MARSHALL — Registration is now open for the 2024-2025 SowBridge webinar series, designed for professionals working with sows, boars, and piglets. Hosted via Zoom, the program kicks off in February 2025, with monthly sessions featuring industry experts and opportunities for direct engagement.

According to Sarah Schieck Boelke, swine extension educator with the University of Minnesota Extension, “SowBridge provides all participants with the opportunity to hear directly from experts, and to contact those experts following the individual sessions.”

Program Details:

  • Schedule: Sessions are held the first Wednesday of each month, 11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Central Time. Exception: The May session will take place on May 28 to accommodate the World Pork Expo.
  • Format: Live Zoom webinars with recordings available afterward.
  • Cost: $200 for the first registration from a farm entity; subsequent registrations from the same entity are half-price.

Session Topics:

  1. Feb. 5 – H5N1 as it relates to pigs
  2. March 5 – Feeding frequency pre-farrowing: impact on farrowing duration
  3. April 2 – Your farm broke with PRRS/PED: Now what?
  4. May 7 – Overcoming barriers and understanding the psychological impact of pig euthanasia
  5. May 28 – Iron status of sows: impacts on farrowing duration
  6. July 2 – How to manage gilts not cycling
  7. Aug. 6 – Diagnostic testing: essentials and interpretation
  8. Sept. 3 – Depopulation preparedness
  9. Oct. 1 – Where’s the draft coming from?
  10. Nov. 5 – Farrowing stall environment management
  11. Dec. 3 – Heat synchronization protocols
  12. Jan. 7, 2026 – Treating sows according to farm SOP

Registration and Contact:

  • Deadline: Register by January 20, 2025, to ensure materials for the first session. Late registrations will also be accepted.
  • Details and Registration: Visit the SowBridge webpage.

For More Information:
Contact Sarah Schieck Boelke, Swine Extension Educator

SowBridge is coordinated by 15 universities, including the University of Minnesota Extension and the Iowa Pork Industry Center, which oversees registration and subscriber mailings.