9th London Swine Conference

More than 300 participants attended the ninth annual London Swine Conference, hosted at the London Convention Centre on April 1-2. This issue of Pork News and Views presents summaries of presentations prepared by OMAFRA staff. The complete proceedings can be found on the London Swine Conference website.

The ambitious program brought together 22 excellent speakers, informative and practical topics and the opportunity to network with a cross-section of the pork industry. The program emphasized practical pork production, from managing highly prolific sows and nursery management to grow-finisher efficiency, new market opportunities and health issues. With the knowledge that efficient production requires constant attention to details, the breakout sessions at the conference provided insights on how to achieve this goal with practical advice from industry experts and innovative frontline producers.

The speakers were impressive. The information and data were up to date and on the leading edge, which has always been a strength of the London Swine Conference. We're fortunate to be able to attract world-class experts as well as draw on our own local expertise to provide an Ontario perspective. The conference proceedings, which will be available on the conference website in May, are recognized as a valuable resource for the industry even outside of Canada.

Featured speakers included Greg Bilbrey from Agri Stats Inc. in Indiana, Charles Haley from the Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health at the USDA, Guy-Pierre Martineau from the National Veterinary School in France, Jurgen Preugschas from the Canadian Pork Council, as well as Pete Wilcock from ABN-Agri. and Kevin Stickney from Harbro Ltd., both based in the United Kingdom. In addition, the program included an impressive array of local producers including Jeff Robinson from Vista Villa Genetics Limited, Dennis Aarts from Aarden Farms, Allen VanRavenswaay from Nature Pork Systems and Paul Hill from Willowgrove Hill.

The London Swine Conference started in 2001, as a joint effort of the University of Guelph, Ontario Pork and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This year saw the beginning of a new partnership with the Ontario Pork Industry Council, further broadening the conference's foundation in the pork industry. This year's conference also garnered the support of 38 industry sponsors. It is one of the largest education events for the swine industry in Ontario.

Congratulations go out to Peter Fleuren from Elgin County, the winner of free registration to the 2010 London Swine Conference.

Planning has already begun for next year's conference, scheduled for the London Convention Centre on March 31-April 1, 2010.

Related Links

• London Swine Conference

June 2009 Pork News & Views - Table of Contents