“Weathering the Storm” is the theme of the 2008 University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture Swine Institute set for Nov. 11-12 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Columbia, MO.

This year’s topics cover environmental pressures; improving feed efficiency to compensate for higher feed costs; the use of alternative, lower-cost feeds; improving energy use and thermal comfort of pigs. Goal of the conference is to provide strategies to help producers monitor and manage more efficiently.

A featured speaker will be Mike Brumm of the Brumm Swine Consultancy in North Mankato, MN, who will address energy management in hog buildings.

Keynote speaker will be agricultural activist Trent Loos, a sixth-generation farmer from Nebraska, who will speak on his mission to share the positive story of production agriculture with consumers and the world.