The moderator for today’s Food Dialogues in Chicago is Elizabeth Leamy, a journalist currently working as a correspondent for the Dr. Oz Show. At the conclusion of this morning’s live webcast panel discussion I got to talk with her about the experience. The topic of the discussion was Integrity in Food Marketing and my first question was what that means …
Dr. Dane Goede’s PRRS Swine Health Update
During a media dinner hosted by Boehringer Ingelheim (BIVI), during the 2014 World Pork Expo, attendees had the opportunity to learn a lot about what the industry is coining the 20th anniversary of PRRS (Porcine Reproductive & Respiratory Syndrome). The dinner kicked off with Reid Phillips, DVM PRRS technical brand manager for BIVI who gave the group a quick 20 …
DOT Grants Livestock Haulers Exemption
On Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation granted a one-year exemption for truck drivers hauling livestock and poultry from an hours-of-service rule that took effect last July 1. The regulation requires truck drivers to take a 30-minute rest break after eight hours of service, which for drivers transporting livestock and poultry includes the hours of service loading and unloading animals. …
COOL Update at World Pork Expo
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) provided an update on mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) during World Pork Expo this week. “We’re very concerned that if the current rule later this summer is ruled out of compliance by the WTO, the Canadians and Mexicans will then have a right to retaliate,” said NPPC Vice President John Weber of Iowa, …
Iowa Congressman Visits WPX
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) paid a visit to World Pork Expo last week to talk with producers and learn more about the issues they are facing right now. The congressman represents the 4th district of the state in the northwest corner, bordering Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska, and he is a strong advocate for livestock producers. During the farm bill …
Ag Secretary Announces PEDv Action at WPX
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited World Pork Expo in his home state of Iowa Thursday to announce federal actions to help combat porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV). For one, Vilsack says there is now a Federal Order requiring the reporting of new detections of these viruses to its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) or …
BIVI Celebrates 20 Years of PRRS Solutions
Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) celebrated 20 years of PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome) solutions during this year’s World Pork Expo. Reid Philips, DVM, technical manager for PRRS vaccines and BIVI outlined how far the swine industry has come in the last two decades in controlling the virus. Interestingly, Reid explained that in the 1980s when PRRS was first showing …
TOPIGS & Norsvin Announce Merger During WPX14
A major announcement was made during this year’s 2014 World Pork Expo: TOPIGS International and Norsvin International have merged into one company: Topigs Norsvin. The merger will create a global swine breeding company with annual revenues in excess of US $179 million. The newly merged company’s headquarters will be located in Vught, the Netherlands. TOPIGS Nederland, Varkens K.I. Nederland and …
Innovation Galore At World Pork Expo
Each year people from around the world come to World Pork Expo (WPX) and ask the question: what new things will I find there? So I asked Dr. Howard Hill, National Pork Producer Council (NPPC) president, veterinarian and Iowa pork producer, that question and his answer: a lot. A few highlights he mentioned included all the press conferences and seminars …
All About Bees
How much do you know about bees? Want to know more? Then listen to this excerpt from Becky Timmons closing session presentation at the Alltech International Symposium. She gave us some very interesting statistics. For example, the average honeybee will live about one month. A hive of bees must fly about 55,000 miles to make a pound of honey. Just …