Expo's Youth Factor An Awakening

Tuesday Jun 15 2010
by Trent Loos, Feedstuffs Food Link

The 2010 World Pork Expo was perfect. The attitudes of the people involved in the pork industry are incredible, and the outlook is good.

What stood out at this event was the "youth factor." I'm told that seven years ago, the junior portion of the pig show was brought into the annual event, with the breed associations kicking and screaming about not wanting them to come. Today, however, it is not possible to attend the World Pork Expo without feeling the buzz generated by the National Junior Swine Assn.

No matter how it actually began, junior swine enthusiasts from coast to coast exhibited more than 1,200 head of pigs this year -- a 25% increase from a year ago.

A great discussion could be had about the "show pig" industry and the type of pig these kids so proudly show (i.e., is it the type of pig the pork industry needs?). Regardless, one cannot dismiss the greatest asset these show pigs bringing to agriculture: teaching kids life skills that will be with them forever.

Looking at the numbers, Dr. Jodi Sterle, Texas state swine extension specialist, told me that in Texas alone, 26,000 kids have a pig project, and 1 million pigs are marketed nationally each year that originated with a youth pig project. That means nearly 1% of the entire pork supply in this country is fed by our kids.

I think the most exciting thing about the World Pork Expo these days is that it truly is a window into everything the business has to offer -- all at one location. Kids from around the nation who maybe own just two pigs walk right alongside people who own 800,000 sows.

However, as with too many other situations in our life, birds of a feather flock together. Some of those kids could benefit by spending time in the Tyson tent talking to Gary Machan, vice president of pork procurement. People in the largest pork-producing systems should perhaps walk down to the pig barn and visit with these young pork enthusiasts because they are the future of the industry. Why not start building relationships now?

For all the negativity we think is out there today with the general public, I am reminded of a visit to downtown Chicago, Ill., last November with Myk Banas, executive chef and director of food and beverage operations at the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile.

Banas, who I think would be happy if I called him a "foodie," talked about the pork served in the hotel's restaurant. He proudly gave details about the family in Minnesota from which the pork is purchased: the Comparts.

During this year's expo, I had a great discussion with Dean Compart about what he has been able to accomplish in direct marketing to high-end restaurants with quality pork products.

Having just returned from a national restaurant event in Chicago, Compart told me he is continually amazed at how much misinformation is out there about everyday pork production. He said, without question, he was able to make a tremendous lasting impression on the people with whom he had an opportunity to interact. Whether it be the importance of the Duroc breed's influence on eating quality or the value of judicious antibiotic use in pork production, the news came from the "horse's mouth," and those "foodies" will never forget it.

Sometimes, it seems like we spend so much time in the industry talking about advancements in animal care, nutrition and health that we leave out the most important resource animal agriculture has: the people.

What would the World Pork Expo ever have amounted to without the champion it has had for the past nine years in John Wrigley? Wrigley is saying that this will be his last expo as general manager, but his desire to make it better year after year is what has made the event such a success. Last year or not, the 2010 show was a huge success, and Wrigley deserves much of the credit.

So many eyes and so much attention is on animal welfare in Ohio these days. Do you think if an Ohio resident came to the World Pork Expo and got a chance to visit with people involved in pork production, he or she would question any modern industry practices? I doubt it. However, if Ohio won't come here, we need to take pig people to Ohio.

The answer is not a million-dollar ad campaign; it is the people involved in food production taking to the streets and putting a face on pork production. Faces of Agriculture is not only the name of my nonprofit; it is an awakening that needs to happen across this country.
 



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