Released: January 22, 2002

Veterinarian to Discuss Challenges, Opportunities in Swine Industry

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas pork producers often enjoy a wealth of opportunity, but there are challenges that they likely will face in the future that could threaten their livelihood.

Fortunately, "in Kansas, we’ve done very well adjusting to the changes of the industry," said Steven Henry, a veterinarian from Abilene (Kan.) who will deliver the opening address at the Swine Profitability Conference in Manhattan Feb. 5.

Henry notes that the state’s wide open spaces, plentiful grain supplies and crops that can use animal manure as fertilizer are factors that help make Kansas "ideal" for raising swine. But the industry will soon face challenges due to an aging producer population and diminishing labor force, as well as "environmental-mania" – or concern about the environmental safety of farm practices, Henry said.

During this year’s Swine Profitability Conference, "we’re going to sit down and look at the history of swine production, and where [Kansas producers] stand in the world in terms of pork production," Henry said. "And we’ll discuss the challenges and opportunities we have before us."

Henry’s talk – the Jack and Pat Anderson Lecture in Swine Health Management – is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. at the Kansas State University student union. The Swine Profitability Conference will run through mid-afternoon. The pre-registration fee is $25 and is due by Jan. 28. The late fee is $50.

The conference is co-sponsored by Kansas State University’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry; K-State Research and Extension; Kansas Pork Association; and the American Association of Swine Practitioners.

For more information, interested persons may call the K-State Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at 785-532-1267, or visit the department’s Website at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_ansi/.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Pat Melgares, News Coordinator
pmelgare@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News