The National Institute for Animal Agriculture’s 2012 Annual Conference, “Living in a World of Decreasing Resources and Increasing Regulation: How to Advance Animal Agriculture,” March 27-28, in Denver, Colo., will look at how challenges such as tight credit, increased capital requirements, environmental regulations, drought and other weather issues, more demanding animal care standards and misperceptions about how animals are raised are impacting animal agriculture—and what steps can be taken to advance animal agriculture in light on these challenges.

In addition to listening to keynote presentations, attendees are encouraged to participate in the species-specific committee meetings and council meetings: bovine committee, equine committee, poultry committee, small ruminant committee, swine committee, animal health emergency management council, antibiotics council, animal care council, emerging disease council, animal identification and information systems council and global animal health, food security and trade council. Each species-specific committee meeting and council meeting will have highly targeted speakers and attendees will address issues relevant to the species or council.

NIAA conference attendees are also welcome to participate in a Colorado cattle industry tour on Thursday, March 29. NIAA’s post-conference tour includes visits to JBS packing plant, Five Rivers Kuner Feedlot and Guttersen Ranches.

To learn more about NIAA’s Annual Conference, please visit online: http://animalagriculture.org/Solutions/Annual%20Conference/2012/Home.html

Register now for the International Symposium on Managing Animal Mortality, Products, By-Products, and Associated Health Risk, scheduled from May 21-24, 2012 in Dearborn, Mich.

Managing animal tissue (mortalities, products and by-products) is a significant challenge and a major responsibility for routine production of animals, as well as in emergencies. Catastrophic losses of poultry and livestock caused by disease, fire, or weather-related stresses, and routine losses associated with large-scale production operations have become significant environmental, biosecurity and waste management concerns around the globe.

Join veterinarians, animal industry and government professionals, academics, extension educators, food and agriculture emergency managers, public health managers, food animal processors, rendering professionals, and producers from around the world by registering at http://web2.msue.msu.edu/smam/register.cfm.

Register before April 20, 2012 to receive the $300 early bird rate. Take advantage of one of the four optional tours to see how border management, on farm composting and rendering are being handled in new and innovative ways. Tours are an additional $30. For those who are unable to attend the full conference, daily registration options are available.

The conference will feature poster sessions, keynote speakers, demonstrations of new technology and hands-on training activities. Sessions and speakers will include the following topics: environmental effects of disposal, mechanical disposal technologies, decontamination, animal mortality composting, depopulation, foods of animal origin, emergency response and policy and lessons learned. Click here to download a complete schedule. If you know someone interested in the partner program a full listing can be found here.

If you are interested in participating in the conference with a presentation or poster there is still time to submit an abstract. Information about submitting can be found at: http://web2.msue.msu.edu/smam/poster.cfm.

The symposium is supported by the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense (FAZD Center), a Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Center of Excellence, and various government and educational institutions across North America. The symposium will be hosted by Michigan State University. To learn more about the symposium and how to be involved as presenter, participant, demonstrator or sponsor visit http://umaine.edu/byproducts-symposium/.

Tuesday, May 22 – Thursday, May 24, 2012
Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas

PORK 101 is a three-day, hands-on educational opportunity to update interested participants on quality and consistency issues in the pork industry. It includes insight on value differences in swine, pork carcasses, pork primals and processed pork products due to quality variation.

Through PORK 101, you will have the chance to evaluate eight live hogs. The animals will be processed during the class with participants learning about grading, food safety and product processing. Finally, the class will make and sample processed product from the hogs including pumped loins, bacon, hams and sausage.

To register online please click here!

Program topics include live hog grading and evaluation, carcass fabrication, curing production, lean pricing and more. Go to here for more information.

Click here to download the PDF registration form. Please complete and return to information@meatscience.org or fax to 1-888-205-5834.

Registration fee:

AMSA, AAMP, AMIF, ASAS, NAMP, NMA and SMA Members: $800
Non AMSA Member: $950
AMSA Student Member: $300

For AAMP, AMIF, ASAS, NAMP, NMA and SMA members please complete the registration form and fax the form to 1-888-205-5834 to receive the member price for the PORK 101 course.

Registration fee includes all course materials, course workbook, dinner on Tuesday and lunch and dinner on Wednesday.

Group Registration Discount:

Companies or organizations sending more than one person to a course are eligible for a discount. The second person is 10% off and additional people are 25% off the regular registration rate. To qualify, fill out the registration form for all attendees from your organization and fax or email to AMSA. Attendees must be attending the class at the same location to qualify for the discount. Please contact Nancy Hayes nhayes@meatscience.org or 1-800-517-2672 ext. 11 for questions regarding the group registration discount

Sponsors:

PORK 101 is co-sponsored by the American Association of Meat Processors (AAMP), American Meat Institute Foundation (AMIF), American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP), National Meat Association (NMA), and the Southwest Meat Association (SMA).

If you cannot make it to this Pork 101 course, plan for the Pork 101 course from Oct. 15 to 17.

