Nearly every producer who works with their local Extension offices can share the benefits of having an expert there to help. In South Dakota, hog producers and industry members have been able to call on Bob Thaler as a distinguished professor and the South Dakota State University Extension swine specialist for nearly 40 years.

After growing up in south-central South Dakota, Thaler attended South Dakota State University for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He continued his education at Kansas State University, where he earned his doctorate.

With the retirement of the internationally known and respected legend Dr. Rick Wahlstrom, he was able to return to his home state. “I was so fortunate, one of my mentors and one of the greatest swine people ever retired, and that created an opportunity for me to come back to SDSU,” Thaler says.

Thaler has dedicated his career to work with producers, industry stakeholders, academia and consumers in the state and beyond. “That’s one of the things that has changed over the years is who we work with,” he explains.

Demystifying hog industry

“It used to be that it was our producers that we worked with the most,” Thaler says. “But that’s changed where it’s oftentimes allied industry, the feed companies, veterinarians and also our urban communities. If someone wants to put in a swine operation, we have to help the non-ag community understand what having a hog barn in their neighborhood really means.”

Thaler and others from SDSU spent long hours promoting the hog industry in South Dakota and the region. “A lot of it was using tools to help neighbors and concerned citizens learn that with a new barn, here’s what the odor concerns are going to be, here’s how water and environment are protected, here’s what it means for jobs, how much locally raised corn and soybeans will be fed, and that’s a lot of the things I still do today.”

The construction of the new swine unit is one of the favorite events in Thaler’s career. “We were really at a crossroads between shutting it down or getting funding to bring the facility up to speed,” he explains.

With the original boar barn standing since the 1930s, updates to showcase modern hog facilities were essential.

After a board meeting with an original $10,000 request for a new boar barn pledged from the South Dakota Pork Producers Council, a motion was passed to build an entirely new swine unit for SDSU.

SDPPC and more than 130 farmers, businesses and community members donated to fund the new unit’s completion. “What makes the new swine unit so special is that it was a team effort by the entire industry, and it showed the faith that they had in our swine program and South Dakota State University,” Thaler says.

Changing industry

Issues facing South Dakota pork producers have changed over Thaler’s career. The current challenges? “Our producers are too good,” he explains. “They do an excellent job producing pigs, but demand, both domestic and international, hasn’t increased at the same rate, so we have lower prices. If you look at the pork prices for the last couple years it’s pretty devastating to the industry, probably even more so than what we saw in the 1990s.”

Even with producers cutting sow numbers down, Thaler says productivity has gone up in that time.

“We’re producing the same number of pigs, and some producers are good at finding alternative markets,” he says. “The National Pork Producers Council and the U.S. Meat Export Federation have been doing a good job trying to open new markets, both international and domestic.”

The skyrocketing costs of construction for new or updated facilities is also facing producers. “From 2016 when we built our new swine unit to today, literally they’ve gone up 50%,” Thaler says. “Concrete costs, labor costs, wood and steel, all of those things have just increased.

“Over the last 10 to 15 years we used to talk about how pork production was a wonderful way to bring that son or daughter back to the operation,” he says. “Now talking to producers who are thinking about building another swine barn with the higher interest rates and facility costs to build that barn, it’s been a challenge.”

Labor concerns continue in the swine industry, but Thaler says that automation will assist with shortages. “It’s not a short list of challenges, between inflation and the markets and disease, it’s a perfect storm,” he explains. “It’s unfortunate, but I really admire the resiliency of pork producers especially in the Midwest.” 

In his free time, Thaler enjoys hunting and fishing, spending time with his eight grandchildren and his wife, Karen, and cheering on the Jacks. When it comes to his work, he considers the producers and stakeholders to be more than just Extension work.

“You know you see these young kids in the early years showing pigs at the state fair, and all of a sudden they’ve grown up and they’re the leaders of the swine industry in South Dakota,” he says. “The people I work with, they’re more than stakeholders, they’re family and friends.”

Connect with Thaler here.