Far from the Midwestern U.S. corn and soybean fields known to grow most of a hog's diet, Olmix reaches to the depths of the ocean to create a "cocktail" using sulfated polysaccharide molecules from marine seaweed and macro algae extracts with biological properties that are combined to make a product called MSP Immunity.

AlgoShield is the result of combining MSP Immunity with a complex of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and trace elements for improving performance and herd health through all phases of swine production. AlgoShield improves pig performance by modulating the immune system and providing essential precursors for immunity. Research has shown increased overall immunity, vaccine response and pig health when using AlgoShield. AlgoShield comes in a liquid form that can be used through a medicator or top-dressed over feed.

Clayton Johnson, the veterinarian on the panel, asked Jake Erceg, Olmix head of Swine Technical Services, about the timing of using the AlgoShield product relative to vaccination events.

"We're going to start the day before, in this specific instance, any vaccination event," Erceg said. "And really what that does is start the ramp-up or the release of the mediator, to start the immune system. We talked about jump-starting or kick-starting the immune system the day before, so pigs will go on AlgoShield the day before and then be pulled off during the vaccination period. … we take it away so there's not an overstimulation to the immune system during the actual day of vaccination, and then the product is re-introduced for two days post-vaccination."

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Erceg added that research has shown that effects of the product last seven to 10 days after the product is no longer offered to the pigs.

Johnson followed up asking if AlgoShield has proven to have potential synergy with other immunostimulants, but as of yet Erceg said "I think that the product definitely has a place where it can be supportive, additive or synergistic with other products. Where that exact place is and, how to use it, is yet unknown, but definitely something that we're looking at working on in the future."

What about using AlgoShield while concurrently running an antibiotic through the water system?

Erceg there doesn't appear to be any negative interactions of ill-effect at the pig level, however "this is where the mechanical side of things can become troubling or can cause an issue that sometimes there can be changes of state with different products that actually solidifying or having calcium deposit build up. Running it with antibiotics could cause some line issues, plugging up your waterlines so a recommendation is to run it by itself."

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New Product Tour 2020 took place during the National Hog Farmer's Global Hog Industry Virtual Conference in May, where the panel was presented a short video shared by the respective company representatives, after which a brief question-and-answer session allowed panelists to find out more about each product.