Montana State University Extension has teamed up with the Montana Pork Producers Council for the first annual Montana Small Pork Producer Conference in Great Falls. Cascade County Extension Agriculture agent Rose has all of the details.

Schedule:

• Saturday April 29th, 2023
• 9:30 a.m. Registration
• 10:00 a.m. Randy Shipley, Shipley Swine Genetics
• 11:30 a.m. Pork Lunch
• 12:30 p.m. Anna Forseth, DVM; National Pork Producers
• 1:30 p.m. Pork Processing Panel
• 2:30 p.m. Food Stations
• 3:30 p.m. Adjourn

Location: Montana ExpoPark’s Family Living Center building. Address is 400 3rd St NW, Great Falls, MT 59404.

Piglets are some of the cutest babies animals around!

We have the Montana Small Pork Producer conference, and this conference is to invite those producers of pigs who maybe have 50 or less, or they have a little side business that they're raising some pigs for some 4-H or FFA kids. It's going to be one day. It's on Saturday, April 29th at Great Falls at the fairgrounds on the MT ExpoPark facility. The one day conference is filled with top notch speakers and presenters.

 

Nothing like a mothers love!

Several local producers and businesses will be there, as well as a couple of speakers that Rose says you will want to hear.

We have some really cool speakers coming. We have Randy Shipley, the owner of Shipley Swine Genetics and Shipley Genetics Boar Studs in Ohio. His farm has 150 sows and 60 head of boars. Randy sells 850 to 1000 bred gilts and 7,000 boxes of semen a year as well as ships semen from coast to coast. Randy started his business in 1968 and married his wife, Sandi, 7 years later. Sandi and Randy’s daughter with their son-in-law joined the business in 2008.

This little oinker has some 'tude!

And then our next speaker is Anna Forseth, DVM, MS is the Director of Animal Health with the National Pork Producers Council. She oversees foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness, antibiotic use and resistance, welfare issues, and other preharvest topics. A Montana native who grew up on the family’s farrow-tofinish swine operation, Forseth received a bachelor’s degree in animal science from MSU, her DVM from Colorado State University, and a master’s in veterinary preventive medicine from Iowa State University.

This little piggy went to the store, this little piggy went.....

Registration is easy, according to Rose.

You can contact me at the extension office in Great Falls. The number's 406 454 6980. Or you can email me at rose.malisani@montana.edu. The cost is $40 per attendee, it includes all of your meals, all of the great food and the great day of learning.

Just a cute picture!

The conference is open to anyone that is interested in the hog industry, regardless of where you live or your operation size. Contact Rose Malisani at (406) 454-6980 for more details or return registration form with payment to: MSU Extension-Cascade County, 3300 Third Street NE, #9, Great Falls, MT 59404 by Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Make checks payable to MSU Extension. Cost is $40

Conference is for 4-H, FFA or anyone interested in learning more about swine production

If you have a story idea or something you want to learn more about, give Randy a call at 406-788-3003 or send me an email at randall.bogden@townsquaremedia.com

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