The Minnesota Pork Congress at the Minneapolis Convention Center kicks off Jan. 16 with the Taste of Elegance Culinary Judging at 2:30 p.m., followed by the Taste of Elegance Culinary Awards at 6:30 p.m. at the Minneapolis Hilton.

At the show Jan. 17, an all-morning Custom Manure Applicators Workshop covering nitrate testing, manure value, business economics, business insurance and labor issues will be offered.

Morning sessions also include how to become a successful supervisor and a market outlook by John Lawrence of Iowa State University.

Afternoon program features “The Corn Conundrum: A Mini-Conference on the Use of Corn in the Pork Industry.” Topics include:

• New & Old Ideas for Corn Procurement & Risk Management, Brian Buhr, University of Minnesota;
• DDGS Use in Sow Diets, Sam Baidoo, University of Minnesota;
• DDGS in Grow-Finish Systems, Jerry Shurson, University of Minnesota; and
• Flowability Issues with DDGS, Lee Johnston, University of Minnesota.

On Jan. 18, Jay Harmon of Iowa State University addresses improving energy efficiency by cutting back power costs.

A morning forum on porcine circovirus-associated disease (PCVAD) includes:

• Background and Disease Transmission, Jerry Torrison, DVM, University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory;
• Diagnosis…Then What? Kurt Rossow, DVM, University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory; and
• Economic Considerations of PCVAD, Tom Gillespie, DVM, Rensselaer Swine Services, Rensselaer, IN.

Also that morning is a talk on reducing hog losses in transit by Mike Ellis of the University of Illinois. Scott Dee, DVM, University of Minnesota, provides new information and initiatives on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome.

For more information, contact the Minnesota Pork Producers Council at (507) 345-8814 or mnpork@mnpork.com.