The main live hog market in the U.S. is the lean hog market. Slaughter facilities for these hogs are located predominantly in pig-dense regions, and 95% of the animals are moved directly from farm of origin to a slaughter facility. In contrast, cull sows are gathered through a network of local collection points over a […]
Guest host Dr. Suzanna Storms talks about her and Dr. Lowe’s research detecting COVID in meat packing plants in the first year of the pandemic. Learn more about their process, and what the data they collected suggests about COVID transmission.
Ukraine is one of the world’s top producers of wheat, and the war is going to have ripple effects all over the world. In this week’s episode of The Round Barn podcast, Drs. Ashley Mitek and Jim Lowe talk about the tangled web of the international commodities market – how the grain shortage will affect […]
A man received a pig’s heart. What does that mean for the future of medicine? Dr. Jim Lowe explains how this was made possible with current technology and discusses with Dr. Ashley Mitek the future medical and ethical implications of genetically altering animals in this recent episode of the Round Barn podcast.
If you’ve been in a U.S. grocery store lately, you’ve probably noticed your grocery bill has increased significantly. “Food supply is an incredibly complicated logistical process,” states Dr. Jim Lowe as he unpacks how the food supply chain, supply and demand, and changes in our behavior are affecting retail prices. If you want to know why […]
In this week’s episode of The Round Barn podcast, Dr. Ashley Mitek and Dr. Jim Lowe talk about the Omicron variant, and what it could mean for COVID and humans going forward. Dr. Lowe digs into his animal infectious disease background to explain why this virus keeps mutating; why vaccines for it might need semi-annual boosters, […]
“Uncured is a fascinating word on food labels as there is no legal definition or clarity around what it means” Dr. Lowe states as he explains to Dr. Ashley Mitek the truth behind misleading food labels in this recent episode of the Round Barn podcast. Dr. Lowe shares the different processes of meat curing.
Rabies is a horrible viral disease that affects the neurological system. Through the help of the legally required canine rabies vaccine in the US, cases of humans infected with rabies is lower than other parts of the world. African Swine Fever (ASF) is the world’s oldest virus which is deadly for pigs and can be […]
In this week’s episode of The Round Barn, Dr. Jim Lowe and Dr. Ashley Mitek discuss African swine Fever (ASF) – how it evolved, what it means for the swine industry, where it’s spreading, and how that spread can and can’t be affected by human intervention. ASF is an extremely contagious viral disease. You won’t […]
With companion animal extension veterinarian Dr. Ashley Mitek and ASF expert Dr. Jim Lowe Each year about 1 million dogs arrive in the U.S., imported from other countries, according to 2019 estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although more recent data are not available, it’s likely that even more dogs entered the […]