May 23, 2012
National Pork Board Swine Influenza Working Group
Des Moines, IA

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Dr. Temple Grandin

Animal Welfare: The Right Thing to Do

Speaking on Wednesday, May 23, 2012

1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Victoria Inn, Brandon, MB

Hear this best-selling author, inspirational speaker and consultant to the livestock industry discuss animal welfare.

Register today!

*All tickets complimentary

Donations gratefully accepted for the National Farm Animal Care Council.

TO REGISTER AND RESERVE YOUR SEAT, CONTACT:

Manitoba Pork Council

204-237-7447 or info@manitobapork.com

Manitoba Beef Producers

204-772-4542 or info@mbbeef.ca

Register online at templegrandin.eventbrite.ca

Sponsors:

(Listed alphabetically)

HyLife Ltd.

Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives

Manitoba Beef Producers

Manitoba Pork Council

Maple Leaf Foods

Quintaine Livestock

Steve’s Livestock Transport

What: Biosecurity Training Session

Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Time: 9AM-12PM

Location: Belmore Arena, Belmore

Producers that are interested in the program and have not attended an “in-class” training session can attend the upcoming training date. Pre-registration is required. Contact Ripley-Huron Veterinary Clinic at 519-395-2906

The Canadian Swine Health Board (CSHB) launched a National Swine Farm-Level Biosecurity Standard in the fall of 2010. For implementation of the biosecurity standard, a farm-level training program has been developed. Ontario Pork is coordinating the biosecurity program provincially.

Producers that have attended an “in-class” training session are encouraged to fill out a self-assessment of their current biosecurity practices and develop an action plan to improve biosecurity on-farm. Once the self-assessment is completed, producers need to arrange a farm visit with their herd health veterinarian to review the action plan and make additional recommendations on biosecurity practices as required. Producers will be reimbursed $500 per barn site for the completed self-assessment. Producers will be reimbursed an additional $500 per barn site to cover the costs of the veterinarian visit. Both payments will be made after Ontario Pork receives the self-assessment and action plan from the veterinarian.

Note: No funding for the self-assessment will be provided, until the veterinarian visit is completed. Barn sites are also required to have a valid CQA registration.

The Texas Pork Leadership Camp is a unique opportunity for 4-H and FFA students that have an interest in swine projects and want to get to know more about the pork industry. The camp is a traveling bus tour with visits at key industry locations for 16 students and the chaperons. This camp is not like any other camp; it starts in Perryton, TX and ends in College Station, TX. Please look for information and applications in the mail or contact Cassidy Smith at csmith@texaspork.org or 800-501-7675. ** Due to our website being down the application is not available online we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause but please fill free to contact the TPPA office for more information and the application. Application Deadline: April 16, 2012 Click Here for Application and Information!

PURPOSE:
To give participants an in-depth look at the pork industry through special tours and hands-on learning activities and to develop leadership skills to enable them to be effective spokespersons for the pork industry.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT and HANDS-ON LEARNING EXPERIENCES:
Each individual participating in the camp will be required to give two three-minute individual oral presentations and work together with other participants on team projects.  Each student will have media training and will have to participate in a mock television interview.  They will also be required to participate in a final discussion at the end of the camp answering questions prepared by other campers and staff. The camp leaders will provide assistance for all of these activities.   Each individual will be involved in the actual harvesting and processing of live swine.  Individual participation is required in all of these activities.  Students should not register for this camp if the they are not eager and serious about learning and participating in these public speaking and meat processing activities.

COST:
A $350 fee will be required for each participant, paid upon acceptance to participate.  Do not send fee with application.  All other expenses, except for transportation to Amarillo and from College Station, will be assumed by the Texas Pork Producers Association.  Participants may want some money for personal spending.  If you have problems with the fee, please call your County Extension Agent or your Agricultural Science Instructor for a possible fee scholarship from the county 4-H or FFA program.

APPLICATIONS:
For an application form for prospective participants please contact the TPPA Office at 512-453-0615.  Please feel free to duplicate as many as necessary to permit all interested 4-H and FFA members to apply.  Candidates should fax their application directly to the Texas Pork Producers Association at 512-451-5536 and mail the application to TPPA, P.O. Box 10168, Austin, TX 78766.  Applicants will also be interviewed by phone or in person prior to selection.

Application Deadline: April 16, 2012.
Click Here for Application and More Information!

Jun 4 – 5, 2012
PRRS Elimination Meeting
West Des Moines, IA

Welcome to the official Web site of the World Pork Expo

Nearly 20,000 producers and industry professionals attend the World Pork Expo, the world’s largest pork-specific trade show featuring business seminars, hundreds of exhibitors, breed shows and sales, and plenty of food and entertainment for everyone.

The World Pork Expo will be held June 8-18, 202  in Des Moines at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Show hours are:

June 10th to 13th, 2012 in Jeju, Korea — IPVS 2012 will be a meaningful congress for the reasons that the congress is coming back to Asia in 16 years and Korea is an important player in the ever-growing Asian swine market of feed, pork and animal health products. We are devoting our utmost efforts to prepare for a most meaningful meeting, and hope that we can follow in the footsteps of the successes of the previous congresses.  The theme of the congress will be  ‘Happy Pigs – Healthy People’.
Please click here for more information.