1/11/99

Contacts:
Palmer Holden, Animal Science, (515) 294-2240
Barbara McManus, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0707

ISU RESEARCHERS TO SHARE EXPERTISE AT IOWA PORK CONGRESS

AMES -- Iowa Pork Congress participants won't have to look too far to have questions answered by Iowa State University experts.

ISU researchers will present more than one-third of the seminars during the Iowa Pork Congress trade show to be held in Des Moines on Jan. 20 and 21. Attendees can also ask specific questions at the ISU "Ask a Specialist" booth in Vets Auditorium.

Specialists will be able to answer questions concerning ag engineering, the environment, computer software, farm management, animal nutrition, genetics and reproduction, swine health and food and nutrition. Palmer Holden, ISU animal science professor, is organizing the booth and estimates that 60 experts will be available during the two-day period to answer questions.

"In addition, the food and nutrition group will provide new product taste-testing," Holden said.

The 1998 ISU swine research report will also be available at the Iowa Pork Congress. The report contains more than 70 articles outlining pork research at ISU. Holden said the Iowa Pork Industry Center will also have a booth near the "Ask a Specialist" area.

The seminars being presented during the trade show cover a wide range of pork related topics. Holden will present a seminar discussing the advantages of adding phytase to feed to lower the amount of phosphorous in manure. The enzyme increases plant phosphorous digestibility in pigs and reduces the amount of phosphorous in manure by half. Phosphorous levels in Iowa soil tend to be high, so it's important to minimize this input if manure is used as a fertilizer.

Jay Harmon, ISU Extension ag engineer, will present guidelines for setting up hoop buildings for sows during gestation. This seminar will help producers decide how hoop buildings can fit into their pork production operations.

The latest information about Porcine Reproductive Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC) will be provided by Dr. Pat Halbur, ISU veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine professor. He will discuss how to identify these diseases and use vaccination, medication and management practices to control them.

Darwin Miller, ISU Extension education director in Cerro Gordo County, will provide hints on where to find and how to keep good employees. Other issues such as team building, management techniques and motivation incentives will also be addressed.

The future of hog and feed prices will be the topic of the "Ag Price Forecasting" seminar presented by John Lawrence, ISU economics professor and Don Close, Pioneer Hybrid International Inc. marketing services representative. They will discuss current trends and future price cycles.

Dan Meyer and Kris Kohl, who are both ISU ag engineers, will share their experiences in troubleshooting and solving ventilation problems. This interactive session will address methods to improve swine performance by enhancing ventilation systems.

The Iowa Pork Congress will begin with a business meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The trade show and seminars are scheduled to begin Wednesday, Jan. 20.

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