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 2019.

University of Minnesota Swine Extension Educator Sarah Schieck 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.”

“We’ve lowered the registration price for both programs,” Schieck said. “We recognize the challenges and hardships in the industry, and by decreasing the cost we hope people will see even more value in participating.”

To experience 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.

PorkBridge program includes six sessions generally offered on the first Thursday of every other month starting in February 2019. All sessions start at 11:30 a.m. 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 2019 session dates, topics, speakers and their industry affiliation are as follows:

• Feb. 7 — “Foreign Animal Disease Awareness” by Patrick Webb, National Pork Board

• April 4 — “Current Manure Value: Getting the Most from Manure” by Melissa Wilson, University of Minnesota

• May 30 – “Water Quality Considerations” by Jesse McCoy, Neogen

• Aug. 1 — “Contract Growing: the Ins and Outs” by Dusty Compart and Chris Murphy, Compeer Financial

• Oct. 3 — “Controlling Barn Environment” by Brett Ramirez, Iowa State University

• Dec. 5 — “Timely Intervention of Sick Pigs” by Max Rodibaugh, AMVC

SowBridge program includes 12 monthly sessions throughout the year generally scheduled for the first Wednesday of the month. All sessions start at 11:30 a.m. 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 2019 session dates, topics, speakers and their industry affiliation are as follows:

• Feb. 6 — “Foreign Animal Disease Awareness” by Patrick Webb, National Pork Board

• March 6 — “Selecting Replacement Gilts” by Darwin Tilstra, Topigs Norsvin

• April 3 — “Prolapses” by Jason Ross, Iowa State University

• May 1 — “Timing of Iron Injections” by Joel DeRouchey, Kansas State University

• May 29 — “Water Quality Considerations” by Jesse McCoy, Neogen

• July 3 — “Culling Criteria” by Joe Stock, PIC

• Aug. 7 — “Dealing with Delayed Puberty in Gilts” by Rob Knox, U of IL; Tim Safranski, U of MO; Kara Stewart, Purdue

• Sept. 4 — “Making Proper Injections” by Ashley Johnson, Zoetis

• Oct. 2 — “Handling Chronic PEDv” by Ross Kiehne, Swine Vet Center

• Nov. 6 — “Common Biosecurity Breaches” by Andreia Goncalves Arruda, The Ohio State University

• Dec. 4 — “New Repro Technologies” by Kilby Willenburg, Fast Genetics

• Jan. 8, 2020 — “Importance of Teamwork” by Jon Hoek, Summit Precision Production

Registration for both programs are due Jan. 15 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 scheduled time, participants call in to listen to and interact with the presenter.

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