Iowa Pork helping Special Olympians show pigs at State Fair

Aug 14, 2023

Special Olympians from across Iowa will receive a unique challenge at the Iowa State Fair. Under the tutelage of Iowa FFA and 4-H members, 16 Special Olympians will show a pig during the Bacon Buddies® Pig Show on Saturday, August 12 in the Swine Barn.

This is the fourth year for the Bacon Buddies® event at the Iowa State Fair. It is an annual collaboration between the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) and Special Olympics Iowa (SOI).

“This event brings a smile to my face and it’s one that we most look forward to every year,” said IPPA President-Elect Matt Gent, who is a pig farmer from Wellman. “One of the primary principles for Iowa pig farmers is caring for the community and this annual event is a great way to help build stronger communities. Bacon Buddies unites Iowans with intellectual or developmental disabilities with 4-H and FFA youth in a shared experience of showing pigs at the Iowa State Fair.”

Click here to see more...

Video: ASF Control Lessons - Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith, Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria, shares what decades of work have revealed about ASF control. She explains why vaccine development remains difficult, how human activity and food waste drive disease spread, why resistant pig populations are an important research area, and how strict biosecurity with the right disinfectants can help to stop transmission. Listen now on all major platforms!

"It's really a very human-driven disease because people move pigs, decide how they're raised, how they're sold, and good biosecurity can do anything to ensure control."

Meet the guest: Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith / mary-louise-penrith-2b12bb42 is an Extraordinary Professor in the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. A veterinarian and internationally recognized researcher, she has dedicated decades to African swine fever epidemiology, control, and pig health, supporting FAO and WOAH initiatives while advancing research and education. Listen to Dr. Mary-Louise Penrith on the Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast, available on all major platforms.