Seriously, what would a pork expo be without racing pigs? While World Pork Expo is a serious event for producers who want to find out the latest information about their industry, it’s also a family event with fun stuff like pig races. Hendrick’s Racing Pigs provides the entertainment in the cattle barn on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The races are …
Boehringer Ingelheim Lights Up WPX
Boehringer Ingelheim gets the cool giveaway award for the World Pork Expo this year with their rechargeable pig flashlights. These nifty little gadgets use no batteries, so they are eco-friendly and sustainable – how about that?! They were definitely the most in-demand item at the expo and B-I ran out of them by the third day. I got one of …
Women in Swine Research and Production
No one would argue (especially not the men!) that women are the backbone of the agriculture industry and during a seminar at World Pork Expo sponsored by Novus International titled “Women in Agriculture” we heard from two world-class women making a difference in the swine industry. Dr. Laura Greiner, who does research for Innovative Swine Solutions and Carthage Veterinary Service …
Beautiful Weather for WPX
Another simply gorgeous day for the World Pork Expo. Today is the last day for the event – a change from previous years. The expo used to start on Thursday and end Saturday afternoon, shortly before judging of the Great Pork BarbeQlossal. The days for that event, which is sponsored by the National Pork Board, remain the same. Cooking starts …
Kids and Hogs
Participation in the Junior National Swine Show at World Pork Expo was up significantly this year. Apparently the kids don’t care that the hog industry is going through tough times right now! Officials said there were over 2000 entries in the show this year, up from 1800 last year, and it is so funny to see some of these really …
Novus Puttin’ on the Pig
The highlight of day two at World Pork Expo is the carving of the roasted hogs and there were four this year. We already saw Elvis Pigsly in the last post – here is the Novus International feast. The hogs are roasted for almost 24 hours before they are carved up and offered for passers-by to enjoy, with a nice …
Sweet Treats and Hot Eats at WPX
The food is fine and the weather couldn’t be better at World Pork Expo this year. As might be expected, there is lots and lots of pork available. The roasted whole hogs are coming out now, including Elvis Pigsly pictured here, and one right here in front of the Novus tent. There are four whole hogs coming out on the …
Optimistic Outlook for Eradicating PRRS
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, better knows as PRRS, costs the U.S. swine industry about $560 million a year, so eradicating that disease could have a significant impact for producers. Dr. Scott Dee with the Swine Disease Eradication Center at the University of Minnesota believes it is possible within 20 years. “I’m going to be optimistic,” Dr. Dee said at …
Bright IDEA from Novus
A bright IDEA from Novus International could help both hog producers and the ethanol industry. IDEA stands for “Immobilized Digestive Enzyme Assay” which Dr. Brad Lawrence says helps understand the digestibility of lysine and other amino acids in dried distillers grains (DDGS), the livestock feed by-product of ethanol production. “Distillers is one of the few ingredients that we have that …
America’s Pork Producers Do What’s Right
The nation’s pork producers have recommitted themselves to the “We Care” program announced last year at World Pork Expo. The program was developed by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Pork Board (NPB) to help demonstrate that pork producers are committed to caring for their animals, producing safe food, protecting the environment and public health and giving …