Extension Communications
3614 Administrative Services Building
Ames, Iowa 50011-3614
(515) 294-9915
2/12/03
Contacts:
Jay Harmon, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, (515) 294-0554, jharmon@iastate.edu
Sherry Hoyer, Iowa Pork Industry Center, (515) 294-4496, shoyer@iastate.edu
Model Swine Ventilation Room Travels to Four States
AMES, Iowa -- A model swine ventilation training room on wheels is making the rounds of four states, thanks to the cooperative work of some Iowa State University faculty and staff. "Managing Your Unseen Employee: The Ventilation System" will be held at two Iowa locations.
Jay Harmon, Iowa State University (ISU) Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering,
and ISU Extension field specialists Kris Kohl, Dave Stender and Jerry
Weiss are part of the multi-state team that developed this portable room
for hands-on demonstration and practice of properly ventilating swine
buildings.
Harmon said that understanding the basics of ventilation principles and
systems will help anyone who has to manage a building.
"The ventilation system is something you don't think about unless there is a problem. That's why we're calling it your unseen employee -- it works for you all the time," Harmon said. "Poor ventilation can stress animals and lead to much higher death losses from disease. If you understand how a ventilation system works, then you can more easily diagnose the problem."
Coordinators hope producers and their employees will take advantage of this opportunity to learn about ventilation and temperature systems, and to practice setting controls, inlets and fans in an actual building. The morning session of each program focuses on classroom instruction and the afternoon session provides attendees the opportunity to practice what they learned that morning.
Iowa program dates and locations follow. All programs run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
March 4, ISU Northwest Research Farm, Calumet
March 5, Iowa State Bank, Sac City
Cost of the daylong program is $40 per person and includes handouts, breaks and lunch. Registrations are limited to 36 per site and must be received two days prior to the program. To preregister by phone, call (800) 767-5287.
The program is cosponsored by ISU, University of Nebraska, South Dakota State University and University of Minnesota.
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Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability.