Annual Swine Conference

Contacts:
Jan Swanson, College of Veterinary Medicine, 612-624-2268
Jan Williams, College of Veterinary Medicine, 612-624-6228

Annual Swine Conference Set for Sept. 17-20

What:
Allen D. Leman Swine Conference

When:
Sept. 17-20, 2005

Where:
RiverCentre, St. Paul, Minn.

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (July 27, 2005) – More than 700 swine veterinarians, researchers, producers, and industry executives from around the world will gather at RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 17-20 for the annual Allen D. Leman Swine Conference hosted by the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. The conference will include –

• Four keynote speakers: Don Butler, director of government relations and public affairs at Murphy-Brown, LLC, Warsaw, North Carolina; Joe Connor, D.V.M., president of Carthage Veterinary Service, Carthage, Ill.; John Deen, D.V.M., Ph.D., director of the Swine Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine; and Marguerite Pappaioanou, D.V.M., Ph.D., an epidemiologist with the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and School of Public Health.
• Session topics ranging from biosecurity and emerging diseases to feeding and housing to finance and production.
• A poster session featuring new research findings.
• A two-day trade show in which more than 40 swine-related exhibitors will participate.
• The presentation of the 2005 Allen D. Leman Science in Practice award to Darwin Reicks, D.V.M., a swine veterinary consultant at the Swine Vet Center in St. Peter, Minnesota.

According to the Minnesota Pork Board, Minnesota is the third major pork-producing state, with 6.4 million pigs and hogs. In 2003, Minnesota pork producers earned $1.07 billion in on-farm, gross income from marketing their pigs and generated another $3 billion in economic activity for the state. About 22,550 Minnesota residents are involved in various aspects of the pork industry, from production to processing and handling.

Nationwide, a total inventory of 60 million pigs and hogs are part of more than 80,000 pig operations. About 565,780 people are involved in various aspects of the pork industry, which provides an estimated $20.8 billion of personal income and represents $32.5 billion of the gross national product.

The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine is a leader in research on Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), an infectious disease that has been economically devastating for the swine industry. In 2004, the University received a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study PRRS. See news release. The University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory recently introduced a new, improved diagnostic test for PRRS. See news release.

For more information about the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, visit www.cvm.umn.edu/outreach/events/adl or contact Veterinary Continuing Education at 612-624-3434, 800-380-8636, or vop@umn.edu.

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