Tri-state sow event: the latest on group housing
The first-ever Tri-State Sow Housing Conference will be held on February 9, 2016, in Columbus, OH, United States, in conjunction with the Ohio Pork Congress.
The event, for which pre-registration is possible until February 1, marks a next step in the United States’ development towards embracing group housing systems. Over the years, increasing numbers of large pork producers decided to move away from the use of sow stalls. When choosing for new ways of production, however, the main questions are ‘how?’.
Also read: Group sow housing; coming to America
For the US swine industry, the most controversial animal welfare issue debated over to date is the discussion on housing facilities of pregnant sows; more specifically, the use of gestation stalls/crates.
With exactly that question in mind, the sow housing conference aims to provide educational material to help prepare Indiana, Michigan and Ohio producers. The event, organised by The Ohio State University, Michigan State University and Purdue University, shall have various speakers from the US and abroad, sharing insights from many angles.
- Jennifer Raspaldo from OSI Group LLC will speak on marketing pressure related to group housing;
- JJ Jones, The Center for Food Integrity, will speak about public perception on sow housing;
- A tri-state producer panel will consist of Barton Farms, Belstra Milling, Hord Livestock and Swine Management Services LLC;
- Jon Hoek, Belstra Milling will spend attention to employee training for group housed sows;
- Ron Bates, Michigan State University shall talk about sow housing options;
- A sow housing workshop will be given by Lisbeth Ulrich Hansen, Danish Swine Research Centre;
- The event is closed off by a producer panel.
The conference will be held in the Crowne Plaza North, in Columbus, OH. It will last from 8 am until 4 pm.
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