Iowa is the #1 pork producing state in the United States with 21 million hogs and nearly one third of all U.S. hogs being raised in in our state. In 2013 hog farming alone represented some $7.5 billion in total economic activity for the state of Iowa.
The VDPAM Swine Team helps producers and veterinarians deal with animal health and production problems that they face on a daily basis. This assistance may range from telephone consultation to actual on-farm visits with members of our team. We also serve as the face of the College of Veterinary Medicine when working with various industry organizations, the ISU Extension Service, and the Iowa Pork Industry Center. Our involvement involves teaching, research, and service duties with the goal to provide veterinary students, practitioners, and producers with timely and accurate information that meets their animal health and educational needs.
The Swine Team has a wide array of expertise, areas of interest, and experience. Important disciplines such as epidemiology, biosecurity and risk assessment, diagnostic sampling and interpretation, pharmacology, zoonosis and public health, and swine production medicine can all be utilized to diagnose animal health problems and design cost-effective solutions to help improve the health and welfare of swine. The team works closely with our veterinary diagnostic laboratory, conducts practical research and is also capable of providing consultation on trial design and data analysis for field-based research protocols.