Dr. Joel DeRouchey grew up on a diversified purebred swine, cattle and sheep operation in Pukwana, S.D. He graduated with his Animal Science degree from South Dakota State University in 1997 and his M.S. (1999) and Ph.D. (2001) in Swine Nutrition from Kansas State University. He is currently full professor and State Animal Science Extension Program Leader and has a 50% Extension and 50% Research appointment.

Joel works with the productive K-State Applied Swine Nutrition Team that mentors graduate and undergraduate students, works directly with producers to provide up-to-date information and focuses on generating information with direct industry application. Joel has been named the National ASAS Outstanding Extension Specialist, AFIA Nonruminant Nutrition Research Award, North Central Region Excellence in 4-H Volunteerism Award, and South Dakota State University Distinguished Young Alumni.

Joel and his wife, Julene, have three children James, Jenna and Jacob and currently lives on a small farm near Wamego, KS.

• What the Pig Livability Project is (who’s involved, why it started) and how it turns field data into practical results.
• What actually moves the needle post-weaning: mat feeding gives a small but real gain; bigger “cube-style” pellets help early intake and cut pulls; current split-suckling protocols haven’t delivered.
• Why early ID and individual care (getting pigs/sows up, eyes-on checks) beat “set-and-forget” routines.
• How modern practices (full-feed lactation, group housing) can hide problems—and simple ways to adjust so you still catch issues fast.
• Joel’s “golden nugget.”