Herd health management is critical to the sustainability of any pork production operation. Bacterial and viral infections can have long-lasting repercussions to the herd and the producers’ bottom lines.
Leading the list is porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a viral disease that affects swine reproductive and respiratory systems. To help provide answers, the "Managing to Eliminate PRRS on the Farm" seminar, sponsored by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, will take place from 9:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 10. The discussion will be held in the Marketing Information Center, sponsored by Pork magazine, National Pork Board and National Pork Producers Council, located on the upper level of the Varied Industries Building.
Paul Ruen, DVM at the Fairmont Veterinary Clinic in Fairmont, Minnesota and AASV president, and a panel of swine veterinarians and pork producers will present the seminar. Panelists include: Scott Dee, DVM, professor of Veterinary Population Medicine at University of Minnesota; David Nolan, DVM, Cargill Pork; Rodney "Butch" Baker, DVM, professor of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine at Iowa State University; Jon Caspers, co-owner and general manager of Pleasant Valley Pork, and Steve Langhorst, co-owner and the CEO of Wakefield Pork. These experts will discuss how the virus spreads, ideas to prevent PRRS from infecting your farm, creating and implementing a biosecurity plan, the effect of PRRS on herds and production potential, controlling and eliminating the virus from herds, and producers’ grassroots projects to eliminate PRRS from their areas.
| Speakers | Time | Topic |
| Paul Ruen Fairmont, MN |
10 min | Welcome & Goals of the Seminar Frustrations of PRRS in farms Sharing information — some good things are happening PRRS CAP update |
| Scott Dee St. Paul, MN |
20 min | What we know about keeping PRRSv out of your farm How the virus spreads Pieces of a functional biosecurity plan — we have tools |
| David Nolan Wichita, KS |
15 min | The impact/value of not having PRRSv in the farm Life before & life after Key management points Effects on production & financial |
| Butch Baker Ames, IA |
20 min | Control and then eliminating PRRSv from a farm/flow/area Proven steps to stabilize PRRSv on a farm Producers working together for area PRRS control |
| Jon Caspers Swaledale, IA |
15 min | Producer experience with PRRS Why did I decide to eliminate PRRSv? NPPC/NPB/AASV working together to encourage area projects |
| Steve Langhorst Gaylord, MN |
15 min | Producer experience with area PRRS project How the grass-roots process works, struggles and successes |
| All | 10 min | Further Question and Answer time with the speaker panel |
The 2010 World Pork Expo will be held June 9 – 11 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. Producers can pre-register for World Pork Expo 2010 at its website. Admission is $5 in advance or $15 at the gate. Attendees are encouraged to sign-up for the Remind Me text message service to receive notification about the seminars and events going on during Expo. To learn more, visit the World Pork Expo Online Resource Center
Source: NPPC