World Pork Expo to feature new contest for young pork enthusiasts

Apr 08, 2024

The National Pork Producers Council is excited to launch a new opportunity for young pork enthusiasts at this year’s World Pork Expo.

The Young Pork Advocates Issues Meet is a competitive speaking event for young people aged 17-22. Through preparatory research, creative problem solving, collaborative discussion, and the drafting of mock motions, competitors will dive deep into current pork industry issues and gain an understanding of the NPPC producer-led policy development process.

Competitors will engage in open dialogue surrounding a prompted industry issue and bring forth logical and creative solutions. Ultimately, these solutions will be translated into mock motions, simulating the NPPC committee structure.

The contest will occur over both days of the World Pork Expo at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Rounds 1 and 2 will take place on the morning of Wednesday, June 5, and the Final Four Round will take place on the Bill Riley Stage immediately before the concert on the evening of Thursday, June 6.

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Video: 2026 T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science - Dan Weary

T.K. Cheung Lecture in Animal Science: "Using science to assess and improve the welfare of dairy cattle"

Dan Weary is a Professor at the University of British Columbia. Dan did his BSc and MSc at McGill and Doctorate at Oxford before co-founding UBC’s Animal Welfare Program where he now co-directs this active research group. His research focuses on understanding the perspectives of animals and applying these insights to develop methods of assessing animal welfare and improving the lives of animals. His work has helped drive changes in practices (including the adoption of higher milk rations for calves and pain management for disbudding) and housing methods (including the adoption of social housing for pre-weaned calves). He also studies cow comfort and lameness, social interactions among cows, and interactions between cows, human handlers and technologies like automated millking systems that are increasingly used on farms. His presentation will outline key questions in cattle welfare, highlight recent UBC research addressing them, and showcase innovative methods for improving the lives of cattle and their caretakers.