The Leman Swine Conference is Sept. 23-26 at RiverCentre in St. Paul, MN. To register online go to www.cvm.umn.edu/outreach/events/adl. For questions, call (612) 624-3434 or (800) 380-8636 or go to vop@umn.edu.

On Sept. 23, pre-conference workshops cover sow production targets, production analysis, swine lameness and arthritis and an advanced ventilation workshop.

On Sept. 24, pre-conference workshops include a swine disease eradication symposium, design of clinical field trials and the impact of ethanol on swine nutritional economics.

The program Sept. 25 features keynote addresses by Brian Knudson of Cargill on comparative advantages of pork production around the world and Charlie Arnot of CMA Consulting, LLC on why consumers don’t understand the pork industry’s position on animal welfare.

Concurrent sessions Sept. 25 deal mainly with respiratory disease in the growing pig, antibiotic use, animal welfare and a series of case studies. Keynote addresses Sept. 26 feature Bill Christianson, DVM, with PIC USA discussing the paradox of increasing mortality and health expenditures, and Jim Collins, director of the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, reviewing pathogens and how they evolve.

Concurrent sessions Sept. 26 cover Actinobacillus suis, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome and the impact of season on production.

An interactive debate will close the conference with a look at how swine movement in North America hinders disease control, especially for emerging diseases.