Organizers of the 23rd annual Red Deer Swine Technology Workshop have set the table for their first live presentation since 2019. 
Cancelled outright in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, the 22nd-annual workshop was put off to 2021, and then held online rather than in person. This year, the workshop is back live on October 19th, returning from Westerner Park to its former home at the Red Deer Cambridge Hotel, says Charlotte Shipp, Industry Programs Manager for Alberta Pork. 
“We’re all excited about that return because we think that it’s a better venue for the swine workshop, for sure. It’s a nice, cozy place and the food is excellent. 
“Knocking on wood, everything is pretty typical and on track. The big excitement is returning back in person and returning to the Cambridge.” 
Shipp said the Cambridge is familiar with the workshop, and organizers had established a good working relationship with the hotel’s convention team. 
“It’s comfortable and familiar,” she said. 
The agenda has been massaged to create more time between sessions. 
“It’s the first time back in person again, so we’ve tried to give everybody a little extra time to network and visit. We’re all going to be pretty excited to be out and about again.” 
The agenda this year includes a 40-minute coffee break in the morning, an hour and 15 minutes for lunch and an additional 40 minutes for coffee in the afternoon. 
Attendee registration opens at 8 a.m., with the workshop set to start at 9:00 a.m. 
Morning sessions start with Ben Woolley from Sunterra Farms and Frank Novak from Sunhaven farms leading a discussion on knowing and managing costs of production. Jan Geurts from Nutrition Partners will follow with a discussion on sow nutrition and whether low-cost rations are costing you more money. 
After the morning break, veterinarian Cordell Young from Precision Veterinary Services will talk about internal biosecurity and disease management. The morning will wrap up with Olymel veterinarian Jeff Bergermann talking about sow behaviour and care, focusing on differences between normal and abnormal behaviour. 
After lunch, Olymel’s Ariel Vargas will take the mic in a talk about technology for production gain and cost-effective production. Kendall Weger from PIC will then present best practices and routines for artificial insemination. 
The day’s last presentation will be a talk on maximizing the effectiveness and delivery of water-based vaccines, offered by Gail Cunningham, a technical services veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim.  Final words and wrap-up are set for 3:35 p.m., with the workshop to close at 4:00. 
Registrations are starting to pick up, most of the booths are full, with eight spaces left as of Sept. 22, said Shipp. Attendee registrations had just started to come in on that date. In agriculture, much depends on what’s happening at the farm, so people will wait to see whether they can send anyone and how many they can send. 
The room is booked for 250, which is the typical maximum, but there is room for more if needed. 
“If we get overwhelmed with people, we’ll adjust and make it work,” said Shipp. 
To learn more online, visit  albertapork.com and click on the swine tech link at the top of the home page. •
— By Brenda Kossowan