SIS-PRO TRAINING CLASSES

SIS-PRO's - Educational Service

About SIS-PRO Educational Service

Our unique education service offers a series of classes and seminars on building and managing state-of-the-art information systems for your farm

. Our emphasis is on practicality, using a step-by-step approach that will enable you to get the most out of the classes. A network will be utilized in the classroom as the primary teaching tool. The material will be presented in plain language. Technical jargon, terms and concepts will be clearly defined. Prior knowledge is not expected or assumed.

Successful administrators, management, service technicians, veterinarians, consultants, farm workers, and anyone who serves the swine industry have found new challenges in our seminars. How do you share data and manage users; while giving the users their independence and meeting their performance expectations? This needs to be accomplished, while still maintaining control and security, providing a stable, reliable environment.

Class - Seminar Goals

• Learn:   Features, functions and benefits.
• Manage:   Data entry, report generation and report interpretation.
• User guides :   Filled with time-saving concepts, step-by-step 
  instructions and support material.
• Strategies:   Develop strategies to counteract risk.
• Optimize: Record use at each production phase.
• Develop:   A plan for forecasting production.

SIS-PRO'S - PigCHAMP Training Classes

The SIS-PRO'S PigCHAMP training classes provides educational opportunities to all personnel involved in swine production and information systems. The education program is designed from basic to in-depth integration of records with swine production.

• QUICK START - PigCHAMP Fundamentals.   This is an introductory level oriented to the new user of  PigCHAMP software. Participants will learn the functionality of the software through hands-on instruction and exercises. An instructor will lead participants step-by-step through the menu options, data entry and basic report generation. This is not a prerequisite to other PigCHAMP course levels, but we do offer a Fundamental Knowledge Evaluation for individuals who want to test their basic software skills. This is an introductory level oriented to the new user of  PigCHAMP software. Participants will learn the functionality of the software through hands-on instruction and exercises. An instructor will lead participants step-by-step through the menu options, data entry and basic report generation. This is not a prerequisite to other PigCHAMP course levels, but we do offer a Fundamental Knowledge Evaluation for individuals who want to test their basic software skills.

• Level I: Interpreting Information in the Swine Industry. This course provides an introduction to information management. The goals of information management will be reviewed and then applied through the use of PigCHAMP software. Participants will learn the best way to set up their farms to meet production goals. Computer labs will cover data collection and entry, and skills in generating and interpreting basic production reports. The reports can be used to analyze farm output. Evaluate worker performance and help with daily worker tasks. (Level I is a prerequisite to Level II ).

• Level II: Utilizing Information by Stage of Production. This level approaches record systems from an in-the-barn production view. The focus is on optimizing herd output. Participants will begin by assessing the output of a herd and evaluating how each stage of production contributes to herd output. Included are steps to identify factors contributing to sub-optimal output and evaluating strategies to improve output. Within each stage of production, participants learn how to evaluate worker performance and how to incorporate records into dairy barn tasks. (Level II is a prerequisite to Level III) .

• Level 111: Optimizing Output and Efficiency: This is an advanced course oriented towards the power-user of production records. The course will teach concepts commonly used in businesses ranging from manufacturing to food production, including the theory of constraints and statistical process control. The inter-relationships among performance variables will be examined, including their importance in setting goals and strategies for optimizing herd performance. Through this course, participants will gain an understanding of how financial information relates to biological performance and how to use simulation models to determine the risks associated with performance parameters.

An Introduction to PigCHAMP Software(For Bureau Staff, MIS Supervisors, Farm Workers, Managers, Service People, Consultants and all PigCHAMP users)

Understanding the Basic Functions of PigCHAMP 4.0

Total Class Time: 2 hours

• Considering hardware requirements and program installation.

• Reviewing MS DOS commands commonly used with PigCHAMP software.

• Understanding software features and functionality.

• Managing data files to prevent data corruption.

• Lab sessions allowing participants to install the software and troubleshoot software problems.

Data Management

Total Class Time: 3 and 1/2 hours

• Understanding prerequisites for data collection and data entry.

• Reviewing common events for sow/boar data entry.

• Turning farm events into data and usable information .

• Capturing data for the breeding herd.

• Lab sessions focusing on sow/boar data entry.

