Posted Feb. 1, 2012
The Iowa Pork Producers Association has teamed up with the Iowa Pork Industry Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach swine specialists to host regional conferences at four Iowa locations March 6-9.
“IPPA works hard to offer educational sessions that can assist producers in their day-to-day decision making,” said Tyler Bettin, IPPA producer education director. “We encourage anyone with a genuine interest in pork production to attend these conferences.”
All sessions are hosted from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Conference dates and locations are as follows:
● Tuesday, March 6 – Carroll, Carroll County Extension Office
● Wednesday, March 7 – Sheldon, Northwest Iowa Community College, Building A, room 119
● Thursday, March 8 – Nashua, Borlaug Learning Center
● Friday, March 9 – Iowa City, Johnson County Extension Office
Conferences are free for those who pre-register or $5 at the door. Individuals can pre-register by calling IPPA at (800) 372-7675 or sending an e-mail to schristensen@iowapork.org.
With the regulatory realm for agriculture constantly changing, it is critical for pork producers to stay well informed of compliance issues. Eldon McAfee, attorney for IPPA, will discuss practical aspects of compliance with state and federal regulations, provide an update of resent livestock nuisance cases and preface current regulatory rumblings at the state and federal level.
It is critical for all in pork production to have a good understanding of contracts and liens to provide protection of their business. McAfee also will review contract terms, focusing on practical implication for both feeders and hog owners. He will discuss recent and pending court decisions and the implications these decisions pose for feed dealers, lenders, veterinarians and pork producers. Finally, he will explain the federal livestock contract requirements and what is required for compliance to prevent penalties against hog owners for failing to have required disclosures in contracts with contract feeders. If you missed Eldon’s highly rated sessions at the 2012 Iowa Pork Congress, then this is your chance to catch up.
Swine dysentery is an expensive and damaging disease that has re-emerged in the Midwest. Dr. Eric Burrough and Dr. Rodger Main will split duties at this year’s regional conferences to talk about the history and impact of the disease. They will provide information to help producers identify signs of dysentery and highlight strategies for prevention and elimination.
Detailed production records are increasingly important in today’s pork industry to benchmark performance, improve efficiencies and modify practices. ISU Extension swine specialists will review how to keep adequate wean-to-finish records, show where errors typically occur and provide actual examples of good records, gone bad.