For Michigan’s pork producers, the work of caring for animals and keeping a farm running well never really stops. From new state laws shaping how pigs are housed to the ever-present worry of a disease outbreak, the challenges come fast and from every direction. But thanks to a unique partnership rooted at Michigan State University, those who raise hogs across the state are finding they don’t have to face those challenges alone.
Research from MSU is helping shape the future and success of Michigan’s pork industry, and it begins with something as fundamental as where pigs live. Recent changes to Michigan law require farms to house pregnant sows in ways that allow free movement and avoid confinement, which favors group housing systems. On paper, that sounds simple enough. In practice, anyone who has spent time around hogs knows it raises real questions, because pigs are naturally territorial animals.
“We had a law that passed and became active in 2020 that required us to house our sows differently. We had to house them in more group settings,” said Mary Kelpinski, CEO of the Michigan Pork Producers Association. “That raises a lot of concerns. You hear the phrase ‘boss hog,’ and pigs really are territorial. When you put them in a group together, they’ll fight. So some of the research MSU has done at the swine farm has helped us look at how we can house our sows to follow the law we have in Michigan.”
That research has been made possible through the Michigan Alliance for Animal Agriculture, known as M-AAA, a partnership among MSU, the state’s animal agriculture and allied industries, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. MSU AgBioResearch scientists, including Dr. Catherine Ernst in the Department of Animal Science, have used M-AAA funding to study how Michigan farmers can meet these housing requirements while keeping their animals healthy and their operations sound.
Because every state writes its own rules, Michigan needed answers tailored to its own producers. “All the states have different laws, so we needed something that was specific to Michigan,” Kelpinski said. “This research has really helped us remain competitive in the pork industry nationally.”
That competitiveness matters. Michigan produces roughly 2.5 million hogs each year and contributes approximately 500 million dollars annually to the state’s economy, a meaningful slice of Michigan’s overall 125.8 billion dollar agriculture industry. What makes M-AAA stand out, Kelpinski said, is that the people who live and breathe these industries are the ones helping set the agenda. Representatives from animal agriculture and allied industries connect directly with MSU researchers, share their needs and concerns, and then review and fund the proposals that address them.
“That’s the driving force,” Kelpinski said. “We’re the ones setting those priorities and research initiatives, and then we’re passing them out to MSU researchers to find out what research ideas they have that could help solve some of these problems we’re experiencing. It’s been really great to have that relationship.”
The collaboration reaches well beyond housing. MSU researchers are exploring how artificial intelligence and machine learning can help address labor shortages in caring for animals, and they are studying antibiotic-free nutritional additives that produce healthy pork without contributing to human antibiotic resistance.
Just as important as the research is the outreach delivered through MSU Extension, which co-administers M-AAA alongside MSU AgBioResearch. A portion of funding each year goes toward outreach projects, and one of those efforts may prove invaluable if the industry ever faces its greatest fear. Elizabeth Ferry, an MSU Extension swine educator, helped bring together partners from the state agriculture department, the pork producers association, the MSU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to form Michigan’s Secure Pork Supply Taskforce.
The taskforce mapped out how an outbreak of a disease such as African Swine Fever could disrupt operations and supply chains, and it identified ways to limit that disruption through testing and other measures. It developed the guidelines producers would need to meet to keep operating during an outbreak and equipped farms with the education and resources to build enhanced biosecurity plans. Today, 75 percent of pigs in Michigan are covered by an on-farm biosecurity plan, strengthening how farmers would respond to an outbreak and helping keep supply chains moving through difficult times.
African Swine Fever has not been detected in the United States, but the possibility weighs heavily on Kelpinski. “That’s the one thing that keeps me awake at night,” she said. “We keep talking about not if, but when a disease comes to this country and being prepared as possible. Our producers are all busy, making it hard for them to take time to step outside of the box. Through some of the work we’ve done with MSU and MDARD, we’ve been able to get packages together so that producers don’t have to put a lot of time into developing a plan. We have some plans that they can work from as a starting point.”
Preparedness extends to the unexpected moments along Michigan’s roads as well. Another M-AAA-supported initiative, MSU Extension’s Emergency Response to Accidents Involving Livestock program, known as ERAIL, trains first responders, law enforcement and animal control on how to safely handle and contain livestock when an accident occurs. First responders already carry plenty on their shoulders when they arrive at a scene, and adding frightened animals to the situation can quickly become overwhelming.
Established in 2019, ERAIL has placed nine response trailers with emergency teams across 18 Michigan counties, and as of August 2025, 21 trainings have prepared more than 800 first responders. “It’s great to have the equipment we need, but we all know that the average Michigander doesn’t know very much about livestock handling during an emergency,” Kelpinski said. “MSU Extension has held meetings where they bring firefighters, police officers and other emergency responders in for a day of classroom training, and then they go out and work with livestock after. The knowledge gained from these trainings and the ERAIL trailers have unfortunately needed to be used several times throughout the state, and I’ve heard really positive feedback about the responses they’ve had.”
For families and operations who pour their lives into raising livestock, that kind of support means more than convenience. It means a fighting chance to weather the storms, protect the animals in their care, and pass a healthy, thriving farm on to the next generation. The partnership between Michigan’s pork producers and MSU stands as a reminder of what can happen when researchers, industry leaders and farmers pull in the same direction, looking out for one another and planning ahead for whatever may come.
To learn more about MSU AgBioResearch and its work with Michigan agriculture, visit agbioresearch.msu.edu, and listen to the accompanying podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.