From the whole hog on down to the pork bellies, there’s tons of pork served each year at World Pork Expo, but there’s also plenty of future pork on the hoof around as well. The annual WPX Junior National show features young people, who might possibly one day be pork producers, and young hogs, who very likely will one day …
2012 “Olym-Pigs” at World Pork Expo
In honor of the big summer games coming up in just a few weeks, Automated Production Systems (APS) made the 2012 “Olym-Pigs Feastival” the theme for their annual World Pork Expo show pig this year. As always, the folks at APS went all out for the roll out of the roast hog on Thursday afternoon of the expo, with a …
BIVI 3FLEX Makes an Impression at WPX
Managing swine respiratory diseases is economically important for the pork industry, which is why the relatively new Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica 3FLEX vaccine is being well received by producers. During a BIVI press conference at World Pork Expo, experts discussed the latest findings in managing swine respiratory diseases such as Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease (PCV2) …
NPPC President at World Pork Expo
Nearly 20,000 pork producers and industry experts from about 38 countries are at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines this week, including National Pork Producers Council president R.C. Hunt of North Carolina. I had a chance to chat with R.C. this morning after he gave an update to the media about trade issues. R.C. is excited about expo this …
Survey on Sow Housing Released at WPX
Results of a survey issued opening day at the World Pork Expo show that the overwhelming majority of the U.S. sow herd spends some time in individual housing, known as gestation stalls. The findings confirm concerns by the National Pork Producers Council about food retailers who have bowed to demands of animal activists and announced they will use only pork …
World Pork Expo Introduces Mobile App
For the first time, people attending World Pork Expo, June 6-8 in Des Moines, Iowa, will be able to get the latest Expo information with a customized smartphone app. With half of today’s mobile subscribers owning smartphones and National Hog Farmer reporting that about 30 percent of its readers access the Internet using their phones, this new app is designed …
Multiple Pathogens Multiply Costs for Pork Producers
When it comes to pathogens in swine, one plus one amounts to more than just two, according to Dr. Tom Painter, Director of Veterinary Health Services for Cargill Pork. He told other swine vets at the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar in Denver last week about a study they did on the economic costs of different combinations of …
The Expanding World of Hog Feed Choices
Once upon a time, commercial hog diets consisted mainly of corn and soybeans, but the menu has greatly expanded out of necessity since commodity prices increased a few years ago. That expansion has brought with it both opportunities and challenges for producers, according to Iowa State University Professor of Animal Science Dr. John Patience, who spoke to swine veterinarians last …
How #1 Pork Producer Deals With High Feed Costs
When you’re the number one pork producer in the world, higher feed costs take a big bite out of the bottom line. At the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar in Denver, Dr. Steve Pollmann, President of Western Operations for Murphy-Brown, LLC shared some of his thoughts on dealing with high feed costs in commercial pig production. “We’re the …
Hog Producers Adjusting to Higher Feed Costs
Hog producers are now able to compete with ethanol producers for corn, according to Purdue agricultural economist Dr. Chris Hurt. Dr. Hurt spoke to swine veterinarians on the topic of “Global Feed Economics in a Biofuel World” during the Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (BIVI) Swine Health Seminar in Denver on Friday. “This is an amazing difference from just five years ago,” …