Columbia, Mo.,— The Missouri Pork Association welcomes producers, suppliers and distributors to the 2015 Missouri Pork Expo. The two-day event promotes the pork industry, educates youth and adults, and distributes information from current research. The Expo begins the morning of Tuesday, February 10 and runs through Wednesday afternoon, February 11 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia.
The Educational Series and one-day swine trade show are feature attractions for the 2015 Expo. Participants may also attend events including the FFA Pork Speaking Contest Finals, Pork Industry Banquet and Pork Leadership Breakfast.
The largest swine-specific trade show in Missouri will include more than 80 agricultural businesses. The show registration, sponsored by Davidson Construction and Management Co. LLC, opens at 8 am Tuesday and includes a silent auction, sponsored by ADM Alliance Nutrition and Cedar Ridge Genetics, as well as the Trade Show Hospitality Area, sponsored by The Parks Companies. Live auction items to be sold during the Pork Industry Banquet will also be on display. The trade show closes at 5 pm that evening.
More than 100 youth are expected to complete Show Me Quality Assurance (SMQA) certification during the 2015 In the Show Ring educational workshop, sponsored by Heimer Hampshires and Lindner United. The Tuesday workshop prepares young people to show swine at the local and state levels. Youth will learn good management, nutrition and showmanship practices during sessions led by industry professionals. Live animals for the sessions will be provided by the University of Missouri Swine Teaching Center. Participants will also enjoy lunch and a scavenger hunt, sponsored by FCS Financial. SMQA certification is required for youth swine exhibitors in Missouri.
The Missouri Pork Expo will host a barbecue lunch on Tuesday, sponsored by Cargill Pork. The lunch is $5 per person. This will follow the FFA Pork Speaking Contest finals, sponsored by Alltech.
The 2015 Expo Educational Series kicks off February 10 at 9:30 am with a PQA Plus Certification training, sponsored by the Missouri Pork Association. The afternoon sessions will cover many topics important to producers. Three concurrent sessions will begin at 1:00 pm: Economic Update with Dr. Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics, Inc., sponsored by Monsanto; Working with Custom Manure Applicators – A Panel Discussion moderated by Dr. John Lory, University of Missouri and joined by a representative from Kendrick Nutrient Management; Don Lehenbauer, P.S.C.O. LLC; Phillip Wise, Wise Enterprises, Inc. and Kurt Boeckmann, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, sponsored by More Than Manure; and Heat Stressed Fetuses Make Different Growing & Grown Pigs with Dr. Tim Safranski, University of Missouri, sponsored by Elanco Animal Health.
At 2:00 pm, three more concurrent sessions will begin: The New Swine Industry Audit with Rob Christine, National Pork Board, sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition; Soil Health Initiative with Doug Peterson, Natural Resources Conservation Service, sponsored by More Than Manure; and A Pitmaster’s Secrets: Award Winning BBQ Tips and Tricks with Elliot Mellow, ASAP (Always Smoked Absolutely Perfect), sponsored by Lynch Livestock and Rabo AgriFinance.
A reception, sponsored by Grow Missouri, will begin at 5:30 and will include a wine tasting, courtesy of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board. The reception will lead up to the Pork Industry Banquet, co-sponsored by the Pork Checkoff and Smithfield-Farmland, and end with the Missouri Pork Association’s live auction, sponsored by Grow Missouri. Tickets for the banquet, which will feature an Herb-Roasted Porterhouse Pork Chop, are only $35 prior to the Expo, and $40 on site.
The Educational Series continues February 11 with the Pork Leadership Breakfast, featuring Jim Wiesemeyer with Informa Economics in Washington D.C. Mr. Wiesemeyer will discuss the current issues in our nation’s capital and how they will affect Missouri’s pork industry. There is an additional $50 fee to attend the breakfast prior to the Expo, $60 on site, which is sponsored by AT&T, Murphy Brown LLC and the National Pork Producers Council.
Stay after breakfast for topics presented by the Commercial Agriculture Program at the University of Missouri, sponsored by Zoetis. Faculty from MU will cover topics including Diversifying Your Portfolio of Investments and aMarket Outlook. Bryan Myers, DVM, with Pipestone Veterinary Services will present PEDV Perspectives – Looking to the Future. The Expo concludes with a Missouri Pork Association Board lunch, sponsored by the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, followed by a board meeting on Wednesday afternoon, which is open to all producers.
Additional sponsors for the 2015 Missouri Pork Expo include Boehringer Ingelheim, Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, DARPRO – A Darling Griffin Brand, Landmark Bank, Maximum Ag Technologies, Missouri Agribusiness Association, Nedap Agri North America, Purina Animal Nutrition and The Maschhoffs.
Registration for the Expo trade show and educational sessions is free. There is a non-exhibiting supplier fee of $50. More information regarding the 2015 Missouri Pork Expo is available at www.mopork.com/events_MissouriPorkExpo.asp.
Source: Missouri Pork Association