posted on Monday, October 31, 2016 in Central Region News
Southwestern Community College (SWCC) students enrolled in the Survey of the Animal Industry course had a guest presenter last week to complement their current swine unit coursework.
It was a great opportunity for the SWCC agriculture program to collaborate with a local swine management company to give their students an in-depth exposure to the modern swine industry. Alicia Humphrey, public relations coordinator at AMVC Management Services, spoke about animal care, nutrition, biosecurity and animal health.
After the presentation, first year SWCC student, Jed McCreary, commented, “I learned about all of the different tasks at a sow farm. I had no idea how much work there is to do in order to keep the pigs healthy and safe.”
It was the ideal time to come into the classroom, as the class was in the middle of their swine unit and October is National Pork Month. In the past, October was the time hogs were traditionally marketed, while today it is an opportunity for those involved in the swine industry to connect with those who do not have a background in pig farming.
Susannah Miller, agriculture instructor at SWCC, was excited to bring in a local guest speaker to dig deeper into their course subject.
“Guest speakers are able to bring to life the curriculum being presented in class. Interacting and networking with agriculture professionals helps my students build confidence and help them explore potential careers,” added Miller.
AMVC is proud to be a community supporter of the SWCC agriculture program. Last year, AMVC hosted the breeding and genetics course at Taurus Sow in Lenox for a hands-on experience. Both parties are looking forward to this collaboration being continued this spring.
AMVC Management Services is headquartered in Audubon, Iowa, and manages 115,000 sows across seven states. The local AMVC farm, Taurus Sow, is located in Lenox.
Tags
- ag education
- agvocacy