More than 20,000 producers from 30 countries and over 400 exhibitors, including Novus International, celebrated the pork industry’s return to profitability during the 2010 World Pork Expo in Des Moines last week.

One of the international visitors who stopped by the Novus tent at WPX was Leonardo Cuevas, a consultant from Chile, who said the event provided him with lots of new information to bring back to his country. “I think we have to improve our industry, in nutrition, minerals and vitamins, especially in the sow and breeder aspect,” Leonardo told me. “Also artificial insemination, environmental control and management of mortality, composting, etc.”

He says this was his third visit to Pork Expo. “I would recommend for everybody to come here. It’s a good investment for producers.”

Leonardo Cuevas interview wpx10-novus-chile.mp3

It’s also a good investment for exhibitors who offer products and services to help producers be more efficient and profitable. Novus International Global Marketing Manager Felipe Navarro says Novus is in about 80 countries, so it World Pork Expo is a great place for them to meet with their customers in many countries. “The only two areas we are missing in this show are China and Asia Pacific. This is related to the business situation, they’re not doing very well right now, but hopefully they will get to the same point where we are now in North America and Latin America where people are starting to make some profit again,” Felipe said.

He says that there are opportunities and challenges for a company like Novus marketing globally, with different regulations, production methods and diseases from country to country, but all producers want to increase performance, which is where Novus is focusing right now. “Especially sow performance,” Felipe said. “Because by working on the sow, which is the source of your revenue at the end of the day, they produce the piglets that you will raise to market weight.”

Novus representatives spent lots of time visiting with producers about their specific products that include chelated trace minerals, enzymes, mycotoxin technologies and anti-oxidants.

Listen to or download my interview with Felipe in the player below.

World Pork Expo 2010 Photo Album.

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