SDSU to host second annual Swine Day on Nov. 6

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BROOKINGS – The South Dakota State University Second Annual Swine Day will be held on Nov. 6 at McCrory Gardens in Brookings.

“SDSU Swine Day is an opportunity to learn more about the swine industry in South Dakota as well as the groundbreaking research going on at the swine units,” said Ryan Samuel, SDSU Extension swine nutrition specialist. “Issues relevant to the swine industry continue to be investigated by SDSU researchers for betterment of the industry locally and abroad and will be discussed at the event.”

The event begins at 9 a.m. with a poster session highlighting graduate research projects from the past year. Attendees are invited to visit with graduate students about their projects. The formal program will follow at 10 a.m. 

Steve Rommereim, recently elected president of the National Pork Board, will deliver a keynote address titled “A year in the life of a pig farmer.” Rommereim is the owner, operator and manager of Highland Swine in Alcester. He has served as a South Dakota delegate to the Pork Industry Forum since 2003 and previously served as president of both the South Dakota Pork Producers Association and Agriculture United for South Dakota.

A U.S. Pork Industry’s Pig Farmer of Tomorrow, Adam Krause from Clear Lake, will discuss being a spokesperson for the pig farming industry through personal contact and social media.

After a lunch sponsored by the South Dakota Pork Producers Council, SDSU Extension Swine Specialist Bob Thaler will speak about his experience as a Fulbright Scholar in Vietnam earlier this year. The SDSU swine faculty will also highlight some of their recently completed and ongoing research.

This year’s SDSU Swine Day celebrates the second anniversary of the grand opening of the new SDSU Swine Education and Research Facility and Wean-to-Finish Research Barn in Brookings. Officially dedicated in October of 2016, SDSU Department of Animal Science researchers continue to utilize the $7.4 million facility to investigate issues relevant to the swine industry.

The event is open to the public and registration is requested. The full schedule and registration information are available on iGrow.

For more information, contact Ryan Samuel, Assistant Professor and SDSU Extension swine specialist at 605.688.5431 or by email.