Live from WPX 2012: NPPC looks at today’s top issues
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Animal rights groups have stepped up the pressure on food companies to dictate on-farm production practices. In response, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is finding more ways to communicate with food companies and consumers about livestock production practices, according to NPPC President-Elect Randy Spronk and CEO Neil Dierks. Both sat down with AgriTalk at World Pork Expo in Des Moines. Also joining the discussion, Sam Carney, past NPPC president and Iowa producer, talks about pork producer priorities for the 2012 Farm Bill.
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Expect more volatility in corn yields
While the price of corn has been higher than production costs for the past several years, this likely will not persist, according to Elwynn Taylor, Iowa State University professor of agricultural meteorology.
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NPPC focuses on trade challenges
The future of the pork industry, and of U.S. pork producers, depends on maintaining free and fair trade with international markets. Challenges remain, however, in opening new export markets and maintaining export levels with trading partners.
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Live from WPX 2012: Industry under pressure
DES MOINES, Iowa -- There has been very little discussion between food companies that have moved to phase out gestation-sow stalls and pork producers, according to Dallas Hockman, vice president of industry relations for the National Pork Producers Council.
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Live from WPX 2012: Keeping food affordable
Bill Luckey, board member of the National Pork Producers Council, explains the new Keeping Food Affordable coalition.
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Live from WPX 2012: A look at the UEP/HSUS agreement
Bill Luckey, National Pork Producers Council board member, discusses the United Egg Producers' and Humane Society of the United States' proposed bill on laying-hen housing and the implications for other livestock producers.
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Live from WPX 2012: Dr. Ron Plain takes on gestation stalls
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Dr. Ron Plain, University of Missouri agricultural economist, discusses the debate over the use of gestation-sow stalls and how the move away from the housing system could harm both pigs and consumers.
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Study shows pork makes strides in sustainability
A new environmental sustainability study reveals that since 1959 the U.S. pork industry has logged a 35 percent decrease in its carbon footprint, and a 41 percent reduction in water usage.
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Checkoff showcases continuous improvement efforts
Sustainability is critical to pork producers, National Pork Board President Conley Nelson told reporters Wednesday at World Pork Expo in Des Moines, adding that pork producers view sustainability as something larger than just the traditional environmental definitions.
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Pork industry estimates 17 percent of sows in open pens
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Estimates regarding how many U.S. sows are housed in open-pen gestation systems have varied widely. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and some food companies tend to point to 30 percent of sows as the current industry level. The industry now has other estimates.
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NPB elects new officers
In a meeting Tuesday preceding the opening of the World Pork Expo, the National Pork Board (NPB) elected new officers for 2012/2013. Conley Nelson, Algona, Iowa pork producer, was named NPB president for the 2012-2013 term.
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