Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
10/25/00
Contacts:
Ulf Hoener, contact through Craig Rowles, (712) 792-1656,
epork@netins.net
Sherry Hoyer, Iowa Pork Industry Center, (515) 294-4496,
shoyer@iastate.edu
German Veterinarian Learns About American Pork Production
CARROLL, Iowa -- A German veterinarian is learning firsthand about American systems of pork production thanks to contacts with an international animal health company and the Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC) at Iowa State University.
Ulf Hoener is from Westfalia in northwest Germany near the Dutch border and has been a veterinarian for about two-and-a-half years. For the past year he's worked in the veterinary surgical practice owned by his father and two partners, where there is a growing emphasis on swine.
"Nearly 70 percent of our time is spent with hogs and about 30 percent with dairy cows and horses, but the swine practice is getting more and more important," Hoener said.
Because of this swine interest and the vast array of pertinent information available in the United States, Hoener inquired about the possibility of traveling here to meet with individuals, groups and industry representatives. A friend of his family is the Boehringer-Ingelheim (BI) representative in Mexico and he made connections with the company in Iowa. A swine specialist for the Iowa BI division contacted Carroll area veterinarian and producer Craig Rowles to arrange for a month-long stay. Rowles is a member of the IPIC advisory board and invited Hoener to attend a portion of a recent meeting in Ames.
Hoener wants to hear how American producers and veterinarians cope with reproductive issues in their growing herds so he can help position German pork producers and their operations for the future.
"I'd like to see how you manage reproduction in these big sow herds, including breeding, feed, farrowing management and health problems," Hoener said. "Also, I would like to know which way European veterinarians have to go in the future. Our family farms are growing and it is important for me to see if there are different or other ways to improve the performance of our sow herds in Germany."
While in the U.S. Hoener plans to spend as much time as possible with his American colleagues, comparing methods of treating and managing hogs and sow herds. He said there are similarities and differences between the two and that makes for interesting and informative conversations.
"On one hand, growth promoters are not allowed, generally speaking," Hoener said. "On the other hand we have a greater supply of therapeutic drugs and this gives us greater flexibility in animal treatment."
Hoener will be in Iowa until Nov. 1, when he starts on the second leg of his trip. After leaving Carroll, he'll visit several swine veterinary consultants in Minnesota, Kansas, Nebraska and Illinois. He will stay in the U.S. until the middle of December when he'll return to Germany.
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