Larry Mitchell, USDA Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA) administer, along with Deputy Administrator Susan Keith, spent the day at the 25th anniversary of the World Pork Expo. While attending the event, the two took some time for an answer and question session to give the pork industry and update on close term challenges and opportunities. The biggest challenge …
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 …
Improving Digestibility Can Reduce Feed Costs
Applying nutrient digestibility concepts and the use of certain enzymes can help hog producers reduce waste and lower feed costs. Dr. Jeffrey Escobar of Novus International talked about that during a presentation at World Pork Expo this week, explaining the benefits of their feed additive Cibenza DP100. “It’s a heat-stable protease … that will digest proteins to release amino acids,” …
Meet Kourtney Determan – Up & Coming Aggie
During the 25th Anniversary of World Pork Expo, I had the opportunity to meet one of the up and coming young women in agriculture – Kourtney Determan. She is an Iowa native who grew up on a farm in Northwest Iowa as well as a recent graduate from Iowa State University with a degree in Ag Communications. In mid-May, she …
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 …
Summer Pork Campaign
At World Pork Expo this week, National Pork Board officials unveiled a new summer campaign for consumers to encourage them to save with pork cuts, grill them like steak, and learn some new names for pork cuts. “The current consumer campaign, Pork. Be inspired®, is moving product at the retail meat case and in restaurants,” says Chris Novak, National Pork …
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 …
And This Little Piggy Went to World Pork Expo
Remember the nursery rhyme “This little pig went to market. This little pig went home….”? Well, this little pig went to World Pork Expo and had a great time. The coolest and most creative “piggies” at the 25th anniversary of World Pork Expo were found on Trudy’s nails in the Boehringer Ingelheim tent. Her nails support the pork industry in …
BIVI Shows What Easy Looks Like
Everywhere you look at World Pork Expo you see blue pig snouts touting Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica’s (BIVI) new “Easy” campaign telling hog producers just how simple it can be to protect their herds against countless problems. “For oral vaccines there’s no needles, all they have to do is drink,” says BIVI brand manager Mike Steilen, adding that it also saves …
Record Setting WPX Junior National Show
Nothing at World Pork Expo compares with seeing a kid that might weigh all of 30 pounds working to control the movements of a hog that has 200 pounds on him. Precious! Nearly 900 youngsters and 2500 hogs are signed up for the World Pork Expo Junior National Show this year – three times more than two years ago and …