Start your learning early and earn extra CEs by attending pre-conference sessions at the Leman Swine Conference

Icon of person with shapes in foreground George Foxcroft Reproduction Workshop: Closing the gap – Why the top 20% of farms outperform the average

The genetic potential of contemporary commercial dam lines sets the bar for outstanding performance, yet many herds fail to realize this potential. Closing the gap between the average breeding herd and the top 10-20% remains an opportunity for industry improvement. This workshop explores the critical aspects of breeding herd management that support excellent productivity. Achieving this requires a multifaceted approach to navigating the everyday challenges and opportunities that address everything from gilt and sow management, to herd health, the role of the boar stud, data management and more.

Icon of person with shapes in foreground Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Lab Workshop: Swine necropsy

This session will take place at the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. The focus will be on systematic swine necropsy and how necropsies fit into your herd diagnostic program. Transportation will be available from the RiverCentre to the VDL, departing at 8:15 a.m.

Icon of person with shapes in foreground Geeks to Geeks: Beyond pigs – The broader impacts of animal disease outbreaks on public health

Foreign animal diseases can cause significant harm to the economy of countries affected by epidemics. In this workshop, we will explore the broad consequences of non zoonotic diseases on public health using African Swine Fever (ASF) as a working example. 

Icon of person with shapes in foreground Sessions in Spanish and Portuguese

Join us Saturday evening for a special pre-conference session in Spanish or Portuguese!

Icon of a virus Carlos Pijoan SDEC Symposium:  Pathogen eradication in the US swine industry — Pathways and probabilities

State and national health improvement initiatives have been proposed and are in the early stages of implementation, such as the MN Pork Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) elimination initiative, the National Swine Health Strategy, and the US SHIP national PEDV elimination and Mhp certification. As resources are being allocated to the endeavors, it is imperative to attempt to define the processes and quantify the probability of success for each of the pathogens under consideration: PEDV, PRRSV and Mhp.

MSIP pig lightbulb logo Clinical cases and problem-solving skills by DVM students

Finalists for the Morrison Swine Innovator Prize will present their work during this session. The objective of the prize is to inspire and support the next generation of swine veterinary industry leaders and to connect them to today’s top producers and veterinary clinics while following Dr. Morrison’s mantra of “Learn, teach, and have fun.”

Icon of a pie chart Research highlights

This session showcases some of the most innovative and high-impact abstracts submitted by researchers to the Leman Conference. Come and learn about what is new in swine research around the world from a diverse group of science-driven experts.

Icon of a strip of bacon Beer and bacon conversation with Dr. Scott Dee

Portrait of Dr. Scott Dee

Join us for the Beer and Bacon conversation with Dr. Scott Dee.

Dr. Dee will share his reflections about his accomplished career and the journey towards PRRS biosecurity, control, and elimination. As always, he will challenge us to think about virus control in new ways. This session will take place at the St. Paul RiverCentre, registration is required.
Sponsored by Elanco

Have you registered for the conference yet? Register today to take advantage of the ready registration rate, ending August 14! 

Vaccines developed with pig models hold the key to tackling the global threat of flu

As the world continues to grapple with evolving infectious diseases, scientists are increasingly turning to pigs in the fight against influenza. 

A team of international researchers, including experts from the University of Minnesota, believes treatments and vaccines that prove effective in pigs are more likely to succeed in humans compared to those developed using traditional small-animal models.

Continue reading “Vaccines developed with pig models hold the key to tackling the global threat of flu”

Hygiene procedures of trucks transporting live pigs: multi-assessment validation of a standardized C&D protocol

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

The Science Page this week is brought to you by researchers Alice Perrucci, Alice Magri, Vanessa Cardana, Simona Zoppi, Claudia Cossettini, and Annalisa Scollo.

Continue reading “Hygiene procedures of trucks transporting live pigs: multi-assessment validation of a standardized C&D protocol”

Determining farm surface porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) contamination through viability RT-qPCR

This is our Friday rubric: every week a new Science Page from the Bob Morrison’s Swine Health Monitoring Project. The previous editions of the science page are available on our website.

In this week’s Science Page we take a look at a study by Claudio Marcello Melini, Amanda Palowski, Declan C. Schroeder, and Cesar A. Corzo evaluating PRRSV viability on various surfaces found in growing sites.

Continue reading “Determining farm surface porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) contamination through viability RT-qPCR”