Join University of Illinois Extension for the first topic in the "Livestock Production and Principles for Beginners Webinar Series." Katie Bell, Local Foods Systems and Small Farms Extension Educator, will discuss "Getting Started with Swine" on Thursday, January 26 at 6 p.m. This program is being offered as a Zoom webinar and is at no cost to participants. Pre-registration is required by Wednesday, January 25, 2023 to receive the Zoom link. To register or for more information on the program please visit us online at go.illinois.edu/jsw or call our office at 815-858-2273.
This presentation will be a basic overview for those considering getting started in swine. During the session, Katie will review the basics of swine care including feed management, infrastructure and housing, and manure management. She will also talk about breed selection, giving an overview of breeds and why it is important to review your production goals when considering breed selection. Lastly, marketing considerations will be covered. Resources and laws and products to sell will be discussed when talking about marketing considerations.
Local Foods and Small Farms Educator, Grant McCarty, coordinated the series to help address the questions and the need in the community. “These webinars are set up to provide an overview on best practices in getting started and for those who are raising to sell directly to consumers via farmers markets, websites, and other avenues,” states McCarty. “Many of the topics we will cover are ones we commonly get questions about at our Extension office and have provided programs on previously. However, we’ve seen a number of new farmers in the last 5 years reach out to our office looking for some of these topics to be more beginner/introduction.”
Other topics in the series include: Grazing with Doug Gucker on Thursday, February 23, Meat Goat Production with Sarah Farley on Thursday, March 16, and Farm Scale Manure Management with Jay Solomon on Thursday, April 13. All of these will begin at 6 p.m. and will be offered as a Zoom webinar.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to attend this program please call our office at 815-858-2273. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your needs.