Youth Ambassadors active at World Pork Expo
By By Jean Caspers-Simmetsimmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 06/17/2010 9:25 AM
DES MOINES — Pork Youth Ambassadors Jason Welter and Sarah Pakala wear navy blue polo shirts that say "We Care" with the Pork Checkoff logo on the sleeve, and they invite people to ask them questions.
Welter just graduated from South Central College in Mankato with a degree in agricultural business. He is returning home to Stewartville, Minn., to help with his family's hog operation and to work for a neighbor.
Pakala is an Iowa State University senior majoring in ag studies from Dike.They joined other ambassadors from around the country for training and helped with National Pork Board activities at World Pork Expo.
Welter grew up on his parents, Myrna and Randy,'s farrow-to-finish operation. They now farrow 125 sows and raise 600 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa. His father works full-time at Mayo Clinic. Welter has six brothers and sisters.
Pakala is new to the pork industry. Her interest developed when she began working for Ed Juhl, who has a hog operation near Hudson.Both won a competition to be their state's pork ambassador.
Pakala helps with World Pork Expo, the Iowa Pork Congress, the Iowa State Fair and she also works with middle school students and 4-H members.
"I'm educating the public on the good story of the pork industry," she said. Read More
We have the great pleasure of working with many groups of young adults interested in agriculture every year. The enthusiasm for promoting agriculture and the passion for making sure every consumer is receiving correct information about how food gets on their plates is incredible. With all of the energy ready to go to work, we just need to help them find the opportunities to use it. Programs like the Pork Youth Ambassadors do just that. These young people are some of our greatest advocates and they deserve all the support we can give them. ~Troy
Showing posts with label World Pork Expo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World Pork Expo. Show all posts
Friday, June 18, 2010
Friday, June 5, 2009
WaPo Covering World Pork Expo
Swine Flu? No Word of It at Pork Expo.
By David Brown Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 5, 2009
DES MOINES -- Here at the World Pork Expo, H1N1 influenza is many contradictory things -- an unfolding disaster and a passing inconvenience, a cause of the pork industry's woes and an excuse for them, evidence of good animal husbandry and a challenge to it.
About the only thing it isn't is "swine flu." Never should have been called that, everyone agrees -- and don't even think of calling it that now.
H1N1 flu is casting a distinctly dappled shadow across the Iowa State Fair Grounds, where 18,000 pork producers (including about 3,000 from 50 foreign countries), 450 exhibitors and 2,500 pigs are spending much of this week.
"I wish I had better news for you," Don Butler, president of the National Pork Producers Council, said Wednesday as the three-day event opened. His news was that over the next six months, enough farmers would go out of business to shrink the sow herd -- the swine industry's four-legged engine -- by about 5 percent. Read More
There’s no doubt that our pork producers were the true victims of H1N1. Even though the flu isn’t in the headlines anymore, it is still causing damage. Several countries still won’t accept imports of pork from the US based on unfounded fears that the virus could be passed through the meat. Remember this when people say groups like HSUS aren’t trying to abolish animal agriculture. They did all they could to create a fear of eating pork when the disease outbreak occurred. Family farmers are now paying the price.
By David Brown Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 5, 2009
DES MOINES -- Here at the World Pork Expo, H1N1 influenza is many contradictory things -- an unfolding disaster and a passing inconvenience, a cause of the pork industry's woes and an excuse for them, evidence of good animal husbandry and a challenge to it.
About the only thing it isn't is "swine flu." Never should have been called that, everyone agrees -- and don't even think of calling it that now.
H1N1 flu is casting a distinctly dappled shadow across the Iowa State Fair Grounds, where 18,000 pork producers (including about 3,000 from 50 foreign countries), 450 exhibitors and 2,500 pigs are spending much of this week.
"I wish I had better news for you," Don Butler, president of the National Pork Producers Council, said Wednesday as the three-day event opened. His news was that over the next six months, enough farmers would go out of business to shrink the sow herd -- the swine industry's four-legged engine -- by about 5 percent. Read More
There’s no doubt that our pork producers were the true victims of H1N1. Even though the flu isn’t in the headlines anymore, it is still causing damage. Several countries still won’t accept imports of pork from the US based on unfounded fears that the virus could be passed through the meat. Remember this when people say groups like HSUS aren’t trying to abolish animal agriculture. They did all they could to create a fear of eating pork when the disease outbreak occurred. Family farmers are now paying the price.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Protecting Our Pigs
Humans Cause More Concern at World Pork Expo than the Pigs
06/03/2009
H1N1 is also responsible for some changes at World Pork Expo. Nineteen-hundred hogs and pigs entering the Iowa State Fairgrounds before the Wednesday opening had to be inspected and confirmed as disease free. The H1N1 scare last month prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to recommend additional monitoring of animal health at major animal events - including fairs, major sales and exhibitions like the Expo. But since the virus can be borne from humans to animals, Iowa veterinarian Shawn Nicholson is more worried about humans making the pigs sick, with 71 confirmed H1N1 cases in Iowa. No pigs in the U.S. have been reported with the virus.
This year - for the first time - the Expo has stands with hand wipes installed in the animal barns - and visitors will receive hand wipes at the front gates. As for the animals – a veterinarian will inspect each one and producers must provide veterinary records to verify the pig is virus-free. Nicholson says vets will look for signs of respiratory problems - like coughing and hacking - as well as skin lesions. The veterinarians will also walk through pens throughout the show. Link
We have all seen images of people walking down the street shortly after the H1N1 outbreak wearing masks over the faces. The fact is that our pigs are the ones that we need to be concerned about. Livestock producers always take precautions to protect the health of their herd. But these days, our pork producers need to take extra steps to protect their pigs, and our food supply, from H1N1. This level of care is a great example of the commitment our farmers and ranchers have.
06/03/2009
H1N1 is also responsible for some changes at World Pork Expo. Nineteen-hundred hogs and pigs entering the Iowa State Fairgrounds before the Wednesday opening had to be inspected and confirmed as disease free. The H1N1 scare last month prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to recommend additional monitoring of animal health at major animal events - including fairs, major sales and exhibitions like the Expo. But since the virus can be borne from humans to animals, Iowa veterinarian Shawn Nicholson is more worried about humans making the pigs sick, with 71 confirmed H1N1 cases in Iowa. No pigs in the U.S. have been reported with the virus.
This year - for the first time - the Expo has stands with hand wipes installed in the animal barns - and visitors will receive hand wipes at the front gates. As for the animals – a veterinarian will inspect each one and producers must provide veterinary records to verify the pig is virus-free. Nicholson says vets will look for signs of respiratory problems - like coughing and hacking - as well as skin lesions. The veterinarians will also walk through pens throughout the show. Link
We have all seen images of people walking down the street shortly after the H1N1 outbreak wearing masks over the faces. The fact is that our pigs are the ones that we need to be concerned about. Livestock producers always take precautions to protect the health of their herd. But these days, our pork producers need to take extra steps to protect their pigs, and our food supply, from H1N1. This level of care is a great example of the commitment our farmers and ranchers have.
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