NSRAnnual Meeting

General

All breed boards evaluated and approved financials, voted for breed board officers and representatives to the NSR Executive Committee and selected judges for the 2019 show schedule. This information and highlights can be found at nationalswine.com. Furthermore, each breed voted and approved annual contributions to the National Junior Swine Association.

Additionally, staff are planning a Strategic Planning Session with industry leading geneticists and seedstock producers to evaluate the current populations of individual breeds and strategies for the future of breed composition testing. Finally, staff were given directive to evaluate current DNA testing lab options and potentially seek service from a lab that will speed up processing results, decreasing cost, without sacrificing quality of results.

Duroc

• Continue Weanling Donation Animals at NSR Fall Classic (Tres Amigos and Brock Herren will provide animals for 2019)
• No changes were made to DNA Breed Profile testing
• Kevin Wendt was selected as the auctioneer for Durocs.

Hampshire

• Continue the Hampshire-Sired Barrow Class for The 2019 Exposition and reassess after the event in 2019.
• Significant discussion regarding the current state of Breed Profile Testing as it relates to the Hampshire breed. Recommendations were made to seek opportunities to consider additional consulting on where the breed profile testing program goes in the future. The Hampshire Board will meet again mid-summer after the Strategic Planning session to consider options and develop a timeline for the future of breed profile testing.
• Significant discussion with membership that participated in the meeting suggested incorporating parentage testing into considerations for the future. The board will review these suggestions after the summer Strategic Planning Session.
• Hampshire Board to meet summer of 2019 to evaluate current results and evaluate current policies and timelines related to testing of females.
• Kevin Wendt was selected as auctioneer for Hampshires. 

Landrace

• Board voted to change by-laws to allow senior members to run for the Landrace board even if the sows or litters are recorded in a junior members name or account. Information will be provided to the Landrace Membership and voting ballots sent out later in 2019. This procedure will be evaluated and implemented via the Landrace Breed By-Laws.
• The board discussed promoting Landrace at other national shows, specifically, the Oklahoma Youth Expo and Tulsa State Fair, to enhance value of Landrace genetics.
• Significant discussion ensued regarding the current state of breed profile testing. Considerations included providing breeders with percentage information without jeopardizing international markets, plans to increase requirements, and how breed profile testing would affect junior members. Ultimately, the board decided to wait until more test data was gathered through spring and summer of 2019 to assess the breed profile testing. To collect more data, the board requested that NSR staff collect samples from the Top 5 in the Landrace Breed awards at NJSA events to be used only for research purposes and help build a more robust and relevant genetic base.
• General discussions were considered on programs to promote exhibiting Landrace and scholarship opportunities for youth members.
• Ron Kries was selected as the Landrace auctioneer.

Yorkshire

• The board discussed future opportunities to promote breeders and elite sows through a “Sow Hall of Fame”
• The board discussed future marketing opportunities and exhibition classes for Yorkshire genetics through the potential of Yorkshire “Influenced” classes or divisions and reemphasizing the value of infusing Yorkshire genetics into crossbred breeding schemes.
• Ron Kries was selected as the Yorkshire breed auctioneer.