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Check out the following feature article on the Arkfeld family of Dunbar, Neb. The Arkfelds are regular attendees at NJSA and NSR shows!

Homegrown pigs take top prizes at the county fair – Nebraska City, NE – Nebraska City News-Press

Another year is lined out and ready to go for the NJSA! The new board of directors recently held their annual retreat at the offices of the National Pork Board, a diamond-level NJSA sponsor, in Des Moines, Iowa.

The purpose of the weekend session was to plan details for NJSA shows through the upcoming year, assign committees, and for the team to get to know each other and have a chance to work together.

“The team had a chance to increase their knowledge of the commercial pork industry by working with the NPB board, and there was also a lot of team bonding and camaraderie established, which is really the greatest benefit of this retreat,” says Alan Duttlinger, NSR director of junior activities.

The agenda also included training sessions with staff from the NPB, including a communications and social media workshop and Pork 101 session, as well as team-building excercises, and [ … ]

Al Christian Lifetime Achievement Award

The National Association of Swine Records presented its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award to Al Christian of Ames, Iowa, at the 2010 World Pork Expo, in recognition of his contributions to the swine industry worldwide.Darrell Anderson and Mike Paul of the NSR, Jack Wall, CEO of Certified Pedigreed Swine, and Amy Smith, secretary of the American Berkshire Association presented Christian, who retired from the Iowa State University Swine Teaching Farm after 50 years there, with a plaque. Watch this video of NSR’s Mike Paul announcing the award, as well as tributes to Christian from ISU’s Tom Baas and Michgan State University’s Al Snedegar.

The National Swine Registry has completed the search for the 2010 Hog College® representatives, and has announced the following breeders will display ideal type boars and gilts at the National Barrow Show®, to be held Sept. 12-15 in Austin, Minn. The National Barrow Show is sponsored by the National Association of Swine Records.

Hog College Boars: Duroc: Huinker Durocs, Decorah, IowaHampshire: Jim & Mike McCoy, Bloomingburg, OhioLandrace: Mills Girls, Clinton, Ill.Yorkshire: Hilman Schroeder, Sauk City, Wis.

Hog College Gilts:Duroc: JJ Genetics (Guy Jackson & Mike Johnson), Warren, Ind.Hampshire: Kilmer Swine Farm, Monticello, Ind.Landrace: McGrew Showpigs, Good Hope, Ill.Yorkshire: Scott Garlisch, Forest City, Ill.

The Hog College is a long-standing tradition of the National Barrow Show, now in its 64th year. A boar and gilt are selected to represent the ideal type for each of the four NSR breeds, as well as Berkshires and each of the Certified Pedigreed Swine breeds – Chester White, [ … ]

Cally Hass of Cassopolis, Mich., was recently announced as the winner of the 2010 Claude Robinson Memorial Scholarship. This $1,000 scholarship is given by the Robinson family of Wellsville, Mo., in honor of their father and grandfather, a noted stockman and breeder of Yorkshire hogs, Angus cattle and Quarter horses.The scholarship is awarded each year to one college sophomore, junior or senior enrolled in a junior or senior college judging program. Selection criteria include demonstrated leadership activities, livestock judging experience, livestock industry interest and community service.

Hass will be a senior this fall at Michigan State University, and will graduate next spring with a degree in animal science with an agribusiness option. She competed on the 2009 MSU livestock judging team – the only all-girl team in the nation, also coached by a woman – and has accumulated a list of awards from contests around the country.

In her application, Hass says [ … ]

College junior or senior NJSA members — don’t forget to apply for the National Pork Board scholarships. More than $42,500 will be awarded to swine-industry focused students. The deadline is Oct. 1, 2010, and the online application is available at http://www.pork.org/Resources/1035/ScholarshipEntryForm.aspx.

Any specific questions should be directed to Lana Modlin at LModlin@pork.org or 515-223-2609. Don’t wait to get started!2010 National Pork Board Scholarship Guidelines 1. Applicants must be a junior or senior college student majoring in animal science or a related field and is planning to:a) Pursue a career in swine production management or a related field, orb) Attend graduate school and major in one of the following disciplines, with an emphasis on swine:• Agriculture• Agricultural Business• Agriculture Engineering• Agronomy• Animal Breeding/Genetics/Genomics• Animal Physiology• Bioinformatics• Environmental Science• Environmental Physiology/Behavior• Meat Science• Nutrition• Pork Safety / Food Technology• Reproductive Physiology• Veterinary Medicine (only if interest is swine production medicine)• Related [ … ]

Wanted: College Students to Promote Agriculture Pork – Industry News

Wanted: College Students to Promote AgricultureBy Pork news source Wednesday, August 04, 2010

College students are needed to share the facts about modern food production with the public. College Aggies Online, a program to help today’s college students become advocates for the agriculture industry, are encouraged to sign up.

College Aggies Online is a joint venture of the Animal Agriculture Alliance and American National CattleWomen.

Participating students will utilize social media tools such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to share agriculture’s story with the public. Beginning Sept. 1, members of College Aggies Online will compete to win prizes for the school organization that they represent. Participants will earn points for each agriculture-related blog, photo and video that they post.

Students who participate in the program help ensure the future of American agriculture. “Last year, 350 students representing 50 universities shared their stories on the College [ … ]

Thanks Brian and Austin for a great visit! The hog’s looked good.

Below are several pictures of a Full Shift son out of a PI R Squared sow (same mother as Grand Champion Duroc Boar at the Summer Type Conference). She is a truly impressive sow.

2010 NJSA Distinguished Service Award

The recipient of the 2010 National Junior Swine Association Distinguished Service Award was former NSR Director of Junior Activities, Jennifer Shike. Watch this video clip of her receiving the award, as well as a photo tribute from her almost 10 years of service to the NJSA.