Minnesota Pork Congress, the state's only
swine specific tradeshow and pork producer educational event,
will be Jan. 19-20 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
The tradeshow hours are Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The tradeshow will feature 140 companies
exhibiting equipment and services specifically geared towards
those who own and care for hogs. The educational seminars
will address markets, manure management, swine nutrition
and health and legislative issues. PQA Plus and TQA certification
trainings will also be offered.
Admission is $10 per person, if preregistered
by Jan. 3, and $15 per person at the door. For online registration,
seminar specifics, exhibitor listing, hotel information
and maps, go to www.mnpork.com/porkcongress or telephone
(507) 345-8814. Minnesota Pork Congress is sponsored by
the Minnesota Pork Producers Association.
Prior to the start of Minnesota Pork Congress,
Minnesota Pork Industry Award winners, outgoing executive
board leaders and Operation Main Street speakers will be
recognized at a reception on Jan. 18, 5 p.m. at the Minneapolis
Hilton.
2011 Minnesota Pork Industry Award winners
who will be honored at the event are:
Environmental Steward, Dankers Enterprises,
Bruce Dankers, Goodhue; Pork Promoter of the Year, Sandy
Rademacher, Lakefield; Family of the Year, Doug and Dianne
Bettin Family, Truman; Swine Manager of the Year, Scott
Van Deest, Wakefield Pork, Inc., Lafayette and Gaylord;
and Distinguished Service, Linden Olson, Worthington.
Also at the reception, the Minnesota Pork
Board will recognize outgoing executive board members Jim
Merritt of Elbow Lake and Doug Wenner of Nicollet, and the
Minnesota Pork Producers Association will recognize outgoing
executive board member Kent Dornink of Preston. Operation
Main Street speakers will also be recognized for their efforts
to bridge the informational gap between agriculture and
the general public.
Pork production
is Minnesota's leading livestock industry, annually generating
$6 billion into the state economy and employing 22,500 individuals.
The Pork Checkoff will host a news media
conference call following the USDA's Quarterly Hogs and
Pigs Report on Monday, Dec. 27. This quarterly teleconference
will feature three distinguished agricultural economists
and their reactions to the report. The teleconference is
designed for news media.
Date: Monday,
Dec. 27, 2010
Time: 3:00 p.m.
CDT
The panel will
include:
John
Nalivka, Sterling Marketing, Vale, Ore.
Karl
Skold, Westside Economics, Omaha, Neb.
Joe Kerns, International
Agribusiness Group, Ames, Iowa
The National Pork Board has responsibility
for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information
projects and for communicating with pork producers and the
public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork
producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold.
The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising,
consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing,
export market promotion, production improvement, technology,
swine health, pork safety and environmental management.
For information on Checkoff-funded programs, pork producers
can call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at (800) 456-7675
or check the Internet at www.pork.org.
Minnesota
Pork Leadership Elected at Annual Meetings
Executive board member elections for the
Minnesota Pork Producers Association (MPPA) and Minnesota
Pork Board (MPB) took place at annual meetings earlier this
month in Mankato.
MPPA members re-elected Rick Grommersch
of Nicollet and Brandon Schafer of Goodhue to three-year
terms, and elected Nate Brown of Ceylon for a three-year
term. Their terms begin in January.
Re-elected as MPPA president and vice
president were Jim Compart of Nicollet and Kevin Hugoson
of Granada, respectively. Lori Stevermer of Easton will
serve as secretary. Kent Dornink of Preston will retire
from the MPPA Executive Board after serving two, three-year
terms.
The MPPA is a voluntary membership association
that addresses policy development and legislative affairs.
At the MPB meeting, pork producers elected
12 pork producers who will serve one-year terms on the executive
board. The MPB Executive Board determines how to invest
Pork Checkoff funding into research, promotion and educational
programs on behalf of Minnesota's 4,400 pork producing families.
Any Minnesota pork producer who pays into the Pork Checkoff
is eligible to run for a board seat, vote at the annual
meeting and take part in committee meetings.
MPB Executive Board members begin their
new terms following National Pork Forum in March. Individuals
re-elected to the MPB Executive Board were Bill Crawford
of Fairmont, Pat FitzSimmons of Dassel, Meg Freking of Jackson,
Curt Johnson of Jasper, Mary Peichel of Fairfax, Sheila
Schmid of Sleepy Eye, Nate Potter of Springfield, Pat Thome
of Adams, Jackie Tlam of Dunnell and Tim Waibel of Courtland.
New to the board will be Craig Mensink
of Preston and Doug Stade of Eden Valley. Retiring from
the board are Jim Merritt of Elbow Lake and Doug Wenner
of St. Peter.
