Check out the upcoming conferences and make plans to attend today.
ISU McKean Swine Disease Conference
For swine practitioners, the 2025 ISU McKean Swine Disease Conference will provide insights on sustainable veterinary medicine, the current economic state of the industry, and PRRS reduction strategies in Europe, in addition to an update on the US SHIP program. Two pre-conference workshops on Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae eradication and PRRS will also be held. During both workshops, global leaders will share their experiences with the control and elimination of these pathogens in commercial settings, along with new research and current tools available to control disease.
Events take place in Ames, Iowa, on June 24-25 and are planned in conjunction with Iowa Swine Day on June 26 to provide additional educational opportunities.
Early bird registration is open and available until June 9 for $250. After June 9, conference fee is $300. For more information on the event, visit the conference website.
National Pork Industry Conference
Producing Pork With a Purpose: Why We Do What We Do is the theme of the 29th annual National Pork Industry Conference aiming to deliver insights, conversations and leadership development during the July 13-16 event in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
This year’s session highlights include:
• Dr. Gary Sanchez, founder of the Why Institute, explores how knowing your WHY can drive clarity, culture, and success in your farm and personal life.
• Dr. Eric Potterat, high-performance psychologist and co-author of Learned Excellence, sharing the mental disciplines behind peak performance in business and life.
• Governor Jim Pillen (Nebraska), offers a unique perspective as both a producer and policymaker on the evolving political and regulatory landscape of animal agriculture.
• Building a Strong Workforce Amid Changing Immigration Policies – Industry and immigration experts share insights on navigating labor challenges and staying compliant amid shifting regulations.
• A focused look at the industry’ new campaign, “Taste What Pork Can Do,” spotlighting pork’s versatility and value to consumers.
Steve Weiss, Partner at 21st Century Strategic Forums, says the conference has always been about more than education.
“It’s about uniting producers and partners who share a commitment to the future of pork production,” he says. “It’s where purpose, progress, and people come together.”
Find out more and register at https://www.porkconference.com/
Midwest Boar Stud Managers Conference
Speakers from across the globe will tackle topics including how protocols in isolation affect performance in collection, environmental impacts on boar development, the effect of varying feeding strategies on the working boar, and what we are (and should be) doing about feed contaminants such as mycotoxins during the Midwest Board Stud Managers Conference Aug. 13-14 in St. Louis.
The first Midwest Boar Stud Managers Conference was offered in 2000 when less than half of U.S. sows were mated artificially, according Tim Safranski, University of Missouri state swine breeding specialist.
“There was a lot of interest in artificial insemination and a fair amount of training on the female side, but boar and semen work were woefully underserved,” he says.
Both barn and lab topics will be covered, including an overview of what happens on the sow farm, semen collection, impact of environment, feeding and nutrition, health and hygiene, facility thoughts and semen processing updates, according to Safranski.
The conference is the only boar-exclusive event in North America with typically 160-180 attendees representing 85% of U.S. boars. Attendees from 18-20 states and overseas participate, along with speakers from academia and industry from 10 U.S. states plus Germany and China.
“A highlight has been our stud managers panel where the moderator and the audience put some managers on the stage to answer questions that may not be covered by the speakers,” Safranski says.
Learn more and register at https://cvent.me/N2ZRPW.
Your next read: U.S. Supreme Court Relists Proposition 12 Case
