Wrapping up its 26th year, the 2014 World Pork Expo attracted nearly 20,000 pork producers and other professionals from 32 countries to Des Moines, Iowa, June 4-6. Brought to you by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), Expo featured the world’s largest pork-specific trade show, with some 375 commercial exhibits from companies throughout the world. The three-day event also set records for number of pigs entered in the World Pork Expo Junior National and creation of the world’s largest pork burger, while attracting standing-room-only crowds in some of its educational seminars. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack also visited Expo to announce a new reporting program for porcine endemic diarrhea virus (PEDV).
“World Pork Expo is a place where producers can get together, share ideas and see what’s new, whether it involves herd health and management, or technology and equipment,” says Howard Hill, NPPC president and pork producer from Cambridge, Iowa. “It’s a showcase of our business and this year, producers had a truly positive outlook about what the future holds. Expo probably offers the best display of what modern pork production is all about.”