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The Maschhoffs Internship Experience by Morgan Cox
The week before college classes started again, five students had the opportunity to spend a few days with The Maschhoffs in Carlyle, IL. Danika, Lexi, Jackson, Caleb, and I each won The Maschhoffs scholarship through the NJSA at the Summer Spectacular which came with a required four day internship at the headquarters. Our schedules worked out to meet over winter break and I am so happy it did!
I had the opportunity to study abroad in Dublin, Ireland this past semester which involved very little animal contact. This experience the week before classes started at Purdue made me very excited to keep learning this semester about the swine industry in all different aspects! For example, I thought I disliked genetics because of my classroom experiences but I’ve decided when you connect it with real life applications, genetics is actually pretty interesting!
At The Maschhoffs, we learned [ … ]
The 2013 World Pork Expo (WPX) is officially under way in Des Moines, Iowa. A record-breaking 2,527 entries poured into the Iowa State Fairgrounds for the 25th anniversary of the WPX. The National Swine Registry staff is eager to start the week off with the World Pork Expo Junior National show, tomorrow.
Below are some candids from around the barn as exhibitors prepare for the upcoming week by unloading and registering their entries.
Registration began at 1 p.m.
Expo enthusiasts of all ages gather for the event.
unloading the trailer is an occurring event on Tuesday.
After exhibitors get settled in they head to the wash rack.
At Expo, feed and water comes first for the pigs.
Teamwork is shown throughout the barn.
Multi-tasking becomes an art during unloading.
If you are unable to attend the 2013, 25th Annual World Pork Expo, the NSR Marketing and Communications crew will be providing live coverage of this week’s show. Be sure to [ … ]
It’s that time of year to start gearing up for the 2013 World Pork Expo (WPX) held June 5-7 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa. WPX is an industry innovating event that attracts around 20,000 pork producers and allied industry professionals.
This year marks the 25th anniversary for the show. WPX has been a place to discover advancements in technology, swine health, environment, and producer effectiveness from specialists and companies in the industry. It also allows swine exhibitors to compete in different events such as, showmanship, judging contests, and of course showing and selling their pigs.
Application Icon
This year, exhibitors, sponsors and spectators can stay up-to-date with the 2013 World Pork Expo application featured on many smartphones. Craig Boelling, director of industry resource development for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is part of the team that developed the app. The app is sponsored by the National Pork Producers Council and [ … ]
In my last Industry Insightspost, we talked about the “Crate Debate.” This is just one of a handful of animal welfare debates facing our industry, and recent research from Purdue University yielded some “red flag” results for pork producers. Dr. Nicole Olynk Widmar (Agricultural Economics), Dr. Candace Croney (Animal Science) and Melissa McKendree (Agricultural Economics) conducted a survey of U.S. consumers related to perceptions of livestock – specifically pork – production. What they found may come as a shock.
Of the 798 survey participants, nearly one-third had never been to a farm that raised animals for the food system, and only 31 percent had visited such a farm within the last five years – which is representative of the nearly 98 percent of Americans who are not directly involved in agricultural production.These researchers also looked at the consumers’ sources of information regarding animal welfare issues. This chart breaks down the [ … ]
There is no doubt – it’s an election year. Even if you wanted to, it would be nearly impossible to escape the seemingly endless political propaganda making its way into every media channel out there. But, even as the presidential race heats up, there is another debate going on – one that has an effect on pork producers across the U.S. – the crate debate.
In recent months, major retailers and restaurants, including McDonalds, ConAgra Foods and Kroger, have announced plans to move toward sourcing their pork products from suppliers who raise their pigs without the use of gestation crates. This push for crate-free pork is a major concern for producers, who must not only decide if a shift to group housing is the right decision for their animals, but if it is even economically feasible for their operation.
Like any good debate, there are two sides to consider. Animal rights activists, among [ … ]