The last two years of the Coronavirus pandemic offers a glimpse into the challenges pig farmers have faced for decades. While the world is struggling to cope with one virus and its variants, pig farmers routinely deal with multiple viruses and diseases (ie. PRRS, african swine fever, foot and mouth disease) and need to prepare for them. In addition to treating their pigs if they get sick (and perhaps even more importantly) pig producers must figure out how to prevent infection from getting to their pigs in the first place. The foundation of any good “prevention strategy” starts with having sound biosecurity policy. This goes beyond tracking workers and visitors to make sure they don’t bring viruses into the farm—it also means making sure barns and equipment can be effectively cleaned inbetween herds to keep sickness out.
That’s why, in recent years, Crystal Spring has been focused on engineering innovative equipment to aid farmers in their biosecurity.
For example, in response to the PEDv outbreak, we redesigned the feed shelf in our Finishing and Wean-to-Finish Wet/Dry Feeders (for the first time in 20 years!) to ensure our feeders could be completely cleaned between herds. We also developed a simple tip-out option in our S2-Series Lactation/Farrowing feeders to facilitate sterilization between litters. Another good example of how we’re responding to biosecurity risks and challenges is the way we continue to engineer simple solutions like our Freedom Stall™ Free-Access stall. Not only does its simple design minimize wear and maintenance, it also reduces the number of areas in the equipment for viruses to hide while being cleaned.
In the end, today’s pig farmer needs to look at biosecurity from a holistic point of view—to consider prevention in addition to treatment. There are a lot of resources available today to help them do biosecurity better with just a Google search. However, we would also encourage them to look for equipment suppliers who understand their biosecurity challenges and offer solutions to help overcome them.
Want to know more about how our products and solutions can help you improve your biosecurity? Contact our team at info@cshe.com, WhatsApp/Phone +1 (402) 227-8228. Visit our website at www.crystalspring.com to find your local authorized dealer or to get detailed information about our product line.
