Missouri Pork Association : Growing Opportunities at the 2017 Missouri Pork Expo

Columbia, Mo.,-The Missouri Pork Association welcomes producers, suppliers and distributors to the 2017 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 7 and runs through Wednesday afternoon, February 8 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia.

The Educational Series and one-day swine trade show are feature attractions for the 2017 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 95 agricultural businesses on February 7. The show registration, sponsored by WIN-WIN, LLC, opens at 8 am Tuesday and includes a silent auction 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 2017 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 attending will receive Show Me Quality Assurance certification, and will learn more about the role social media plays on the farm. They will also hear from show pig breeders from across Missouri, including Michael Curtis, Curtis Show Pigs, Thompson; Everett Forkner, TRULINE Genetics, Richards; Jesse Heimer, Heimer Hampshires, Taylor; Doug Porter, Porter O'Bannon Show Pigs, California; and Stephanie White, White House Genetics, Warrensburg. Participants will enjoy lunch and a scavenger hunt, sponsored by FCS Financial.

The Missouri Pork Expo will host a barbecue lunch on Tuesday, provided and sponsored by Lynch Livestock, Inc. The lunch is $8 per person, and is free to youth. This will follow the FFA Pork Speaking Contest finals, sponsored by Alltech.

The 2017 Expo Educational Series kicks off February 7 at 9:30 am with a PQA Plus Certification training, sponsored by the Missouri Pork Association. At 10:00 am, JBS Live Pork will sponsor Eliminating the Gremlins - Electrical Troubleshooting, Maintenance and Safety. The panel, moderated by Jerry Foster with JBS Live Pork, will feature Glenn Fry, Ham Hill Farms; Chris Rohlfing, Boone County Electric Cooperative; and David Lorenz, Lorenz Electric from Pilot Grove.

The afternoon sessions will cover many topics important to producers. Two concurrent sessions will begin at 1:00 pm: a Market Outlook with Dr. Steve Meyer, EMI Analytics, sponsored by Wiechman Pig Company; and Preparing for the Common Swine Industry Audit with Jamee Amundson, MS, National Pork Board, sponsored by Monsanto.

At 2:00 pm, two more concurrent sessions will begin: Eyes on Target - What to Look for in the Barns - A Veterinarian's Perspective with Dr. Whitney Lincoln, Smithfield Foods Midwest Region, sponsored by Purina Animal Nutrition; and Increasing Nutrients Availability to Midwest Crops and Improving Water Quality with Dave Kaltenberg, Verdesian Life Sciences, sponsored by More Than Manure.

A reception will begin at 5:30 and 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, and end with the Missouri Pork Association's live auction. Tickets for the banquet are only $35 prior to the Expo and $40 on site.

The Educational Series continues February 8 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 the National Pork Producers Council and Smithfield Hog Production Division Midwest Region.

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 How the VFD is Impacting Producers with Corinne Bromfield, DVM; 40 Pigs Per Sow Per Year - The European Experience, Dr. Tim Safranski; What to Do if a Vesicular Disease (or FAD) Comes to Your Farm, Dr. Bromfield; New Tools - White Board Messages, Dr. Ray Massey; and a Market Outlook with Dr. Scott Brown. The Expo concludes with a Missouri Pork Association Board lunch (invitation only), 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 2017 Missouri Pork Expo include Boehringer Ingelheim, Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, DarPro Ingredients, Landmark Bank, Maximum Ag Technologies, Missouri Agribusiness Association, Missouri Corn Growers Association, Nedap Livestock Management and Rabo AgriFinance.

Registration for the Expo trade show and educational sessions is free. There is a non-exhibiting supplier fee of $50. More information regarding the 2017 Missouri Pork Expo is available at http://www.mopork.com/events/missouri-pork-expo/.

The Missouri Pork Association represents the state's pork producers in the areas of promotion, research, education and legislation. For more information about this or any other programs of the Missouri Pork Association, go to www.mopork.com, or call the Missouri Pork Association office at [phone].

# # #