Northfield, MN:  Effective as of March 1, 2017, Herdstar, LLC and Minnesota Swine Reproduction Center, LLC (MSRC) entered into definitive agreements for the sale by Herdstar to MSRC of the “GF Pro Vision” software program that had been developed and marketed by Herdstar.   MSRC will continue to market GF Pro Vision to swine producers and assumed responsibility for existing customers, service and product development.

Dr. Neil DeBuse, the founder of MSRC, stated “We are excited about this project which will enable us to bring a well-developed software product to our clients and further our goal of improving production performance. We recognize the commitment Herdstar and its CEO Bob Baarsch had in developing the GF Pro Vision platform and the work of both Tom Baarsch and Mark Sample for their roles supporting the product.   As a group, we look forward to expanding its use among North American swine producers.  We believe the GF Pro Vision platform can better help our clients monitor performance gains derived from other technology available, such as post-cervical artificial insemination and advanced genetics.  The ability to measure and monitor performance related to new technology and health will be essential for future success in the pork industry.”

“GFPro has been serving our customers well for nearly two decades with providing one of the best swine recordkeeping systems on the market.   MSRC brings additional strength to GFPro with their unique background and experience within the swine market.  As a result of this change, Herdstar in turn will be able to focus more attention to our BinTrac® bin weighing system and MicroZone™ product lines that are leaders in each of their markets.”

Highlights of the announcement:

• MSRC assumes ownership of the GF Pro Vision platform as of March 1, 2017.
• Herdstar and MSRC will work together to transition data services to cloud-based server platform (Microsoft Azure) by June 1, 2017.
• More information for customers and prospective customers is available via MSRC’s website (www.msrcllc.com) and a new website dedicated to GF Pro Vision (www.gfprovision.com).
•  GF Pro Vision has been a leading software program for post-weaning phases of production and features direct data link or import capabilities with both feed mill system (feed order and ration data) and pork processors (carcass data).

About MSRC:  Based in Northfield, MN, MSRC has been a leader in implementing new technology for pig breeding,  including post-cervical artificial insemination and concurrent low-concentration semen dose technology.  MSRC is a veterinary consulting group with services related to all phases of pork production.

Recently the PED virus has been spreading through barns in the United States. We at HerdStar are very concerned about this problem and want to alert swine owners to the potential dangers of this disease and ways in which to prevent it. Listed below is an article from Agri-View about PEDV and a link to the University of Minnesota’s website. The U of M has a lot of information about this disease and how to prevent it. http://www.agriview.com/news/livestock/devastating-porcine-epidemic-diarrhea-virus-found-in-wisconsin-pigs/article_c28c3987-3073-54ba-a224-e0d8b5f769e6.html

http://www.cvm.umn.edu/sdec/SwineDiseases/PEDV/index.htm

BinTac Press Release

According to Purdue University Economists lowering feed prices will result in a profit for hog producers. An article on Swineweb.com states that the corn crop has been excellent this year and will lower the cost of feed. To read the whole article please go to the following link: http://www.swineweb.com/purdue-economist-falling-feed-prices-to-push-hogs-back-to-profitable/

A report released by the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress states the importance of agriculture and agricultural exports to the U.S. economy. This report says that the United States is the world leader of agricultural exports, with a total of $141.3 billion for 2012. For the full article from Swineweb.com please go to the following link: http://www.swineweb.com/news-congress-emphasises-importance-of-agricultural-exports/

And to read the actual report from the committee please go to the following link: http://www.jec.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=266a0bf3-5142-4545-b806-ef9fd78b9c2f

The 2008 World Pork Expo Product of the Year award was given to BinTrac, bin weighing systems . To read the article posted in the June issue of the National Hog Farmer, please click the following link: BinTrac NHF 6-08

The 2006 World Pork Expo Product of the Year award was given to MicroZone Lamp & Mat Controller. To read the article posted in the July issue of the National Hog Farmer, please click the following link: 2006 World Pork Expo New Products MicroZone