Oct 2023 - Journal Final - Flipbook - Page 10
Nutrition
FEED MILL BIOSECURITY
Building a Program through Practicality and Science
Roger Cochrane, PhD
Feed Quality & Biosecurity
Pipestone Nutrition
Biosecurity is a word we hear
often in swine production but
what does it truly mean? When
I think about an how to explain
this topic to a feed mill, I tend
to use the following: Biosecurity
is a means to create practical
and science-based methods
to reduce the likelihood of
viruses and bacteria entering our
production system.
Historically, biosecurity has
started at the farm level by
showering in and out of facilities,
danish entries, 昀椀ltering facilities,
disinfection protocols, and
quarantine for incoming gilts.
However, when thinking of the
next level of biosecurity, feed
rises to the top of the list as
it is the next largest quantity
product entering into the farm.
Biosecurity continues to be a
tough task at the feed mill as
they are made up of complex
networks of people, processes,
and ingredients. Therefore, it
10 | PIPESTONE JOURNAL
Roger Cochrane hails from Indiana where he grew up on a small row
crop farm. His passion for agriculture fueled an MS and PhD in
Feed Mill Biosecurity from Kansas State University. Roger joined the
PIPESTONE team in 2018, putting his expertise to work as a Feed
Quality and Biosecurity Specialist.
becomes critical for feed mills
to follow the continuous cycle
of understanding, identifying,
implementing, and revisiting.
Understand the Risk of Feed
Since the
introduction of
porcine epidemic
diarrhea virus
(PED) to the United
States, a large
amount of research has been
conducted around the true
risk that feed carries in our
production systems. This includes
ingredients, process, equipment,
and personnel. Each mill is very
different, but the processes and
risk are generally very similar.
Even though feed may not be
the primary route of transmission,
and in general is relatively small,
the magnitude of infection can
be extreme and cause a large
economic loss to a farm or
system.
Identifying Risk Factors Using
Audits & Science
The best way to
identify areas of
concern in either an
owned mill or toll
mill is to 昀椀rst identify any
potential areas a contaminate
can enter the production system.
This can be completed by
creating a 昀氀ow diagram for the
feed mill listing out each process
and movements of people and
trucks. In general, the major area
of concern includes ingredients,
trucks, and people. However,
in some systems there could
be additional areas of concern
such as livestock close by or
on-site. Our strategy to identify
risk factors has been to create an
audit form using the most recent
scienti昀椀c research that not only
scores a feed mill but will also
help the mill better understand
where the major risk areas within
a feed mill can originate. This
