January 20, 2011
For More Information, contact
Don Nikodim, (573) 445-8375
Beyond the Barn at the 2011 Missouri Pork Expo
Missouri Pork Industry to Host Educational Sessions and State’s Largest Swine Trade Show
Columbia, Mo.,— The Missouri Pork Association welcomes producers, suppliers and distributors to the 2011 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 Wednesday, February 9 and runs through Thursday afternoon, February 10 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center.
The Educational Series and one-day swine trade show are feature attractions for the 2011 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 60 agricultural businesses. The show registration, sponsored by Davidson Construction and Management Co. LLC, opens at 8 am Wednesday and includes a silent auction, as well as the Trade Show Hospitality Area, sponsored by MFA, Inc. 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 2011 In the Show Ring educational workshop, sponsored by Alltech. The Wednesday 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 Wednesday, sponsored by Cargill Pork. This will follow the FFA Pork Speaking Contest finals, sponsored by MFA Incorporated.
The 2011 Expo Educational Series kicks off February 9 with Dr. Steve Meyer, Paragon Economics of Des Moines, IA, who will give a swine industry update. At 2:00 pm, Dr. Rick Tubbs with Green River Swine Consultation will cover, “Bio-Security – Preventing a Crash.”
The Pork Industry Banquet, co-sponsored by the Pork Checkoff and Farmland Foods, will include a wine tasting, courtesy of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, as well as the Missouri Pork Association’s live auction. Tickets for the banquet, which features the pork porterhouse, are only $30.
The Educational Series continues February 10 with the Pork Leadership Breakfast, featuring Jim Wiesemeyer from Informa Economics in Washington, D.C. There is an additional $50 fee to attend the breakfast, which is sponsored by Murphy Brown LLC and the National Pork Producers Council. Stay after breakfast for topics presented by the Commercial Agricullture Program at the University of Missouri. Faculty from MU will discuss the PRRS Eradication program, and how to optimize your profit potential through nutrition, health and facilities management strategies.
The Expo concludes with a Missouri Pork Association Board meeting on Thursday afternoon.
Additional sponsors for the 2011 Missouri Pork Expo include Agri-Tech Enterprises, Inc., the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, Land O’ Lakes Purina Feed LLC, the Missouri Agribusiness Association, Nedap and UPI/Parks, LLC.
Registration for the Expo is $10 and includes all activities except the Pork Industry Banquet and the Pork Leadership Breakfast. Registration is free for Missouri Pork Association members and youth. There is a non-exhibiting supplier fee of $50.
More information regarding the 2011 Missouri Pork Expo is available at www.mopork.com, or through the Missouri Pork Association at (573) 445-8375.
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 (573) 445-8375.
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