AMES, Iowa — SowBridge, the distance educational series for those who work with sows, boars, and piglets, and with genetic and reproductive issues, begins its next program year in early February 2025, and registration is now underway. The series is provided online through the Zoom platform and each session is recorded for later viewing.

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 not change.

“SowBridge provides all participants with the opportunity to hear directly from experts, and to contact those experts following the individual sessions,” she said.

Sessions generally are held on the first Wednesday of the month and run from 11:15 a.m. to about 12:15 p.m. Central Time. One exception this year: the fifth session is moved up one week to May 28 to avoid conflicts with World Pork Expo.

During each session, participants can ask questions of the industry expert presenter from the comfort of their home, office, or swine unit. Each registration provides access to one Zoom connection per session and all program materials provided by presenters.

The cost is $200 ($U.S.) for the first registration and half that amount for each subsequent registration from the same entity.

Registration is due Jan. 20, 2025, to ensure participants have access to materials for the first session on Feb. 5. A flyer with information and registration form is available on the IPIC website.

The 2025-2026 program session dates and topics are as follows.

• Feb. 5.  H5N1 as it Relates to Pigs
• Mar. 5.  Feeding Frequency Pre-Farrow: Impact on Farrowing Duration
• April 2.  Your Farm Broke with PRSS/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.  Treating Sows According to Farm SOP

For more information on the sessions or registration, contact Hoyer by phone at 515-294-4496 or email shoyer@iastate.edu.

SowBridge is provided through a cooperative effort of 15 colleges and universities from the nation’s major swine producing states.

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IPIC was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort of the colleges of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Veterinary Medicine at ISU. Its mission is to promote efficient pork production technologies in Iowa, maintain Iowa's pork industry leadership and strengthen rural development efforts. IPIC focuses its efforts on programs that are integral and complementary to ISU Extension and Outreach. Through IPIC, Iowa producers receive accurate and timely information to make their operations more efficient and profitable.