Register now for SowBridge Breeding Herd Education Series

The first year of the SowBridge Breeding Herd Education Series just finished, and registrations are now being taken for the next year of the program, which will begin Nov. 5.

“The SowBridge program provides valuable information on the daily care and management of the sow herd from breeding through lactation, as well as piglet care,” states Mark Whitney, swine specialist with University of Minnesota Extension. “We have brought together national industry experts to discuss options for key issues affecting this segment of the pork industry.”
The distance learning program is designed for owners, employees, technicians, managers and technical service providers involved in managing or caring for boars, sows and/or their litters. Several Extension programs have developed this program. Each month a new program is presented, lasting approximately 45 minutes.

Presentations are mailed on a CD to participants one week prior to the program. Participants follow along with the presentations on their computer while listening to the presenter via a toll-free telephone line. “Many breeding/gestation units have had employees view and listen over their noon break, using a speaker telephone,” states Whitney.

The program topics and speakers are:
Nov. 5: Composting Mortalities, with Dr. Bob Thaler, South Dakota State University
Dec. 3: Proper Euthanasia of Sows and Piglets, with Dr. John Deen, University of Minnesota
Jan. 7: Breeding Management in Pens and Stalls, with Bob Ivey, Maxwell Foods
Feb. 4: Crossfostering and Bump Weaning, with Dr. Barb Straw, Michigan State University
Mar. 4: Optimizing Sow Performance with Rescue Decks, with Jon Hoek, Belstra Milling Co., Inc.
Apr. 1: Creep Feeding, with Dr. Joel DeRouchey, Kansas State University
May 6: Reproductive Manipulation using PG600, with Dr. Rob Knox, Univ. of Illinois
June 10: Reproductive Manipulation using Matrix, with Dr. Ron Bates, Michigan State University
July 1: On-Farm Semen Evaluation, with Dr. Wayne Singleton, Purdue University
Aug. 5: Induction of Farrowing, with Dr. Tim Safranski, University of Missouri
Sept. 2: Sow Watch and Piglet Care the First 24 Hours, with Matt Davis, Hord Livestock
Oct. 7, 2009: Effective Pest and Rodent Control, with Dr. Ralph Williams, Purdue University

Registration and program information are available at www.extension.umn.edu/swine. Registration and all materials costs $250 for all 12 programs. In order to receive materials in time for the first program, registrations must be received by Oct. 20. Phone registrations can also be completed by calling Sherry Hoyer at (515) 294-4496.