Wal-Mart Meat Division V.P. Keynote At Midwest Pork Conference INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—Pork producers from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan have joined forces to organize the first ever Midwest Pork Conference (MPC), September 6 and 7 at the Indiana State Fair Events Cen ter, Indianapolis, Ind. “Marketing For Profitability” is the theme for the educational sessions on Friday, September 7. Experts will conduct professional training sessions on maximizing opportunities in a changing mar ket, marketing manure, success ful industry marketing ventures, Humans And Horses At Risk For Mosquito-Bome Diseases ANNAPOLIS, Md. Concern about mosquito-bome disease in fecting Maryland’s equine ani mals, ostriches and emus is rising among Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) veterinarians. Conditions are favorable for ap pearance of both Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Viral Encephalitis (WNV) in Maryland and surrounding states this summer. Both viruses are spread by mosquitoes from in fected birds to humans, horses, and various species of birds. Mosquitoes trapped recently on Ctuncoteague Island, Va. were found infected with EEE virus. Four crows found dead in Balti more tested positive for WNV, and the disease has been found in New Jersey crows and mosqui toes as well as in mosquitoes trapped in Delaware. Further more, large populations of mos quitoes are predicted in all Mid- Atlantic states. Horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules can be protected from EEE by vaccination, but the vaccines are only effective for six to 12 months. Maryland State Veteri narian, Dr. Roger Olson, urges owners of equine animals, os triches and emus to take precau tionary measures against the dis eases and to consult their local veterinarian about vaccination l»M****»** * 11 * ** * ** ****** * ** * mandatory price reporting, pack er profiles, adding value to pork through niche marketing and food safety issues in the pork in dustry. Keynote speaker is Ken Par nell, vice president of Wal-Mart’s meat division. Parnell will discuss Wal-Mart’s meat sales activities and where he sees the future for the meat industry. Sponsored by the Indiana Pork Producers Association (IPPA), in cooperation with the Ohio, Mich igan and Kentucky pork produc ers associations, the two-day against EEE. It is hoped that a vaccine for WNV will be avail able for horses later this year. Meanwhile, the risk can be re duced by avoiding exposure to mosquitoes and helping to elimi nate breeding sites of mosquitoes. Recommendations, which can be adapted to protect both horses and humans, include avoiding outdoor activities after dusk, use of insect repellents, eliminating standing water, installing fine mesh screening in windows and doors of homes and stables, and avoiding marshes and wetlands. People are advised to wear light colored, long sleeved shirts, and long pants. Standing water is the largest source of mosquitoes. Bird baths, used tires, rain gut ters, tarps and grill covers, or any other containers should be emp tied or flushed to minimize mos quito populations. Maryland horse owners should be alert for any of the. following symptoms in their animals: ap prehension, depression, listless ness, trembling, head shaking, lower lip or tongue paralysis, lack of coordination or staggering, weakness of hind legs, paralysis, or sudden death. If any of these symptoms are observed, a veteri narian should be contacted im mediately. More animals recover from event will focus on professional development for today’s pork producer, with a customized trade show time exclusive of other conference events. “With the World Pork Expo being cancelled because of the foot and mouth disease outbreak in Europe, this is the opportunity for producers from around the Midwest to get together and learn from each other,” says Sherrill Rude, MPC Manager. MPC’s trade show will feature more than 250 exhibitors involv ed in the pork industry. To give WNV than from EEE, but many do not. Some die and others are humanely destroyed because of permanent brain or spinal cord damage. MDA’s five Animal Health Laboratories will perform free post mortem examinations including testing for rabies, EEE, WNV, and other neurologic dis eases on such cases. Citizens are advised also to re port dead crows, blue jays, or raptors (hawks, owls, etc.) to Maryland’s West Nile Virus Call Center at 1-866-866-CROW (2769) from 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Mon day-Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekends. General information regarding WNV is also available at that number. C-SAW Offers Help With Pa. Watershed Grants PENNSBURG (Montgomery Co.) Local groups that have re ceived a PA DEP Growing Greener Grant