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I am pleased to announce the hiring of Brian Arnold, Lafayette, Ill., as the VP of Member Outreach & Youth Development for the National Swine Registry. Brian is a graduate of Black Hawk East and Purdue University. He has served as an ag business instructor and co-livestock judging coach at Black Hawk East since 2006. He and his wife, Molly, along with their 1-year-old son, Reece, will be relocating to the West Lafayette area in the near future. We are excited to have Brian on board starting July 9th.
We have also hired Torie Schwartz, Rossville, Ind., as the Junior Activities Coordinator. Torie is a graduate of Black Hawk East and Western Illinois University, where she was a member of both school’s livestock judging teams. Torie also served as a junior board member and officer for the American Junior Shorthorn Association. We look forward to having Torie as part of our team.
Both Brian and Torie will be attending [ … ]
As many of you are aware, NJSA shows offer Bred-and-Owned awards for gilts as a special way to recognize junior exhibitors who are raising and showing their own pigs. For those of you headed to the NSR Summer Spectacular, this is a great opportunity and I thought I would go through the rules so you can make sure to be considered for this award if you raised your own hogs.
To be eligible for Bred-and-Owned awards, the exhibitor must declare that his or her pig is Bred-and-Owned when going through the pedigree portion of check in. The exhibitor must be shown as both the breeder and the current owner on the gilt’s registration paper. The name of the breeder or the current owner is not allowed to be in a family or farm name that includes a partner over 21 years of age. If there is more than one name listed [ … ]
Whew, we survived an exciting and busy week at Expo. One of my favorite aspects of my job is seeing the high quality animals that are exhibited at our shows and sales.
As producers, I know you guys are constantly striving to raise the next “great one.” So this month in Stock Marketing, I’m going to share a few quick tricks you can use to promote your entries for the summer sales, shows and conferences.
Get a good picture. A picture is worth a thousand words, so if you want potential buyers to get excited about your entry – snap a good picture. Sure, you can tell people it’s a “great one,” but often, seeing is believing. Such was the case in Duncan last year when Bruce and Jenny Kaufman of Kaufman Showpigs, Crawfordsville, Iowa, got a great shot of their Hillbilly Bone son. His picture drew the interest of Prairie State [ … ]
Greetings from Des Moines! The 2012 edition of the World Pork Expo is officially under way. With a record number of entries in the World Pork Expo Junior National, a great lineup of judges and, of course, great hogs, we’re very excited to get the shows started tomorrow. Below are some “candids” from the barn as exhibitors began unloading and registering their entries today.
National Swine Registry CEO Mike Paul chats with Eastern Region Fieldman Ralph Doak about the hogs they’ve seen in the barn so far.
Members of National Junior Swine Association (NJSA) and Team Purebred check-in junior exhibitors in the swine barn.
A family unloads their gilt. This year’s World Pork Expo Junior National features a record-breaking number of entries!
The show ring is set for tomorrow’s shows.
Courtney Smith and Kaylee Miller took a break from check-in to pose for a photo.
This Yorkshire hog was curious to see our camera.
Not making it [ … ]
Greetings from the sunshine state! It is my distinct honor and privilege to introduce myself to you as the 2012 Field Staff Intern! To be granted the opportunity to serve you, the members of the NSR, is a true gift. My intentions are to bring a unique and valuable skill set to the NSR, which can be utilized in such a way that is profitable for everyone involved.
My story may start off like many other young adults involved in the swine industry, but it’s comes with an interesting twist. Being from California, I’ll be the first one to admit hogs aren’t exactly our state’s number one commodity. Although this may be the situation, that does not make my passion for hogs any less. Growing up on a hog and dairy farm, two things were readily instilled in me – work ethic and a love for agriculture. Those two traits [ … ]
A common thread among those involved in agriculture is the experiences they had growing up and working on the farm. For most, it’s a time in their life when they learn not only the fundamentals of food production, but also the work ethic and responsibility that influence them throughout their lives.
So when the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division proposed revisions that would have changed the face of the family farm last September, it prompted a huge response from the agricultural community. According to Agri-Pulse coverage of the issue, more than 70 agricultural organizations submitted comments in opposition to the changes. The National Farmers Union said parts of the rules needed revision. The American Farm Bureau Federation called the rules an “over-reach” and a threat to the integrity of family farms.
From a review of the proposed rules and DOL news release, it’s not hard to see where [ … ]
The 2012 World Pork Expo is expecting record numbers. We need your assistance to make this event come together. If you are not bringing all the animals you entered, please contact the NSR/NJSA office, the CPS office and ABA office and let the staff know what your entry numbers will be. Thanks!
Here are some helpful tips for junior and seniors exhibitors:
1) Please review the WPX health regulations (located on the NSR website and page 73 in the March issue of the Seedstock EDGE). All animals must be tested individually for Pseudorabies, and you must present this test chart along with your certificate of veterinary inspection at the vet station check point.
2) There is a designated parking area for trailers this year. After unloading your entries, proceed west on Dean Avenue (stoplight), turn left (south) on E. 30th street, travel on 30th over the overpass and at the intersection of Scott and [ … ]
Forty-two members of the National Junior Swine Association (NJSA), ages 14-21, flocked from 12 states to gather in Modesto, Calif., for the 2012 NJSA National Youth Leadership Conference, “Bacon’ in the Sun,” held May 18-20. Throughout the weekend, youth listened to panels and presentations from industry leaders, toured top-notch facilities and had a blast meeting fellow NJSA members and young swine enthusiasts.
Beau Williamson and Coty Back of Greater Potential Leadership presented three separate leadership workshops throughout the weekend, helping participants define leadership and set SMART goals to become leaders in the swine industry.
Bryn Jensson with the National Pork Board gave a presentation on Sending the Message of We Care, educating youth on how to embrace the changes happening in our industry and serve as examples for consumers.
Youth participants took part in a [ … ]
Hey NSR! My name is Katie Powers and I am very excited to be the Pedigree Department Intern this summer. We are busy in the office preparing for the upcoming shows, and I cannot wait to attend these incredible events! Time is flying and they will be here in no time.
Please allow me to introduce myself. My background is diverse – I am a native of Townsend, Delaware, and a proud alum of Oklahoma State University. I just entered the “big kid world” on May 5th, when I graduated from OSU with my bachelors degree in animal science with an emphasis in livestock merchandizing.
Raising livestock and working on my family’s farm throughout my childhood fueled my passion for the agriculture industry and still burns steady to this day. I grew up raising and showing all four species of livestock. My first show project was a crossbred lamb at [ … ]
The first part of this week, the NSR Marketing & Communications team took a road trip to Montezuma, Iowa, to tour our new printing facilities – Sutherland Companies. Dave Sutherland, Sr., and his son, Dave, Jr., will oversee the printing of Seedstock EDGE starting with the June issue.
Along with Katie, Steve and I, we had our summer intern, Taylor Fritsch, along for the trip. After a long afternoon on the road Monday, we stayed at the Amana Colonies in Iowa, where we found abundant support for pork products … including Baconnaise, bacon balm, bacon lollipops and several other “pig” products.
Tuesday morning we made the short jaunt south of I-80 to Montezuma, where we met “The Daves” at Sutherland’s printing facilities. Dave, Sr., gave us a tour of the plant, where we got to see the entire production process behind printing, binding and mailing a magazine. We [ … ]