Report Generation

Total Class Time: 1 and 1/2 hours

• Generating reports in PigCHAMP.

• Looking at common reports used for the breeding herd.

• Lab sessions familiarizing participants with breeding reports and tips for generating reports.

Level I: Interpreting Information in the Swine Industry (For Bureau Staff, MIS Supervisors, Farm Workers, Managers, Service People and Consultants)

Introduction to Information Interpretation

Total Class Time:  1/2 DAY

• Measuring end points of swine production.

• Establishing goals of an information system.

• Designing records to meet information goals.

• Lab sessions provide hands-on experience in diagramming production systems and designing systems that meet farm goals.

Breeding Herd Information

Total Class Time:  1 DAY

• Capturing herd data and understanding how data is used in calculations.

• Starting a herd on PigCHAMP.

• Understanding PigCHAMP's data integrity messages designed to reduce data entry errors.

• Generating reports and interpreting information.

• Customizing data capture to monitor farm worker performance and analyze farm specific management practices.

• Lab sessions allowing participants to capture traditional and nontraditional data and understand how PigCHAMP reports information.

Grow/finish Information

Total Class Time:  1/2 DAY

• Understanding pre-considerations to grow/finish records.

• Establishing goals for the grow/finish information system.

• Setting up grow/finish records PigCHAMP to achieve information goals.

• Looking at data capture of grow/finish events.

• Tracking feed information.

• Interpreting grow/finish information.

• Lab session covering the basics of grow/finish information systems.

Level II: Utilizing Information By Phase of Production (For Farm Workers, Managers, Service People and Consultants)

Tailoring the Information System for Your Farm

Total Class Time: 1 and 1/2 DAYS

Farrowing Phase:

• Determining which sows should be induced.

• Managing litter size and piglet viability through fostering.

• Capturing lactation feed intake and analyzing effects on performance.

Breeding and Gestation Phase:

• Comparing mating system performance (Natural, AI, and Combination).

• Monitoring worker performance.

• Understanding the components of Non-Productive Days (NPD) and interpreting NPD data.

• identifying sows contributing to NPD.

• Improving herd productivity through use of performance indices.

Gilt Pool Management:

• Using the gilt pool to optimize herd output.

• Determining gilt pool size and scheduling gilt deliveries.

• Assessing age at entry and first service.

Nursery/Grower/Finisher Barn:

• Assessing conformance of pigs to farm standards.

• Predicting pig placements.

• Forecasting marketing and feed usage.

• Monitoring mortality, morbidity and treatments.

Introduction to Financial Records

Total Class Time:  1/2 DAY

• Setting up financial records.

• Reviewing common pitfalls in financial record interpretation.

• Tailoring financial records for your herd.

Level III: Optimizing Output and Efficiency (For Managers, Service People, and Consultants) Monitoring Performance

Total Class Time:  1 DAY

• Applying statistical process control theory to the swine industry.

• Tailoring norms, targets and interference levels to individual production systems.

• Understanding production variables and their impact on performance.

Performance Optimization

Total Class Time:  1 DAY

• Managing a pig farm as a food production business.

• Optimizing output through pigs weaned or pounds marketed/unit time.

• Optimizing efficiency though pigs weaned/sow/year.

Proactive Use of Records

Total Class Time:  1/2 DAY

• Using records to proactively manage the process of producing pigs.

• Forecasting production and planning activities from record analysis.

Troubleshooting Performance Problems

Total Class Time:  2 DAYS

• Reviewing the risk factors for performance (for example, for the breeding herd: season, lactation length, nutrient intake and parity; or for the growing pig: ADFI. environment and facility type).

• Understanding productivity trees: how to analyze their components and steps to improving performance (farrowing rate, NPD, preweaning mortality, litter size and stillbirths for the breeding herd; FE, ADG, ADFI and mortality for the growing pig).

• Determining risk factors and strategies to counteract the impact on performance.

Using Financial Information

Total Class Time:  1/2 DAY

• Understanding terminology and fundamental principles.

• Considering standards of financial performance used in the swine industry .

• Determining relationships between financial and biological performance.

• Linking biological performance with financial success through simulation modeling.

SIS-PRO Training Classes

The SIS-PRO'S training classes provides educational opportunities to all personnel involved.

An instructor will lead participants step-by-step through the menu options.