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Swine Scholars Auction raises record amount

The 2025 Iowa Pork Congress saw a record-breaking fundraising effort for student scholarships in the pork industry. This year’s Dollars for Swine Scholars Auction raised an impressive $62,511, surpassing the previous record of $61,525 set in 2023.

Held in January at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, the auction was a highlight of the Iowa Pork Congress festivities. Proceeds from the event will support scholarships for incoming freshmen, returning students, graduate fellowships and interns pursuing careers in the pork industry.

“We are incredibly grateful to the generous individuals and organizations that contributed to this year’s auction,” said Aaron Juergens, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. “This event is about investing in the future of the pork industry by supporting the next generation. It was a fantastic night, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.”

One of the most sought-after items was a CINCH World’s Toughest Rodeo package, donated by the Iowa Events Center, which fetched the highest bid of $4,100.

Adding to the excitement, Iowa State Cyclone football players Tyler Moore and Caleb Bacon—both part of the popular “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon” promotional campaign—were on hand to sign autographs, meet attendees, and help auction their autographed jerseys. Their efforts contributed an additional $3,300 to the scholarship fund.

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Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.