Detailed Program

Dr Yeske is currently practicing as a swine veterinary consultant in a 17 person, exclusively swine practice at the Swine Vet Center in St. Peter MN. Graduated from ISU with DVM, University of Minnesota with MS and University of Illinois from the EVP program. Has presented the Howard Dunn lecture and received the Swine Practitioner of the year, Howard Dunn Award,  the Science in Practice award from University of Minnesota and Science with Practice award from ISU. Involved with multiple organization and has served on several advisory boards with genetic and pharmaceutical companies. With over 100 invited presentations and multiple publications in proceedings.

Dr. Clayton Johnson is a globally recognized swine health expert with Carthage Veterinary Services in Carthage, Illinois. A 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, he began his career with The Maschhoffs, LLC—where he helped double sow production—and later joined Carthage in 2016 to lead company health initiatives.  Internationally recognized for pioneering bio‑economic models to manage PRRS‑ and PED‑related diseases, he’s a sought‑after consultant in China, Southeast Asia, and beyond.  In 2020, Dr. Johnson received the prestigious Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award for excellence in integrating scientific rigor into swine health management.  He is licensed in seven states, leads a team of veterinary professionals, and, beyond veterinary practice, hosts “The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast” a weekly podcast series reaching a global audience of >100,000 listeners serving to distill complex swine‑health research into actionable insights. 

Luc Dufresne is a swine veterinarian and consultant with more than 35 years of experience in North American pork production. A 1988 graduate of the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, he began his career as Staff Veterinarian with Shur-Gain (1988–1997), then served as Director of Veterinary Services at Brown’s of Carolina/Smithfield Foods (1997–2002). He went on to work as Technical Service Director at PIC (2002–2004) before joining Seaboard Foods, where he spent nearly two decades as Senior Director of Veterinary Services (2004–2023). Since 2023, he has provided independent advisory services specializing in herd health, biosecurity,  disease elimination and production economics. His contributions to swine health have been widely recognized, earning him the 2014 Al Leman Science in Practice Award from the University of Minnesota and the 2016 Swine Veterinarian of the Year Award from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.