The distance educational series known as PorkBridge begins its fourth year with a new lineup of speakers and topics focused on the grow-finish segment of production.

PorkBridge provides learning at home combining electronic information viewed on computer with live, oral presentations by phone. The week before each program, subscribers receive a CD with that session’s presentation and additional information. Each session lasts 90 minutes and begins at noon central standard time.

The cost for this year’s sessions in the series is $125, the same as last year. This covers materials and phone calls for all six sessions, scheduled on an every-other-month basis from March 2009 through January 2010. Producers need to enroll by Feb. 20, 2009 in order to participate in the first session on March 5, 2009.

For registration information, contact Sherry Hoyer at the Iowa Pork Industry Center by phone (515) 294-4496 or fax (515) 294-5698. 
Session dates, speakers and topics include:

March 5, 2009: John Waddell, DVM, Sutton (NE) Veterinary Clinic, “Current Swine Health Challenges and Solutions.”
May 7, 2009: Tom Guthrie, Michigan State University, “Managing Water.”
July 2, 2009: Jay Harmon, Iowa State University, “Energy Use and Conservation for Swine Barns.”
Sept. 3, 2009: John Lory, University of Missouri, “Manure Value and Alteration of Composition.”
Nov. 5, 2009: Collette Schultz-Kaster and Roger Johnson, Farmland Foods, “Packer Perspective on Quality of Hogs.”
Jan. 7, 2010: Mike Tokach, Kansas State University, “Marketing Your Hogs at the Ideal Weight.”