APHIS is partnering with several animal health and industry organisations on this study. The farms taking part in the study are clients of Pipestone Veterinary Services.

The veterinarian service began collecting data on antimicrobial use several years. They will now be sampling for antibiotic resistance in selected pig and food safety-related pathogens. The samples will be analysed by the Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory at South Dakota State University.

Pipestone will share their collected data, with their clients' approval, with APHIS's National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) for further analysis and interpretation.

APHIS aims to provide the initial results from its analysis sometime in 2022.

The collaboration has been made possible through funding from public, private and industry sources. Funding is being provided in part through the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research’s International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture and the National Pork Board, in addition to APHIS and Pipestone.

It could serve as a model for future studies to monitor antimicrobial use and resistance.