The president-elected of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) was arrested at the U.S. Capitol today with a 9-mm Ruger handgun in his bag. Ron Prestage, a veterinarian and part of family-owned Prestage Farms of South Carolina, was charged with carrying a pistol without a license. Reports indicate Prestage has a concealed carry permit in South Carolina but the charge …
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. …
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 …
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 …
Heading to the Center of the Pork Universe
We are heading to the Center of the Pork Universe this week to join some 20,000 pork producers and industry professionals from 32 countries for the 2014 World Pork Expo. “World Pork Expo is a showcase of pork production,” says National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) president Howard Hill. “It offers a great opportunity for pork producers to get a crash …
Farm Bill Could Draw Trade Retaliation
Livestock organizations and food associations are concerned that their members will face economic harm because the farm bill out of conference committee this week makes no changes to the U.S. Country of Origin Labeling law (COOL). Canada and Mexico filed a complaint over the law with the World Trade Organization, which is expected to rule on it next month. If …
AFBF Files Suit to Protect Farmers’ Privacy
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is taking legal action to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from publicly releasing personal information about thousands of farmers and ranchers and their families. The lawsuit was prompted by the expectation that EPA will be responding this week to several Freedom of Information Act requests, so AFBF is seeking a temporary restraining order before …
Pork Industry Economic Update at World Pork Expo
The economist to the pork industry Steve Meyer, with Paragon Economics, gave attendees at the 25 anniversary of the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa an economic update. During a question and answer session Meyer noted that the industry finally has prices back to profitable for the short run, the first time in nearly two years. However, he doesn’t …
NPPC Science & Technology Updates at WPX
This morning, Bill Luckey, pork producer from Columbus, Nebraska and National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) director gave an update during the second day of 2013 World Pork Expo on science and technology updates including antibiotics and animal welfare. In terms of antibiotics, Luckey said NPPC has been actively involved in the Animal Drug User Act. It has moved all the …
EPA Private Data Release Peeves Pork Producers
The Environmental Protection Agency is now being accused of giving preference to liberal groups over conservatives when it comes to freedom of information act requests, specifically groups like the Sierra Club which received the personal information of thousands of livestock producers earlier this year. That EPA information release was a topic of discussion at World Pork Expo this week and …