From the Executive
Director
 Roots
When I was writing this message in July, the numerous county 4-H
fairs in Iowa were just starting. Both of my children have shown
lambs for the last few years and have enjoyed the experience
greatly. One thing different this year is the fact that my son is
showing pigs for the first time. As a former 4-H member and as a
parent, I have enjoyed the opportunity to revisit my roots.
One of the drawbacks of working for AASV is that the job has
removed me from regular contact with pigs. Having pigs on our farm
and guiding my novice son through the process of raising pigs has
allowed me to get back in touch with the everyday care and keeping
of pigs. Admittedly, raising five pigs does not compare to the
millions of pigs in the care of AASV members. What those five pigs
did do was allow me some introspection into the importance of
individual animal care.
One of the challenges of modern pork production is the balancing
of individual animal care with population medicine. Swine
veterinarians often deal with large populations of pigs. Health
concerns can be spread across thousands of pigs. Necessity and
efficiency requires a population approach to prevention, control,
and treatment of disease. This is sound medicine supported by
research and common sense. The challenge arises when we try to
explain population medicine to the public.
Much of the public still perceives veterinarians as care givers
to individual animals. It is what they experience as pet owners or
when they read about Dr James Herriott. It is difficult to
reconcile that perception with the fact that swine veterinarians
care for large populations. There is nothing “warm and
fuzzy” about population medicine. The animal-rights activists
and those opposed to animal agriculture have jumped on this issue
with abandon. They equate large populations with
“industrialized” production and then demonize it as less
humane. Their twisted logic makes it seem that because
veterinarians provide care for large populations of pigs, we can
not possibly understand the needs of the individual. This portrayal
is far from the truth, but unfortunately it persists.
Part of the problem is that veterinarians have not paid much
attention to accurately portraying swine medicine as a balance
between care for the individual animal and for the population. We
may have even drifted into thinking that individual animal care is
not as important as it once was. Regardless of our mindset, we must
be cognizant that swine medicine still has an important
individual-animal component. We must be able to coherently and
persuasively espouse this in multiple settings and to varied
audiences.
The issue of individual sow stalls is a prime example of where
we have failed to communicate how we take care of pigs. An
individual stall affords a great deal of one-on-one human-to-pig
interaction. Targeted feeding, daily observation, artificial
insemination, and routine health maintenance are all opportunities
for individual animal care not always found in other sow housing
arrangements. Somehow we have failed to impart that message.
Individual care does not stop with the gestation phase. The
farrowing process also abounds with individual animal care for the
mother and her piglets. Producers and veterinarians routinely
observe pigs in all stages of production and care for individuals
as needed. Careful clinical observation is an essential skill for
any successful veterinarian, and it leads directly to individual
care for those animals most in need of it.
Those of us who have grown up in animal agriculture have been
blessed to be able to learn about and to see first-hand the care
given to animals. We can never take this education and experience
for granted, or someone will come along and minimize our role.
Whether taking care of five pigs or five thousand pigs, we can‘t
ignore our responsibilities as veterinarians. Returning to my roots
in 4-H has given me a nudge to recommit to telling the story of how
we care for the animals. The next time someone asks me why I am a
swine veterinarian, I will tell them “because I
care!”
--Tom Burkgren
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