Columbia, Mo.,---- The Missouri Pork Association welcomes producers, suppliers and distributors to the 2014 Missouri Pork Expo to help us celebrate 60 years. 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 11 and runs through Wednesday afternoon, February 12 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia.
The Educational Series and one-day swine trade show are feature attractions for the 2014 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 70 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 2014 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 OBC Genetics of Wellsville. 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 2014 Expo Educational Series kicks off February 11 at 9:30 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; Solid Solutions for Your Pit with Dr. Ted Funk, Ted Funk Consulting, sponsored by Elanco Animal Health; and Lagoon Management with Jeff Browning, Allied Engineering Services, Michael Heaton, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and David Stephens, United Hog Systems, sponsored by More Than Manure.
At 2:00 pm, two more concurrent sessions will begin: The Dreaded P's of Pork Production – PEDV & PRRS with Pete Lasley, DVM, Murphy Brown LLC, sponsored by Zoetis; and So You Think You Know BBQ – Tips from the Experts with Elliot Mellow, ASAP (Always Smoked Absolutely Perfect), and Chef Adam Wells-Morgan, The Club at Old Hawthorne, sponsored by Lynch Livestock and Rabo AgriFinance.
A reception, sponsored by Nioex Systems USA Inc., 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 Farmland Foods, and end with the Missouri Pork Association's live auction. Tickets for the banquet, which will feature a Stuffed Bone-In Pork Chop, are only $35 prior to the Expo, and $40 on site.
The Educational Series continues February 12 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 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 Novartis Animal Health. Faculty from MU will cover several topics, including Lessons Learned on Ventilation Control, Highlights for the Upcoming 2014 North American Manure Expo, Lighting Options for Your Barns, Current Issues in Diet Formulation, Tax Changes for Your Farm, What You Know You Should Be Doing – Energy Savings and Feed Management, and Social Issues and Their Impacts on Markets. The Expo concludes with a Missouri Pork Association Board meeting on Thursday afternoon, which is open to all producers.
Additional sponsors for the 2014 Missouri Pork Expo include Boehringer Ingelheim, Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, DARPRO – A Darling Griffin Brand, Landmark Bank, Missouri Agribusiness Association, Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council, Nedap Agri North America and Purina Animal Nutrition.
