South Dakota State University Extension is inviting swine producers to join this year’s SowBridge, the online educational series provided by the Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University.
SowBridge is for those who work with sows, boars and piglets, and in swine genetics and reproduction. The 2025 series begins on Feb. 5, and will generally continue on the first Wednesday of the month from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. CST. The fifth session will be on May 28 to avoid conflicts with the World Pork Expo.
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link. It is $200 for the first registration, and half that for each subsequent registration from the same entity. Participants can use a call-in option instead of Zoom if they prefer. To register, visit extension.sdstate.edu/events and search “SowBridge”.
The SowBridge series is provided through a cooperative effort of 15 colleges and universities from the nation’s major swine-producing states. Ryan Samuel, SDSU Extension Swine Specialist, said he and SDSU Extension are part of the team that plans the event.
“SowBridge distance learning allows participants to learn directly from experts and ask questions during the live event or by contacting the speaker after the individual sessions,” Samuel said.
Sherry Hoyer, communication specialist with the Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University, said suggestions from participants guide the selection of future topics and speakers, and the opportunity for interaction with session speakers will continue this year.
2025 session dates and topics:
- Feb. 5 – H5N1 as it relates to pigs
- Mar. 5 – Feeding frequency pre-farrow: impact on farrowing duration
- April 2 – Your farm broke with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS)/porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED): now what?
- May 7 – Overcoming barriers and understanding the psychological impact of pig euthanasia
- May 28 – Iron status of sows: impacts on farrowing duration
- July 2 – How to manage gilts not cycling
- Aug. 6 – Diagnostic testing
- Sept. 3 – Depopulation preparedness
- Oct. 1 – Where’s the draft coming from?
- Nov. 5 – Farrowing stall environment management
- Dec. 3 – Heat synchronization protocols
- Jan. 7, 2026 – Stress treating sows according to farm standard operating procedure
For more information on the sessions or registration, contact Hoyer by phone at 515-294-4496 or email shoyer@iastate.edu.
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