The recent spread of African swine fever in the Dominican Republic emphasizes the importance of foreign animal disease preparedness, including proper biosecurity measures. The Iowa Pork Industry Center, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Iowa Pork Producers Association have teamed up to provide five workshops throughout the state.

ISU Extension and Outreach swine veterinarian Chris Rademacher, who also is the Iowa Pork Industry Center interim director, says the "Foreign Animal Disease Preparation for Pork Producers" workshops will focus on the "next steps" in FAD preparedness at the farm level.

"We'll introduce and explain how to use programs and tools to be prepared for an FAD outbreak and subsequent investigations, including enrollment in US-SHIP, AgView and Secure Pork Supply," Rademacher says. "We'll also talk about available resources for contingency planning for sites located within control zones, and potential mitigation strategies for feed shortages during the initial movement standstill."

Updates on ASF in the Dominican Republic, an ASF vaccine and the Certified Swine Sample Collector program also will be shared. Following the presentations, all speakers will be available for a Q&A session on any aspect of FAD awareness and preparation.

The program will be delivered collaboratively by Rademacher, the extension swine specialist for each respective location, and depending on schedule, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship staff member Amanda Chipman and state veterinarian Jeff Kaisand.

All workshops run from 1- 4 p.m. CT and are free to attend. Preregistration is requested. To preregister complete this form.

For more information, contact the specialist listed by the location you wish to attend.

Source: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.