The annual Shakespeare Swine Seminar for producers and allied industry personnel will be held at the Shakespeare Community Centre on Wednesday, September 24th in Shakespeare, Ontario. Sponsored by Ontario Pork, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, and Ontario Swine Improvement, this year’s seminar focuses on topics of current and practical interest to swine producers. Dr. Darwin Reicks from the Swine Veterinary Center in St. Peter, Minnesota will discuss methods to ensure maximum littersize and reproductive performance when using artificial insemination. Dr. Mark Rix from Swine Management Systems in Fremont, Nebraska will discuss on-farm factors associated with weaning 30 pigs per sow per year as well as providing production comparisons between farms with sows in gestation stalls and farms using group sow housing. Dr. Tim McAllister from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will discuss the future of antibiotic use in livestock production and how to ensure antibiotics are used appropriately to ensure long term effectiveness. A panel on successful control and elimination of PED will discuss various approaches being used on Ontario farms at present to manage the disease. Additional speakers will address specific techniques to decrease pre-weaning mortality. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with presentations starting at 10 a.m. A hot lunch is provided and the meeting concludes at 3 p.m. The cost is $30 if pre-registered and $25 for additional people from the same farm. Registration is $40 at the door. To register please call the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 877- 424 -1300 or email ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca.
Source: OntarioPork