Leslie McCuiston, a pig farmer from Columbus, Nebraska, has been named the 2017 America’s Pig Farmer of the Year. According to the National Pork Board, the award recognizes a pig farmer who excels at raising pigs using the We Care ethical principles and who connects with today’s consumers about how pork is produced. McCuiston received the highest combined score from …
SMART Farmer Jeanette Merritt
Jeannette Merritt is our SMART Farmer for this episode – an Indiana farm girl and former agricultural journalist who is raising crops, hogs and kids with her husband and serving the industry in many capacities. Jeanette is a 4th generation farmer, a Purdue University graduate, Director of Checkoff Programs for Indiana Pork and serves on the Indiana Soybean Alliance board …
Quarterly Hogs & Pigs Report
The Pork Checkoff hosted the USDA’s Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report on Thursday, June 29, 2017. This quarterly teleconference featured three agricultural economists and their reactions to the report. Panelists included: Dr. Lee Schulz, Extension Livestock Economist, Iowa State University Dr. Scott Brown, Assistant Extension Professor, University of Missouri-Columbia Joe Kerns, President, Kerns & Associates, Ames, IA Reports seemed to …
2017 World Pork Expo: The Highlights
More than 20,000 pork producers and ag professionals from throughout the world attended the 29th World Pork Expo, June 7-9, in Des Moines. Presented by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the 2017 Expo hosted more than 1,000 international guests from nearly 40 countries. We spent the days mainly in the media room covering the latest from the pork community. …
Pork Pleased with Pruitt and EPA Reform
The Trump administration has certainly shaken things up, and nowhere is that more evident than in regards to environmental issues. Kraig Westerbeek, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) Board & VP of Environment and Support Operations for Murphy Brown spoke about top environmental priorities at the recent World Pork Expo, outlining the steps recently taken toward regulatory reform. The Waters of …
Secure Pork Plan Creates Excitement at WPX
The World Pork Expo was buzzing with the news of the soon-to-be-launched Secure Pork Supply plan. “The Pork Board is taking a leadership role in preparedness,” said Terry O’Neel, vice president of the National Pork Board said at a combined press conference. “This is another collaborative effort between the National Pork Producers Council, National Pork Board, the American Association of …
A World of First’s in PRRSV Research
The world’s only provider of mucosal PRRSV and flu vaccines, Aptimmue, officially launched during the 2017 World Pork Expo. The vaccine utilizes the BARRICADE proprietary technologies and takes advantage of high-titer PRRSV antigen produced on ZMAC, the world’s only commercially available porcine based alveolar macrophage cell line. During the launch, I sat down with Dr. Jianqiang Zhang, Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, …
NPPC Gives Voice to Producer Concerns
Deputy Director of Economics and Domestic Production Issues for the National Pork Producers Council, Dustin Baker, was at the World Pork Expo last week talking with producers about their concerns for the future of the industry. Trade is always at the top of that list, Baker says, since pork is a global market, but already NPPC is looking forward to …
Pork Reaches a Changing Audience
The consumer market is changing quickly, something the Pork Checkoff understands well. President Terry O’Neel announced at the World Pork Expo that the organization is putting the polish on a plan to reposition pork marketing towards the “three M’s”: Millennial, Mobile, and Multicultural audiences. “The Pork Checkoff has embarked on a journey to determine how best to market pork today,” …
Pork Board Announces Secure Pork Supply Plan
The National Pork Board, with support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has announced a new program at the World Pork Expo. The Secure Pork Supply Plan is a voluntary program designed to support American farmers during a foreign animal disease outbreak. “The plan basically impacts producers in providing a mechanism for them to be able to differentiate themselves in …