WILLMAR, Minn. — Registration for both PorkBridge and SowBridge distance education programs is now open. PorkBridge is aimed at those who own, manage or work in swine grow-finish facilities. SowBridge is for people involved in managing or caring for sows, and/or their litters, and boars, including operation owners, employees, technicians, managers and technical service providers. Both programs begin in early February 2020.

University of Minnesota Swine Extension Educator Sarah Schieck Boelke said the programs offer accurate and timely information on a variety of topics through a regular schedule.

“Producers and others in the industry can get the information they need without the hassle of traveling or giving up a whole day to attend a meeting,” Schieck said. “Participants in the PorkBridge and SowBridge programs can take part where it works best for them whether at home, in an office or in the swine unit. And whether or not they can participate in the live session, all sessions are recorded and audio files are available for download from each session for later use.”

To get a sample of each program people can view a PorkBridge and SowBridge session from 2017 at https://z.umn.edu/PB-sample and https://z.umn.edu/SB-sample respectively.

The PorkBridge program has six sessions generally offered on the first Thursday of every other month starting in February 2020. All sessions start at 11:30 a.m. Central Time and will last a maximum of 60 minutes, which includes time for questions. Cost for the series is $100 for the first registration from an entity and $50 for each subsequent registration from the same entity.

Registration information for PorkBridge can be found on the University of Minnesota Extension webpage under courses and events at z.umn.edu/PorkBridgeRegistration.

PorkBridge 2020 session dates, topics, speakers and their industry affiliation are as follows:

• Feb. 6 – “African Swine Fever and Secure Pork Supply” by Pam Zaabel, Iowa State University, Center for Food Security & Public Health
• April 2 – “Maintenance of Euthanasia Equipment” by Steve Moeller, The Ohio State University
• May 28  – “In-barn Impacts on Meat Quality” by Matt Ritter, Provimi US
• Aug. 6 – “Tail, Ear, and Flank Biting: Reasons Why and How to Address” by Yuzhi Li, University of Minnesota
• Oct. 1 – “Proper Application of Disinfectants” by Jose Ramirez, Virox Animal Health
• Dec. 3 – “Precision Technologies for Commercial Pork Production” by Andy Brudtkuhl, National Pork Board

The SowBridge program has 12 monthly sessions throughout the year generally scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month. All sessions start at 11:30 a.m. Central Time and last no longer than 60 minutes, which includes time for questions. Cost for the series is $200 for the first registration from an entity and $100 for each subsequent registration from the same entity.

Registration information for SowBridge can be found on the University of Minnesota Extension webpage under courses and events at z.umn.edu/SowBridgeRegistration.

SowBridge 2020 session dates, topics, speakers and their industry affiliation are as follows:

• Feb. 5 – “African Swine Fever and Secure Pork Supply” by Pam Zaabel, Iowa State University
• March 4 – “What You Need to KnowAbout Foreign Animal Diseases” by Justin Brown, Iowa State University, and Chelsea Hamilton, IDALS and ISU
• April 1 – “Feeding Strategies for Pre-farrow Females on Piglet Survivability” Kiah Gourley and Jason Woodworth, Kansas State University
• May 6 – “Impact of Drying Newborn Piglets” Mike Ellis, University of Illinois
• May 27 – “Porcine Circovirus type 3: What We Know” by Albert Rovira, University of Minnesota
• July 1 – “Capturing Value of Cull Sows” by Ken Stalder, Iowa State University
• Aug. 5 – “Maintenance of Euthanasia Equipment” by Steve Moeller, The Ohio State University
• Sept. 2 – “Gestation/Lactation Ventilation Do’s and Don’ts” by Erin Cortus, University of Minnesota
• Oct. 7 – “Proper Disinfectant Application” by Jose Ramirez, Virox Animal Health
• Nov. 4 – “Induction Protocol Updates” by Rob Knox, University of Illinois
• Dec. 2  – “Upcoming Technology in Pork Production” by Andy Brudtkuhl, National Pork Board
• Jan. 6 (2021) – “Electronic Sow Feeding Management Tips and Tricks” by Tom Parsons, University of Pennsylvania

Registrations for both programs are due January 15, 2020 to ensure materials are received for the first session.

Before each session, subscribers will receive an email message with links to download materials for that session. Those who request it also receive the same materials via mailed CD.  During the scheduled time, participants call in to listen to and interact with the presenter.

PorkBridge and SowBridge are provided by a group of 11 universities with Sarah Schieck Boelke and Lee Johnston of the University of Minnesota Extension serving as program coordinators.  Iowa Pork Industry Center coordinates all registration and subscriber mailings.

— University of MInnesota Extension

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