Using AgView® to Streamline Swine Health Production Plans

Using AgView^® to Streamline Swine Health Production Plans

On this page:

• Traditional Challenges and Why AgView Was Needed
• Key Implementation Benefits - Time, Security, and Accuracy
• Efficient, Intuitive Workflows
• Better Collaboration and Oversight
• Rapid Response and Business Continuity
• Onboarding and Support Experience
• Meeting Industry Standards and Future Preparedness
• Community Endorsement and Call to Action

Swine Production Health Plans (SPHPs), also known as commuter agreements, have become significantly more efficient and accurate with the use of the Pork Checkoff-funded traceability program AgView^®. Both state animal health officials (SAHOs) and pork producers now report substantial time savings, improved data security, and real-time operational benefits compared to managing data through manual spreadsheets and emails.

Traditional Challenges and Why AgView Was Needed

Historically, managing SPHPs meant SAHOs received pig movement spreadsheets via email - often with tabs for different states and inconsistent formatting - which required time-consuming manipulation before uploading. This process, according to Sara McReynolds, DVM, assistant animal health commissioner in Kansas, introduced unnecessary errors, frequent delays, and made real-time disease response impossible. Pork producers, for their part, found themselves duplicating effort, sending the same data to multiple officials in multiple formats.

For companies like Seaboard Foods, as Laura Shields, veterinary services coordinator, describes, earlier digital tools lacked the streamlined, user-friendly design necessary for routine and compliant traceability.

"AgView stood out due to its simplified processes, intuitive setup, and clarity of program tools. It offered a user-friendly interface that made it easy for both state entities and our internal team at Seaboard to navigate and utilize effectively," Shields shared.

Key Implementation Benefits - Time, Security, and Accuracy

Dr. McReynolds estimates that AgView saves 30 minutes to one hour per SPHP, or four to six hours weekly for Kansas. This advantage scales up with company size and the volume of pig movements. Automating the entire submission and approval chain not only saves time but virtually eliminates manual data entry errors, as movement records are uploaded directly from producer databases via AgView.

Brooke Kitting, VDM, MS, senior veterinarian at Seaboard Foods, explains, "The platform provides the traceability and data accessibility needed to manage pig movements safely and efficiently while supporting biosecurity and business continuity."

AgView also offers more secure data transmission than email, with real-time reporting replacing slow batch submissions.

Efficient, Intuitive Workflows

The core workflow - outlined by Shields - further removes communication delays:

• Compiling farm and contact data
• Uploading to AgView
• Selecting state agency approvers
• Confirming digital completion and sign-off

Once all required signatories for SPHPs have finalized their approvals, AgView automatically archives documentation and relays movement information in real-time to officials.

According to Shields, "The platform eliminates the need for back-and-forth communication and manual data entry, allowing us to manage everything in one place with just a few clicks."

Better Collaboration and Oversight

A major strength of AgView is centralized collaboration. Stakeholders - producers, veterinarians, barn managers, and SAHOs - log in to review documentation, request revisions, and sign off on documents in one centralized location, rather than passing them back and forth by email.

Dr. McReynolds says, "This will allow us to review and renew more efficiently than sending emails to all the different signees." The digital platform also enables SAHOs to focus on movements from specific facilities, boosting oversight and traceability.

Rapid Response and Business Continuity

Both state officials and producers stress the critical value of real-time data for disease response. "Most often, we are preparing for very fast-moving disease outbreaks. Real-time data allows us to determine quickly how widespread something has moved, enabling faster response and better outbreak management," Dr. McReynolds says.

Dr. Kitting underscores that sentiment, saying, "AgView represents more than just a data platform - it's a path to protection for our farms, our pigs, and our people." During emergencies, instant data access allows immediate containment, more accurate traceback and proactive decision-making.

Onboarding and Support Experience

Implementation of AgView has been overwhelmingly positive. Dr. McReynolds reported no onboarding issues for Kansas and Seaboard Foods credits the platform's support team with being highly responsive, open to feedback, and proactive in troubleshooting. Training is concise, targeted at critical functions, and the platform is even accessible for users with no prior digital system experience.

Meeting Industry Standards and Future Preparedness

AgView aligns with current and pending federal requirements, including those anticipated in the future. The platform continues to evolve, with the AgView team welcoming user suggestions for new features and ongoing improvements. Dr. McReynolds recognizes the value created by the National Pork Board's investment of Pork Checkoff dollars in the development of AgView, particularly for everyday preparedness.

"Sharing movement data in AgView allows states to react quicker to tracing and a better understanding of risk mitigation," she shared.

Community Endorsement and Call to Action

These stakeholders strongly encourage pork producers to transition away from legacy or manual systems. "If you have the ability to allow data to flow without manual entry, this allows for fewer errors and enables officials to respond quickly to control the spread of disease," Dr. McReynolds recommends.

Shields adds that real-time access to critical movement information "greatly improves efficiency and ensures open, streamlined communication between all stakeholders."

As Shields concludes, "AgView provides a level of openness and awareness around animal movements that simply isn't possible with manual systems. The ability to view data in real time and share it instantly with approved users makes the entire process more efficient and responsive. It's a smart move for any producer looking to strengthen their preparedness and communication."

Dr. Kitting frames AgView as both a helpful industry tool and an ethical responsibility for business continuity, commenting, "By integrating AgView into our SPHP process, we're not only meeting requirements but also taking a proactive step toward protecting our business, improving disease response capabilities, and ensuring business continuity for both Seaboard Foods and the broader U.S. pork industry."