National Swine Registry

Dear World Pork Expo Exhibitors and Parents,

This year we have a record number of junior hogs entered into the WPX Junior National, while this is very exciting it also means we need your cooperation.

Call the NSR if you fall under one of the categories below:

A) You are not bringing as many hogs as you entered.ORB) You are not coming to the World Pork Expo

If A or B applies to you call Mike Paul or Sarah Schwab at the NSR office 765-463-3594 or email us at:mike@nationalswine.com or sarah@nationalswine.com

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Mike Paul NSR Vice President of OperationsSarah Schwab NSR Junior Activities Coordinator

porkNetwork – FMD pocket guide available for pork producers – Diseases

A new foot-and-mouth disease educational pocket guide is now available to U.S. swine veterinarians and pork producers. The laminated flipchart contains photos illustrating lesions associated with FMD in domestic and feral swine.

This pocket guide, developed through a cooperative agreement funded by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is a collaborative effort of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, Iowa State University’s Center for Food Security and Public Health, National Pork Board and USDA-APHIS.

Symptoms seen with food-and-mouth disease are vesicles, or blisters, on the snout or on the feet. Excessive salivating and lameness also are commonly seen. Feed intake is often reduced because of painful tongue and mouth lesions.

Awareness of FMD among livestock producers and veterinarians is critical. Fortunately, the U.S. pork industry has been building its FMD crisis plan for nearly 15 years. “Overall, the nation’s preparedness is very [ … ]

This article is reprinted from the Pork Leader newsletter, available at: Latest Pork Leader Newsletter www.Pork.org South Korea’s efforts to cull nearly a third of its swine herd in the wake of a recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak have propelled U.S. Pork exports and have created a new opportunity for a Midwestern shipping business that’s sending live hogs to help the Asian nation repopulate.

“Pork is South Korea’s number-one protein, and when a situation of this magnitude occurs, it’s devastating,” says Tony Clayton, president of Clayton Agri-Marketing Inc., in Jefferson City, Mo, whose company been tasked with getting hundreds of U.S. hogs to South Korea safely.

Starting on May 31 and continuing into June, three separate shipments of hogs will be transported on 747s from Chicago to South Korea. The animals have been selected for specific swine genetics, including Yorkshire, Landrace, Duroc and Berkshire, that the South Korean buyers desire, says Clayton, [ … ]

NJSA members don’t forget the Maschhoffs scholarship is due May 13th. Go to http://www.nationalswine.com/NJSA/About_NJSA-pages/scholarship_pages/Maschhoffs%20_Scholarship.html to download your scholarship application and instructions. Call Sarah Schwab for more information 765-463-3594.

Whiteshire Hamroc, home to the largest U.S. registered purebred swine herd, recently invested in the technology and services of Biotronics, Inc., a company that provides ultrasound solutions for the genetic improvement of meat animals.

Whiteshire Hamroc has been using ultrasound for measurement of carcass traits in live animals since the early 1990s. Backfat depth and loin muscle area measurements are used in calculation of EPDs through NSR’s nightly STAGES genetic evaluation.

“The Biotronics, Inc. image and data collection technology will save our technicians time during the off test procedure,” says Mark Brubaker, Whiteshire Hamroc geneticist. Instead of entering individual animal information into a handheld unit, personnel will use a notebook computer equipped with the BioSoft Toolbox® II software program. In the past, scan technicians had used a track ball on the ultrasound console for measuring backfat depth and loin muscle area on site. The resulting values were then keyed into the [ … ]