REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for both PorkBridge and SowBridge distance educational programs. These successful distance education programs are scheduled to begin in early February. Deadline to register is January 16, 2015.
Both programs provide relevant and accurate information from a variety of university and industry experts. "The easiest part of participating is participants don't have to travel to a central meeting location to attend, they can participate from their break room during lunch," says a 2014 SowBridge participant.
Both programs combine electronic information viewed on a computer with live presentations delivered by teleconference from topic experts. Subscribers receive access to the presentation electronically and at the scheduled time will call-in for the audio portion of each session to follow along with the presentation on their computer.
The difference in the two programs is the audience they are aimed at.
PORKBRIDGE is for people involved with grow-finish swine operations. Six sessions are offered every other month throughout the year. All sessions start at noon Central Time and last approximately 90 minutes, which includes time for questions. Cost is $125 for the series, covering supporting materials and one phone line per session.
PORKBRIDGE session dates, topics, speakers and their industry affiliation are as follows:
PorkBridge session dates, topics, speakers and their industry affiliation are as follows:
- February 5, 2015 – "Preparing for Third Party Audits" by Matt Jones, Validus
- April 2, 2015 – "Controlling Pests – Insects & Rodents" by Roger Moon, University of Minnesota and John Beller, Beller Biosecurity Strategies, Inc
- June 4, 2015 – "Effective Procedures for Cleaning Up After PED, PRRS, etc." by Rebecca Robbins, Seaboard Foods Corporation
- August 6, 2015 – "Proper Pig Handling" by Sherrie Webb, National Pork Board
- October 1, 2015 – "Pit Foaming & Avoiding Manure Pumping Hazards" by Larry Jacobson, University of Minnesota
- December 3, 2015 – "Starting Pigs After Arrival" by Bill Hollis, Carthage Veterinary Services
SowBridge is for people involved with managing or caring for boars, sows, and/or litters. Twelve monthly sessions take place throughout the year. All sessions start at 11:30 a.m. Central Time and last for 45 minutes, which includes time for questions. Cost is $250 for the first registration from an entity and $125 for each subsequent subscription from the same entity. Cost includes supporting materials and phone line access.
SowBridge session dates, topics, speakers and their industry affiliation are as follows:
- February 4, 2015 – "Sow Lactation: What's Happening Between the Sow & Litter" by Walter Hurley, University of Illinois
- March 4, 2015 – "Swine ID Plan Update – Supporting Swine with PINs and PIN Tags" by Patrick Webb, National Pork Board
- April 1, 2015 – "PEDv: What is New & What Have We Learned" by Bob Morrison, University of Minnesota
- May 6, 2015 – "Five Things You Wanted to Know About Pen Gestation But Were Afraid to Ask" by Tom Parsons, University of Pennsylvania
- June 10, 2015 – "Temperature Management for Sows & Piglets" by Jay Harmon, Iowa State University
- July 1, 2015 – "Common Mistakes that Hurt Production Performance" by Barry Kerkaert, Pipestone Veterinary Services
- August 5, 2015 – "On Farm Necropsies" by Jessica Bates, Iowa State University
- September 2, 2015 – "Art of Fostering Litters" by Ross Kiehne, Swine Vet Center
- October 7, 2015 – "Physiology of Stress: How to Visually Assess & Manage in the Sow Herd" by Don Lay, USDA-ARS
- November 4, 2015 – "Is There an Optimal Time to Process Piglets" by Jeremy Marchant-Forde, USDA-ARS
- December 2, 2015 – "Feeding the Lactating & Weaned Sow" by Dale Rozeboom, Michigan State University
- January 6, 2015 – "Euthanasia Options" by Sherrie Webb, National Pork Board
Deadline to register is January 16, 2015. Register today!
Source: University of Minnesota