Seeing the pork industry’s newest technologies, participating in business seminars and showing outstanding breeding stock are just a few of the reasons nearly 20,000 people will attend the 2012 World Pork Expo.
Producers, agribusiness representatives and pork-industry enthusiasts are making plans to come to Des Moines, Iowa, USA, June 6-8 to participate in Expo — the world’s largest pork-specific trade show. This three-day National Pork Producers Council event also features business seminars and Pork Academy, the Junior National swine show, swine breeding stock shows and sales, live entertainment, and delicious food.
“From the debut of new equipment that improves pig welfare and performance, to well-known entertainers performing at MusicFest, everything is world-class at World Pork Expo,” says R.C. Hunt, NPPC president from Wilson, N.C. “Before and after continuing your education at business seminars, you’ll see the very latest technology on display in the trade show. Add in great food and hospitality, and you’ll have a first-rate experience along with outstanding ideas to take back home.”
The Expo experience begins with tours
Attendees who want to experience Midwest agriculture and hospitality will enjoy pre-Expo tours offered on Monday and Tuesday before World Pork Expo opens on June 6.
“This year’s tours are a perfect way to experience the diversity of agriculture here in the nation’s breadbasket,” says Bryan Humphreys, director of grassroots organization, LEADR, NPPC. “Tour participants will have direct access to farm managers and agribusiness experts as they get to know fellow producers. And once the tours are finished, they will enjoy free admission to World Pork Expo.”
On the two-day tour, June 4-5, participants will see the locks-and-dam system that enables agricultural products to traverse the Mississippi River, and the world’s most comprehensive agricultural exhibit at the John Deere Pavilion museum. The group also will visit Cinnamon Ridge Farms, which feature 4,000 acres of corn and soybeans, wean-to-finish swine facilities, a beef operation and a dairy.
For those with limited schedules, two one-day tours are available. On Monday, tour participants will go to one of the Midwest’s largest food-distribution companies; a Christensen Farms feed mill and the newly remodeled Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The Tuesday-only tour features stops at Swine Genetics International’s boar-reproduction facility and Pioneer Hi-Bred, a leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics.
To register for a tour, go to www.worldpork.org and click on the “producer registration” button. The two-day tour is US$300 per person, including transportation, four meals and overnight accommodations. Expo-goers can participate in either one-day tour for US$125.
Take in the trade show, entertainment and so much more
More than 450 commercial exhibitors will display the industry’s best at the World Pork Expo trade show, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 6, and Thursday, June 7, as well as from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, June 8.
MusicFest is the social highlight of World Pork Expo, so be sure to stay for the fun on Thursday starting at 4:30 p.m. on the Grand Concourse. Enjoy live music while feasting on pork barbecue, and visiting with producers and exhibitors in a fun, relaxing atmosphere.
Other featured activities include the New Product Tour, where pig producers can see new products, services and technologies; and educational seminars covering trade, pig health, market opportunities and other topics of interest to pork producers. The swine breeding stock shows begin on Friday, June 8, and the sales take place on Saturday.
“The best advice I can share regarding World Pork Expo is to carve out more than just one day to take it in,” says Hunt. “There’s so much to see — the world’s largest pork-specific trade show, the Junior National swine show, musical groups performing live and excellent seminars. Your family and employees will thoroughly enjoy every minute as they mingle with top pig producers from throughout the world.”
Up-to-date information
To receive regular updates about World Pork Expo, look for World Pork Expo on Facebook and follow World Pork Expo on Twitter (#NPPCWPX).
