Minnesota Swine Reproduction Centre extends team
The Minnesota Swine Reproduction Center (MSRC) has added Dr. Hanneke Feitsma, DVM, an international swine reproductive specialist, to its team of consultants.
Dr Feitsma has relocated to the United States from The Netherlands and brings with her a wealth of expertise in swine fertility and artificial insemination.
“Dr. Feitsma is a world renown swine reproductive expert and has a depth of practical and research experience that will not only benefit our clients, but the US pork industry as a whole,” says Dr. Neil DeBuse, DVM, president of MSRC. “She successfully transfers scientific results into real-world applications. Advancing producer efficiency through new reproduction techniques is the core of our business.”
Feitsma started working in swine artificial insemination (A.I.) in 1988 as the director of production for Varkens KI Noord Brabant BV in The Netherlands. In 1999, she moved to research and development at the Topigs Research Center IPG, in Beuningen, The Netherlands. Feitsma and her team were able to increase AI semen production from 1,000 doses to 3,500 doses per boar per year by reducing the sperm numbers in a dose of semen. This required the gradual reduction from 4.0 billion cells down to 1.2 billion motile cells, while maintaining fertility rates.
Over the years, Feitsma helped establish Standard Operating Procedures for best practices in swine AI in The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and in boar studs of affiliated companies across the globe. To achieve this level of production quality she introduced hygiene programs and implemented computer-assisted semen analysis in all Dutch boar studs. This enabled the Dutch AI industry to reduce the number of cells per semen dose but still ensure superior quality. Most recently, she has studied the prospects and procedures associated with post-cervical AI in swine herds.
“The US pork industry is an innovative and dynamic production sector,” says Feitsma. “I am looking forward to working with producers and specialists; and to share ideas and information that will ensure continued advancements in the years ahead.”
Feitsma will be based in the MSRC office in Northfield, Minn.
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