Daniel Linhares, DVM, MBA, PhD – Professor & Director of Graduate Education at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Worked for 8 years as a practicing veterinarian, technical services, and health assurance; now he is dedicated to training MSc and PhD students as part of the ISU fieldepi team, working with swine producers and health professionals in the US and abroad.

Edison Magalhães, DVM, MBA, MSc, PhD – Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. Dr. Edison Magalhaes previously worked for four years in the Brazilian swine industry as a swine veterinarian practitioner. He then pursued his Master’s and PhD in Swine Epidemiology at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Currently, Dr. Magalhaes leads the SwinalytIQ Lab, a multidisciplinary team composed of undergraduate and graduate students from veterinary medicine, animal science, data science, and computer engineering. His program focuses on research and extension that supports the U.S. and global swine industries by developing data-driven approaches to improve health, productivity, and decision-making, helping producers better utilize their production data.

• You will learn how most grow-finish mortality ties back to conditions and performance in the sow farm.
• You will learn how integrating siloed data reveals connections between health, environment, and production outcomes.
• You will learn why weaning age, variation within groups, and early health challenges influence downstream performance.
• You will learn how barn setup, environment, and basic husbandry practices impact pig survivability early on.
• You will learn how gilt development and sow farm management set the ceiling for overall system productivity.

Dr. Bill Christianson is the former Chief Operating Officer of PIC. He has a background in agriculture and biotechnology, with broad industry knowledge and extensive commercial and global experience. He earned his DVM and PhD in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Christianson joined PIC in 1993 and held a range of operational roles across Europe, South America, and the United States before becoming General Manager of PIC North America in 2007. He later led the combined ABS and PIC businesses across the Americas starting in 2010 and became COO of Genus PIC in 2012.

• How growing up around a family farm and machinery business led into the swine industry.
• What it was like working on PRRS during its early discovery and research phase.
• How large systems approached eliminating PRRS and the time and cost involved.
• Why taking opportunities before feeling ready can help you grow in your career.
• Bill “Golden Nugget”

Edwina and her husband run Blantyre Farms, a 2,200 sow pig farm and a mixed farm of sheep, cattle and crops, near Young, NSW, Australia.

In operation for more than a decade, a methane digestion system captures methane gas from pig manure and converts it into electricity. Blantyre also utilizes food waste products for pig feed and saves 13,500 of tonnes of landfill each year. The NSW EPA has awarded Blantyre with a Green Globe Award for Resource Efficiency.

• How a family pig farm in Australia grew from a small farrow-to-finish operation into a much larger sow farm over time.
• How using liquid feeding and food waste products can help reduce feed costs and create new opportunities on a pig farm.
• How capturing methane from pig manure can generate electricity and lower energy costs on the farm.
• How pig producers in Australia are dealing with activist pressure and protecting their farms and teams.
• Edwina’s “Golden Nugget”