Information
April 5, 2006 - April 6, 2006
London Convention Centre
London, Ontario - Canada
The theme of the 6th annual conference is "Thinking Globally, Acting Locally".
Individual sessions will focus on the:
• Global Forces that Impact on Swine
• Production
• Making Progress through Research
• Handling Disease Challenges
• Pork Production around the world
Conference Objectives
• To provide a platform to accelerate the implementation of new technologies in commercial pork production in Ontario.
• To facilitate the exchange of ideas within the swine industry.
Highlights from the Conference Program
º Session 1: The Global Picture - The Forces that Impact on Swine Production Knud Buhl, Danske Slagterier
Three Concurrent Break-Out Sessions:
* New Thoughts on Nutrition of Newly Weaned Pigs: A discussion of the latest nutritional concepts for feeding weaner pigs, the management changes taking place in the industry and how they impact on feeding programs (Presenters - John Pluske, Murdoch University, Australia and Bob Goodband, Kansas State University. Moderator - Janice Murphy, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
* Hitting the Target on your Grid: Developing and understanding simple tools to explore market grid targets considering the marketing performance, feed cost, and challenges involved (Presenters - John Otten, Pig Info Management and John Bancroft, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs - Moderator - John Bancroft, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
* Gestation Stalls - A Practical Look at On-Farm Alternatives: Explore the alternatives to traditional gestation stalls, including costs, paybacks, challenges, a lot of do''s and some don''ts (Presenters - John Gadd, International Swine Consultancy and James Osborne, Swine Genetics Ontario Inc. Moderator - Ed Barrie, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
º Session 2: Making Progress through Research / Kees de Lange, University of Guelph
Four Concurrent Break-Out Sessions:
* New Approaches to Weaner Room Management: Explore key management techniques to improve nursery health and nutrition (Presenters - John Harding, University of Saskatchewan and John Pluske, Murdoch University, Australia. Moderator - Don McDermid, Pfizer Animal Health).
* What Producers Can Do to Improve Meat Quality: Discover the potential for improving pork quality through nutrition and genetics (Presenters - Bob Goodband, Kansas State University and Andy Robinson, University of Guelph. Moderator - Doug Richards, Ontario Pork).
* How to Hire and Keep Employees: Learn about how to attract, keep, and motivate employees on your swine farm. The session will focus on compensation, turnover, hours of work, and worker productivity (Presenters - Ken McEwan, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph and Rob McDougall, Elite Swine Inc. Moderator - Ken McEwan, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph).
* Reproductive Innovations: A discussion of recent advances in breeding management, including control of estrus and ovulation, timed insemination, the impact of different sites of sperm deposition, embryo transfer, and gender selection (Presenters - Roy Kirkwood, Michigan State University and Mark Wilson, Minitube of America Inc. Moderator - Rob Gribble, Swine Genetics Ontario Inc.).
º Session 3: Handling Disease Challenges / Moderator - Tim Blackwell, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Different Approaches to Handling PRRS (Monte McCaw, North Carolina State University).
Different Approaches to Handling Circovirus (John Harding, University of Saskatchewan).
Three Concurrent Break-Out Sessions:
* Managing PRRS in a Sow Population - Both Sides of the Coin: Open discussion of the different approaches used to control PRRS in the sow populations introduced in Session 3. Discussion will include whether each can be applied effectively to Ontario-type production systems (Presenters - Monte McCaw, North Carolina State University and Cate Dewey, University of Guelph. Moderator - Bob Friendship, University of Guelph).
* On-Farm Experiences with Liquid Feeding: Learn about swine liquid feeding systems from practical experience, with emphasis on the use of co-products, integrating pig sorters, and establishing newly weaned pigs on liquid feed (Presenters - Kees de Lange, University of Guelph and Leroy Van Ryswyck, Producer. Moderator - Ron Lackey, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
* Energy Conservation - Opportunities to House Pigs Well with Increasing Energy Costs: A discussion of energy costs, the future of energy contracting, energy audits, equipment efficiencies, fine tuning barn ventilation and heating control systems, and exploring opportunities for alternative energy sources and reclaiming exhausted heat (Presenters - Ron MacDonald, Agviro Inc. and Harry Huffman, Huffman Consulting. Moderator - Robert Chambers, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs).
º Session 4: Pork Production Around the World - Challenges and Opportunities / Moderator - Ken McEwan, Ridgetown College, University of Guelph
Canada: Clare Schlegel, Canadian Pork Council
North Carolina: Monte McCaw, North Carolina State University
The World: John Gadd, International Swine Consultancy