in the swine industry from study to study. Data collected in these studies is strictly confidential and used to generate scientifically based and statistically valid national estimates which can be used for education, research and policy development.

NAHMS Swine in 2021

The 2021 NAHMS Swine Study was originally scheduled for launch in the summer of 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic and its affiliated effects on the US pork industry necessitated postponement of the study to summer of 2021. In preparation for the study launch, USDA-APHIS has been sending out announcements, collaborating with state Departments of Agriculture and university Extension programs to get the word out.

The actual swine study will be conducted in three phases from July 2021 through January 2022. In June 2021, selected producers will be mailed a letter describing the study and be provide a questionnaire to be completed and returned. Selected producers who do not respond will be called by a NASS representative to arrange a convenient time to complete the questionnaire via telephone interview. Participation in the study is voluntary and confidential. The privacy of every participant is protected, and only those people collecting study data know the identity of respondents. No name or contact information will ever be associated with individual data, and no data will ever be reported in a way that could reveal the identity of a participant. After the survey is complete, data are presented only in an aggregate or summary manner.

Not a “one size fits all” kind of study

The 2021 NAHMS Swine Study has been developed to address two specific types of pig farms. Divided into the “Small Enterprise Study” and the “Large Enterprise Study” the two will collect different types of information based on the size of the operation.

Small Enterprise Study — In contrast, this study will collect data from swine operations with fewer than 1000 pigs. The NAHMS team hopes to learn more about the swine health and management practices used on these farms and the alternative marketing strategies they implement.

Small enterprise swine production is a growing sector of the U.S. swine industry because it’s a primary supplier of many niche-market products. This industry segment is very diverse, and the study hopes to learn more about small-farm health and production practices, animal movement and mortality on small pig farms, and contrast the differences between small and large pig operations.

For the small swine enterprise study, 5,000 swine operations from 38 states will be asked to participate. Interestingly, these 38 states account for 95 percent of the U.S. pig farms with fewer than 1,000 pigs. North Dakota, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii, and six small urban states in the northeastern United States are the states who do not have a large population of small enterprise swine farms.

Large Enterprise Study — This survey will take an in-depth look at U.S. swine operations with 1,000 or more pigs. Approximately 2,700 swine farms will be selected from 13 states. These states, Minnesota, Iowa, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma represent 90 percent of the U.S. hog operations with 1,000 or more pigs.

The objectives of this large study were developed through discussion and surveys within the swine industry, including focus groups populated with representatives from the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council, and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians. Much of the information collected in this survey will assist the industry in disease management and preparedness strategies to protect the swine industry.

This study of large pig farms will describe current U.S. swine production practices related to housing, productivity, biosecurity, and morbidity and mortality prevention. The study will help determine the producer-reported prevalence of select pathogens in weaned market pigs; and describe antimicrobial stewardship and use patterns. The study will also evaluate the presence of select economically important pathogens and characterize isolated organisms from biological specimens.

Epidemiologist Charles Haley of USDA-APHIS recently discussed the upcoming swine health study and its value to producers and researchers during a University of Minnesota Extension swine podcast with Extension Educators Sarah Schieck Boelke and Diane DeWitte. He emphasized the important medical information which can be gathered from large swine producers across the country. “In addition to combating misinformation, the large enterprise study is useful in resource planning should the worst happen, so that USDA knows what’s out there and can plan for allocating resources in the event of a large disease outbreak.”

Haley also spent time discussing the important details of small-farm or niche-marketed pig farm data which USDA hopes to collect this summer. “Previously we called swine producers ‘small’ when they were less than 100; but it was suggested to us that a better representative inventory would be less than 1,000”. Haley shared the small enterprise study will help identify niche marketing pig farmers and learn what specific or even older-style health challenges these producers face.

Why should selected producers participate?

Producers who are selected to participate in the 2021 NAHMS swine study can benefit the swine industry in many ways. The study will provide transparent, credible information on industry practices which will help counter misinformation. It will assist the U.S. swine industry to understand disease preparedness strengths and vulnerabilities; as well as help policymakers and industry stakeholders make science-based decisions. The study will pro-

UniversityofMinnesota EXTENSION SWINE&U

SWINE & U By Diane DeWitte

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MIELKE, from pg. 11

new record high, besting the previous high-water mark in June of last year by 4.4 million pounds. Nonfat dry milk exports in April of 173.1 million pounds were also a record for the month, up 15.5 percent from last year.”

“The U.S. Census Department reported that combined spending on food at retail and foodservice establishments of $139.2 billion in May was up 25.7 percent from last year and for both April and May, food spending increased 10 percent over 2019’s prepandemic levels,” according to the Margin Watch.

“Corn and soybean meal have come under significant pressure recently as updated forecasts are for moderate temperatures and suggest more rain for the Corn Belt,” the Margin Watch concluded. Producers are encouraged to “evaluate strategic adjustments on existing positions to strengthen feed hedges while allowing for more upside flexibility on milk hedges following the recent sharp drop in prices.” n

China continues to drive international dairy markets. May imports were the largest, topping a year ago from New Zealand in the form of whole milk powder and fluid milk and cream from Germany, according to HighGround Dairy.

