Dr. Jeff Kaisand, state veterinarian of Iowa, has a message to Iowa pork producers about African swine fever (ASF): “Control what you can, be informed about what you can’t.”

Kaisand met with the Spokesman recently to update readers on the state of ASF preparedness. He detailed the state’s work on this issue, and reaffirmed the need for every livestock producer to remain vigilant for animal diseases of all kinds.

“As of today, ASF has not been diagnosed in the United States. It’s everybody’s due diligences to make sure they do what they can do on their farm to prevent its introduction,” Kaisand said. “The first thing is to focus on your farm, and what you can do there.”

Up-to-date premise ID

“Everything hinges on the information contained in your premise ID,” Kaisand said. “That’s the central point everything comes back to.”

It is also important to make sure the Iowa Department of ...