This week we hit the agriblogging highway for the 2017 World Pork Expo at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines. The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) hosts the annual event taking place June 7-9 and will feature the world’s largest pork-specific trade show, educational seminars, youth and open swine shows, market outlook sessions and of course pork of all …
SMART Farmer Brad Greenway
Brad Greenway of South Dakota was named 2016 Pig Farmer of the Year by the National Pork Board recognizing him as a pig farmer who excels at raising pigs using the industry’s We Care ethical principles that include not only raising pigs humanely and safely, but also promoting a safe workplace and contributing to the local community. Right after he …
Iowa Gov and Ag Groups to Make China Trip
Iowa’s new governor and the state’s agricultural organizations miss Terry Branstad so much that they are already planning a trip to see him in China. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will lead an all-Iowa agriculture trade mission to China July 19-28 with representatives from the state’s corn, pork, soy, beef, egg, poultry, dairy and turkey industries. The trip marks the first …
SMART Farmer Lauren Schwab
This edition of the SMART Farmer podcast comes from National Ag Day in Washington D.C. last week where USFRA Faces of Farming and Ranching representative Lauren Schwab talked about SMART Farming. Lauren, who is known as FarmGirlWCurls on Twitter and Facebook, loves sharing her love of piglets on social media and educating non-farmers about the business. She talks about how …
Aptimmune’s Barricade, A Vaccine Formulation Tech for Pigs
Founded in 2010 by Dr. Federico Zuckermann, Aptimmune Biologics has meshed together some of the best in class technologies into a product able to deliver revolutionary results to producers. Barricade is the latest in vaccine formulation technology brought to producers exclusively by Aptimmune. Launched as an autogenous product, the intranasal mucosal inactivated vaccine for PRRS, brings together the best concepts …
Measure, Model, Fix – Big Data’s Role in Animal Ag
When the term ‘big data’ is used in agriculture, we generally think crops. However, we are hearing it more and more in animal agriculture circles. “Big data and models: Are they really useful in disease management?” turned the conversation towards swine health at the 2016 North American PRRS Symposium as Dr. Jim Lowe, University of Illinois, took the stage during …
#HamsAcrossAmerica Encourages Giving
This Giving Tuesday, the Pork Checkoff is encouraging pig farmers to pay-it-forward with a new holiday campaign called #HamsAcrossAmerica. This first annual event encourages farmers and others involved in the pork industry to show their appreciation for friends, family and neighbors through the gift of ham – in the form of gifts or donations of ham or ham-based products. “For …
Passing of Ag Industry Leader Doug Wolf
We were saddened to hear of the sudden passing recently of Wisconsin pork producer and industry leader Doug Wolf, 61. Wolf, who was past chairman of the National Pork Producers Council and served on the board of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA), was a partner in Wolf L&G Farms LLC, which he ran with his wife Kris and …
I Am @USFRA – #Pork Producer Doug Wolf
Former National Pork Producers Council president Doug Wolf of Wisconsin has been involved in the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) since it started five years ago. “It’s been exciting to see it start as a seedling and develop into what it is today,” says Wolf. “We just wanted to be part of the conversation and tell what’s really happening …
New Pork Board CEO Bill Even at #WPX16
Earlier this month the National Pork Board named Bill Even as their new CEO. No stranger to the agricultural community or swine industry, Bill sat down with me at the 2016 World Pork Expo to discuss their key components focusing on people, pigs and the planet. The people component is centered around connecting with consumers while building trust. The pig …