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PRRS plagues hogs in southern Minnesota

A pork producer in south-central Minnesota says Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, or PRRS, continues to be a problem in her area.

Wanda Patsche and her husband Chuck operate CW Pork, a corn, soybean, and hog farm in Martin County. It’s the largest pork producing county in the state and one of the biggest in the country.

“We still struggle a lot with PRRS. That’s a big issue here in southern Minnesota, especially in the county I live in. And it’s a 60 to 70-day ordeal.”

PRRS was present in the last group of hogs they brought in, and Patsche tells Brownfield the virus typically results in a mortality rate of about 12 percent.

“I know there are things happening in the industry. I know some of the genetics companies are working on gene editing (so) hopefully we can eliminate (PRRS) sometime in the future. Once that happens, it will be a huge breakthrough for pork producers. Especially here in southern Minnesota.”

Minnesota Pork CEO David Preisler tells Brownfield PRRS has been around for a long time and can be very localized.  But based on litter size in the latest Hogs and Pigs report, he says the swine disease doesn’t seem to be a major issue nationally.