World Pork Expo Events

The World Pork Expo was held June 3-5 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, IA. On Wednesday, June 3rd, the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence held a Media Conference announcing the new updates to PIG and the release date for the National Swine Nutrition Guide.

	Mike Wehler (USPCE Board Member) speaks about the Pork Information Gateway at the USPCE Media Conference.
	Joel DeRouchey (Kansas State; NSNG Steering Committee) speaks about the National Swine Nutrition Guide at the USPCE Media Conference.

"Addressing Grand Challenges through Science" workshop held during World Pork Expo

The “Addressing Grand Challenges through Science” workshop was held June 4-5 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The first evening of the workshop, NPPC CEO Neil Dierks discussed the need for U.S. Pork Producers to continue to produce a safe and competitive pork product. Dr. Roger Campbell, CEO of Pork CRC in Australia, followed by discussing the challenges facing the pork industry from a global perspective and explaining where the U.S. stands in comparison with the industries of other countries. Other speakers heard throughout the evening were Dr. Brian Knudson with Cargill, who discussed the role of the consumer in applying science; Dr. Terry Coffey with Murphy Brown, who talked about the need to shift the focus of the swine industry in order to attract more economical resources; Dr. John Dobrinksy with Minitube International, who explained the difficulties of agricultural research funding; and Dr. Bob Easter with the University of Illinois, who discussed a greater need for collaboration among universities, citing the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence as an example of this. The slideshow presentations from some of the speakers are available in the Resources section of the website.

The speakers’ ideas set the stage for the small group discussions on Friday morning, when participants helped identify the most critical issues facing the pork industry, and then brainstormed possible solutions for these pressing issues. Following the presentation of the identified issues and solutions, participants voted to help prioritize the importance of these issues in order to help set the agenda for upcoming scientific research.  The results of the meeting, including the discussion topics and the prioritized issues, will be compiled by the U.S. Pork Center of Excellence and reviewed by workshop participants. Upon completion, the published results will be available from the USPCE and will be submitted to the USDA, as well as included in the National Pork Board and National Pork Producers Council strategic plans. Contact drdave@iastate.edu for more information about the “Addressing Grand Challenges through Science” workshop outcomes.

	Attendees at the workshop listen to the speakers on Thursday evening, June 4th.
	Dean Bob Easter (University of Illinois) speaks to the attendees about issues facing land grant universities.
	Dr. John Dobrinsky speaks to the attendees about agricultural research funding.