SwineCast Update

The Year of Pigs is going strong at the Indiana State Fair. Mike Platt, Executive Director of the Indiana Pork Producers Association, shares how innovative product promotion efforts are paying off in Indiana.

World Pork Expo is in full swing and SwineCast is taking an active role in the conversations. We are talking with producers, companies and key stakeholders over the next couple of days and sharing those conversations with you on SwineCast.com.

I am excited at some major efforts coming together to focus on PRRS Area Control. Boehringer-Ingelheim is taking a lead role on this critical disease issue by bringing together efforts from across the U.S. and building a backbone of information and collaborative efforts. You’ll be hearing more from this PRRS Area Control initiative in the coming days on SwineCast.

I also want to draw your attention to some interesting episodes that the SwineCast community is showing interest in: "Man Made Climate Change: Hoax or Myth" (links below). It is always good to hear from you that we’re helping in some small way.

The World Pork Expo is on the near term agenda (June 9-11 in Des Moines, Iowa) followed closely by the National Pork Board's 2010 Pork Management Conference in Hilton Head, SC.

SwineCast will be bringing you in-depth conversations from both events. Want to learn more about what's going on in Des Moines? We talk with the Pork Board's Assistant Vice President - Communications, Cindy Cunningham to overview the many seminars and educational programs that are free to attendees. The Pork Management Conference brings top speakers on issues external to the industry as well as updates on key topics all producers need to know. Get registered or learn more about the agenda via the program guide.

Questions? Comments? Please feel free to contact us.

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SwineCast^® Conversations

What Are The Educational Opportunities At The World Pork Expo?

Cindy Cunningham, National Pork Board Vice-President of Communications, updates us on the programs, seminars and events at 2010 World Pork Expo.

Asian Foot and Mouth Disease? Impact North American Producers?

Swine producers in North America should take action to stop potential Foot and Mouth Disease carriers at the farm gate.

Filtering Nutrients From Wastewater With Algae

Walter Mulby, USDA Agricultural Research Service Microbiologist, shares information on research into low-cost algae-based systems to reclaim nutrients from manures.

Agriculture Telling its Story

Animal‑rights is not about treating animals more nicely Wesley J. Smith, Award winning author and Senior Fellow in Human Rights and Bioethics at the Discovery Institute, shares his view that animal-rights is an ideology and that agriculture must do a much better job of explaining the great traditions of animal husbandry and the tremendous human benefit we receive from the proper and humane use of animals. Both the audio and transcript of the presentation is available.

How Agriculture Needs To Work Together What are some of the core issues, projects, and principles that Agriculture should organize around and tackle?

Man-Made Climate Change: Hoax or Myth Dr. Jay Lehr, Science Director of The Heartland Institute, breaks down the hoax and myths behind man-made climate change. This is a three part presentation , via DairyCast, from the 2010 Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Convention.

Given the twin hammers of H1N1 and world economic upheaval, the U.S. pork industry is doing all it can to grow demand through exports and maintain the black ink of the past few months. ...Agriculture Telling its Story On The Farm: Tennessee Floods and Effects on TN Agriculture Melissa Burniston ( @mburniston ) of the Tennessee Farm Bureau shares information about the flood impacts to agriculture in Tennessee.

SwineCast has recently increased its industry stake with sponsorships of significant meetings through our parent, Truffle Media Networks. The event sponsorships resulted in exclusive SwineCast coverage of the recent National Institute for Animal Agriculture Annual Meeting: “One Health: Implications For Animal Agriculture.”

In Kansas City for the Pork Industry Forum (PIF), the annual joint meeting of the National Pork Producers Council and the National Pork Board. From this meeting you’ll be hearing presentations and interviews at SwineCast.com.

The pork industry has seen a rebound in prices of late (thankfully) and a re-focusing of strengths to challenge immediate threats. A recent program features Elite Pork’s Dr. Craig Rowles as one voice asking legislators to protect our access to the tools which ensure our animal’s well-being and productivity.

Adding your voice to those already being heard in Washington is a priority in 2010. Do not delay.

Winter has for many years meant Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) breaks. This year at several midwestern conferences there are efforts to use the reduction in swine numbers as a base to work a PRRS eradication effort into place. Empty houses simplify depop-repop programs.

As we wrap up production on several of the presentations made to Minnesota and Iowa pork producers during the state meetings, we can share some upbeat conversations with producers looking ahead to profit potential in the futures markets. We are also sharing some of the conversations from the Banff Swine Conference, via correspondent Bruce Cochrane, so our listeners will get a feel for most the of North American production issues.

Producer interest in technology and risk management was high at the Minnesota Pork Congress. While exhibitors felt the turnout was down slightly, general attitudes were positive following months of unprofitability. Steve Meyer noted profitable hedging opportunities are now available and suggested growers lock in those positive margins when they’re available.

Many thanks to the John Morrell company and United FCS for sponsoring SwineCast coverage of the MN Pork Congress. Those excellent presentations will be coming online in the next week to extend the value of the information provided.

Two major state swine conferences coming up in the next couple of weeks and SwineCast is joining a premier list of program sponsors to bring you the presentations, conversations, and analysis. These important educational opportunities will be posted at SwineCast.com in the days following the Minnesota Pork Congress and the Iowa Pork Congress.

Be looking for us at these meetings and throughout the year as we continue to bring you conversations, photos and presentations from the gathering places for the U.S. Swine industry.