or are interested in improving their application for one can receive free technical as sistance from the C-SAW Pro gram. The Southeastern Pennsylva nia Resource Conservation and Development (SEPA RC&D) Council is accept- I ing applications from local X groups and municipalities !for the C-SAW Program. C-SAW, Consortium for Scientific Assistance to Wa tersheds, is a group of tech f nical specialists available to j assist on watershed activi f ties. Arthur B. Holland, SEPA RC&D chairman said, “Help is available for organ izations and agencies to gain the knowledge and MPC participants quality time with exhibitors, the trade show will run from 12:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday and Friday after the educational segments have concluded. According to Rude, the MPC will offer five different profes sional development educational tracks producers can participate in. Sessions are planned for each track on both Thursday and Fri day. “We’ve tried to meet the needs of all types of pork opera tors by picking timely topics and featuring the best experts in the business,” adds Rude. Track 1 sessions are designed for key decision makers in pork operations with multiple employ ees at different site production fa cilities. Track 2 targets the producer who receives a significant portion of their income from pork pro duction and is interested in now to differentiate their operation. Track 3 sessions focus on con tract growers/managers who are looking for new ways to diversify and maximize their income. Thursday’s Track 4 session has been developed for people involv ed in the onice/business manage ment activities in a pork opera tion. Friday’s Track 4 sessions are geared towards employees inter ested in upgrading their skills. In addition, there is a Track 5 session for producers interested in getting a first-hand look at the retail and foodservice industry who utilize pork. Thursday, September 6, is skills necessary to successfully complete a Growing Greener Grant or prepare an accurate ap plication for a grant.” The Growing Greener Grant Program is part of the Pennsylva nia Department of Environ mental Protection effort to pro tect and improve the state’s watersheds. Five organizations are avail able to help. The participating technical experts are Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring at Dickinson College, Canaan Val ley Institute, Delaware River keeper Network, Stroud Water Research Center and the United States Geological Survey. These specialists will not conduct the monitoring or complete the proj ects, but are available to help identify solutions and provide training to accurately monitor ac tivities. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 28,2001-A35 Speaker “Production Technology Day” and feature sessions with indus try experts on profitable manage ment of swine facilities, exploring pork production options, new ideas in pork production, em ployee relations, financial man agement, swine nutrition, liabili ties in pork production, and how to get the best contract. Other MPC activities include a Ribs N’ Bibs golf outing Wednes day afternoon, September 5 be fore the official conference kick off. The golf outing will be fol lowed with a Ribs N’ Bibs recep tion at the Indiana State Fair grounds Exposition Hall. Thursday evening the “Best of the Midwest” tasting reception will feature new value-added pork products available to con sumers. Friday morning conference at tendees can participate in a con tinental breakfast and learn about new university research projects in the Midwest. Early-bird registration for all events (before July 31) is $75 and $lOO at the time of the confer ence. For producers interested in attending only one full day of the MFC, registration is $5O. Registration is $25 for produc ers wishing to attend only the trade show and luncheon. Chil dren ages 6-18 registration is $25. To register for MFC call the reg istration office at 317-713-1553. For more information about MFC, contact the Indiana Pork Producers Association at (800-535-2405) or email them at info@midwestpork.com. Some of the services available include: determining watershed issues, selecting appropriate equipment, identifying macroin vertebrates, riparian and stream restoration, and data interpreta tion. The C-SAW Program is funded by a special Growing Greener Technical Grant. This partnership’s free services will be available for the next two years. Information about the C-SAW Program or to obtain an applica tion for technical help, please visit the project Website, http:// pa.water.usgs.gov/csaw. For more information or to submit an ap plication, contact the Southeast ern Pennsylvania Resource Con servation Development Council. The office is located in Penns burg, Montgomery County. Phone: (215) 541-7930.