China’s whole milk powder imports totaled 163.9 million pounds or 71.8 percent from a year ago and up 22.4 percent year-to-date. Imports from New Zealand were the highest May on record, says HighGround Dairy, followed by Uruguay and from Turkey for the first time ever.

Fluid milk and cream imports continue to be offthe-chart strong, says HighGround Dairy, and reached a fresh record high in May with Germany becoming the top supplier and outpacing New Zealand. Skim milk power totaled 94 million pounds, up 110 percent, and whey imports, at 161.8 million pounds, were up 39.9 percent, with year-todate up 56 percent.

Demand for finished goods was also strong. Cheese imports totaled 36.1 million pounds, up 180.2 percent, with year-to-date up 66.4 percent. New Zealand’s market share jumped to 51 percent and cheese from the EU reached a record high, up 206 percent, most coming from Denmark, according to HighGround Dairy.

Butter imports amounted to 22.9 million pounds, up 129.1 percent, with year-to-date up 15 percent. n

The USDA announced the July Federal order Class I base milk price at $17.42 per hundredweight, down 87 cents from June, 86 cents above July 2020, and the highest July Class I since 2014. It equates to about $1.50 per gallon, down 7 cents from June. The seven month Class I average stands at $16.31, up from $15.94 a year ago and $16.12 in 2019.

Chicago Mercantile Exchange dairy traders had to weigh data from the May Milk Production and Cold Storage reports plus the weather as the end of June Dairy Month approached. The cheddar blocks started the week falling to $1.4725 per pound but closed June 25 at $1.49, down a quarter-cent on the week and $1.085 below a year ago.

After plunging 13 cents the previous week, the barrels rolled to $1.47 per pound on June 22 (the lowest since March 26), climbed back to $1.50 on June 24, but also finished the next day at $1.49. This is down 5.25 cents on the week and 91 cents below a year ago. There were four sales of block reported on the week and 24 of barrel.

Any expectations of lighter milk supplies in the Midwest due to the heat are yet to be met, says Dairy Market News. Cheesemakers reported even steeper discounts on spot milk this week. Cheese output is active but demand is mixed. Cheese inventories are growing as buyers “see the near-term writing on the wall, as market prices continue to struggle,” says Dairy Market News, but the restoration of the block-over-barrel price is viewed as an indicator of stability.

Demand for cheese in the west was steady to lower across both food service and retail markets. Contacts reported that pricing remains favorable in international markets. Milk is plentiful in the region, allowing producers to run full schedules, but delays in transportation due to a shortage of truck drivers is, reportedly, causing warehouse inventories to build.

n Spot butter fell to a June 25 close at $1.7175 per pound. This is 6.75 cents lower on the week and 4.75 cents below a year ago, with 14 cars exchanging hands. Central butter production remains steady though cream availability is spottier and Western cream availability is tightening quite quickly, according to some. Retail sales are in their early summer lull, but food service interest remains steady. Cream is available in the west. Ice cream production is flat to strong but butter plants are receiving steady supplies of cream. Butter output is seasonally active. Some report that supply chain issues are driving up prices of packaging items, like boxes and bags. Butter makers are not happy absorbing the extra costs but the supply chain snags are not

See MIELKE, pg. 16

Project to measure the cost or benefit of conservation practices

Three Stearns County dairy farmers have experienced improved environmental impacts and lower financial costs while implementing conservation practices on their farms. Steve Schlangen, Tim Kerfeld, and Tom Gregory grow crops and milk cows on their farms in central Minnesota and a recent report showcases their data.

All three farmers are part of a Return-onInvestment study led by the Headwaters Agriculture Sustainability Partnership to explore the connections between conservation practices and profitability. Each farmer has been analyzing different costs and revenue for their farms with instructors through the Farm Business Management program. They also worked with Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation District to track the environmental benefits of the practices they use.

All three farmers are motivated to improve water quality and ensure that their land is healthy when they pass it on to their children. They are all optimistic that conservation practices are a sound approach to maintain their livelihood which is dependent on rich, fertile soils. “I think conservation is important because we want our land to be here for the next generation,” shares Steve Schlangen. “We raise our family on this farm, and we want to make sure the water is safe to drink and that the water going downstream is as clean as possible. We try to do practices that improve all that.”

Each farmer continues to explore new practices — such as buffer strips, cover crops, and manure stacking slabs — using data in their decision-making about what to try. “If you’re not changing with the times, you’re sitting still,” says Tim Kerfeld. “And nowadays, you have to keep moving.”

On average, the three farmers in this study had greater environmental and financial performance compared to regional benchmarks. The recently released report analyzed financial and environmental data from the 2019 and 2020 growing seasons. Averaged across crop enterprises, farmers had a 21 percent higher gross return as well as 23 percent higher crop yield, with 12 percent lower production costs. Farmers built soil carbon and had 79 percent less soil erosion compared to regional benchmarks.

The farmers suggest testing new practices on a small piece of land and talking with neighbors already employing these practices to learn more. Finding a trusted specialist or farmer is the best way to learn about new practices and determine what might work for your operation. “I don’t see different types of conservation practices coming to an end,” says Steve Schlangen. “I think there are always ways that we can improve, and I think that as farmers we need to keep improving, not just to protect the environment but to protect our bottom line and stay in business.”

This project continues this summer and is scalable depending on availability of future funding.

This article was submitted by the Headwaters Agriculture Sustainability Partnership. v