Manhattan, Kansas (February 3, 2025) – The Swine Health Information Center released its 2025 Plan of Work, outlining key priorities to protect the health of the US swine herd in the coming year. This follows a year of unprecedented success, as detailed in the recently completed 2024 Progress Report, which highlighted a record level of funding for research projects and an increase in research investment. Further, SHIC welcomes Jessica Stice as its new grant and contract administrator, further strengthening its capacity to support critical swine health research efforts.
2025 Plan of Work: A Proactive Approach to Swine Health Challenges
SHIC’s 2025 Plan of Work emphasizes a proactive approach to addressing emerging disease threats and enhancing biosecurity measures within the US swine industry. “We have developed a comprehensive road map for 2025 to address swine health challenges in support of SHIC’s mission and have identified areas where knowledge gaps remain,” said SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton. “One area of focus within the 2025 plan of work includes evaluation of biosecurity at the packing plant/transportation interface to prevent or reduce transmission of pathogens back to the farm. Objective research to identify biosecurity steps on the farm and at the plant can help inform strategies for disease prevention and control.”
Key areas of focus in the 2025 Plan of Work include:
- Strengthening Disease Surveillance: Enhancing domestic disease monitoring through robust data collection from veterinary diagnostic laboratories and voluntary reporting programs, such as the Global and Domestic Swine Disease Monitoring Reports.
- Improving Information Dissemination: Providing timely and valuable information to veterinarians and producers through webinars, updated disease fact sheets, and a strong online presence to ensure rapid dissemination of critical information on emerging swine health issues.
- Mitigating Risk Factors: Implementing strategies to mitigate risks associated with high-risk product importation, international travel, and the movement of animals. This includes a focus on enhancing biosecurity protocols during transportation, at packing plants, and within personnel movements between farms.
- Addressing Emerging Disease Threats: Prioritizing research on emerging diseases such as African swine fever, porcine sapovirus, and hemorrhagic tracheitis syndrome. This includes investigating novel diagnostic tools, developing rapid response strategies, and enhancing understanding of disease transmission and impact.
- Advancing Surveillance and Diagnostic Capabilities: Utilizing innovative technologies such as wastewater sampling and tongue tip fluid analysis for enhanced disease surveillance. Investing in genome-based diagnostic technologies to improve early detection and enable rapid and accurate disease identification.
- Prioritizing Research Efforts: Updating and utilizing the swine bacterial and viral disease matrices to guide research investments towards the most critical areas, ensuring that research efforts are strategically aligned with the highest-priority threats to the US swine herd.
2024 Progress Report: A Year of Significant Activity
The 2024 Progress Report underscores a year of significant achievements for SHIC. The organization funded 32 research projects, totaling a record $3,990,689, to address critical swine health challenges in 2024. This significant investment was made possible through leveraging Pork Checkoff funding with external grants and matching funds, maximizing the impact of research dollars and expanding the network of scientists conducting SHIC-funded research.
“SHIC received the greatest number of proposals and awarded the highest dollar amount for research projects in a single year in 2024,” said Dr. Megan Niederwerder, Executive Director of SHIC. “This demonstrates the growing recognition of SHIC’s vital role in supporting cutting-edge swine health research and innovation for pork producers.”
Welcoming Jessica Stice, Grant and Contract Administrator
To further enhance its operational efficiency and maximize the impact of its research investments, SHIC has appointed Jessica Stice as its new Grant and Contract Administrator. “We welcome Jessica to the SHIC team and look forward to her contribution to our mission to protect the health of the US swine herd by exploring and securing additional grant funding opportunities as well as managing related compliance efforts,” Dr. Niederwerder said.
Stice brings a wealth of experience in grant writing, administration, and non-profit management to this crucial role. “I am thrilled to join the dedicated team at SHIC and contribute to their important mission,” said Stice. “My expertise in grant management will enable SHIC to streamline its funding processes, identify new opportunities, and ensure the efficient and effective utilization of research funds.”
About the Swine Health Information Center
SHIC serves as a valuable resource for the swine industry, providing timely information, supporting innovative research, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to address emerging challenges. SHIC was founded on July 4, 2015, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at mniederwerder@swinehealth.org or Dr. Lisa Becton at lbecton@swinehealth.org.
