Program

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Welcome – Dr. John Patience, professor emeritus, Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Learned Excellence: The key performance optimization factors of high performing individuals and teams – Dr. Eric Potterat, High Performance Psychologist, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego, CA

In this talk, I introduce the audience to 8 core adversity tolerance techniques, the importance of grit, growth mindset and balance--and I will walk through them in detail. This talk carefully describes those AND will teach the audience about the value and method of successful self-awareness and stress mitigation in high pressure working environments. Being able to successfully perform under pressure is a learned skill--we are not born with this ability. My talks will also teach the what, the why and the how behind the techniques that research tells us are the best to deploy when trying to functioning optimally in a high stress, high performance occupation. Whether it's the battlefield, the sport field or the boardroom, grit, mindset and adversity tolerance are incredibly important ingredients to the success of individuals and organizations. I've spent my career researching and working for some of the most elite organizations on the planet.

Understanding the carbon market and how it applies to your business – Joseph Kerns, president, Partners for Production Agriculture, Ames, IA

An overview of the many ways that the ever-changing carbon market affects animal agriculture.

Break

Genetic improvements in a sustainable food system – Banks Baker, global director, Product Sustainability, PIC, Hendersonville, TN

The pressures on animal agriculture are significant, improved animal welfare, increased antimicrobial stewardship, food affordability and availability, all while being asked to reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of production. What role do genetic improvements play in a sustainable food system? We’ll discuss how genetic improvements, including those achieved through gene editing help address the pressures being placed on the food system while delivering holistic benefits across the value chain.

Can animal agriculture save the planet? – Jack Bobo, director, Global Food and Water Policy, The Nature Conservancy, Potomac, MD

In this dynamic session, futurist Jack Bobo will explore the forces shaping the future of food. From growing a population and shifting demographics, to consumer demand for healthy and sustainable food products, Jack will examine the trends and attitudes driving behavior and explain what organizations can do to get ahead of them.

Lunch (provided)

A European perspective on reducing the environmental footprint of pork production – Shane McAuliffe, McAuliffe Pig Farms & Munster Technological University, Kerry, Ireland

Societal and legislative pressures have driven the sustainability of pork production in Europe. Shane will take a look at these changes in more detail.

Moving beyond least cost formulation to enable a sustainable animal protein value chain – Tom Battagliese, senior manager, Global Sustainability Metrics, BASF, Florham Park, NJ

Feed represents 50-80% of the environmental impact of meat, milk and eggs. This presentation will review how this fact provides the foundational need for moving beyond current least cost and towards least impact formulation practices in order to enable a more sustainable animal protein value chain. The presentation will also demonstrate how life cycle data and associated digital models can provide an effective solution for responding to this opportunity.

Break

Buying and selling manure – Dr. Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Ames, IA

Fertilizer costs tend to follow the energy market due to transportation and the high need for energy in manufacturing and refining of fertilizer. Livestock manure can be a good match for corn and soybean soil nutrient needs. Several costs and implications need to be considered when buying or selling manure for its use in row crop production.

New sustainability tools available for producers – Stephanie Wisdom, director of animal welfare, National Pork Board, Clive, IA

Conference adjourns

The first 72 hours... Our plan – Dr. Pete Thomas, director of health services, Iowa Select Farms, Iowa Falls, IA

ASF successes and failures...A tour overseas – Dr. Dusty Oedekoven, chief veterinarian , National Pork Board, Clive, IA

In November 2022 a group of U.S. Pork producers and allied animal health professionals traveled to Poland, Germany, and Belgium to learn from producers, veterinarians, and animal health officials about their experiences with African Swine Fever virus (ASF). The group also heard from officials and the swine production sector in Denmark and Romania. Discussion topics included communication strategies with industry and consumer audiences, response/management approaches and how they varied between countries, biosecurity, zoning and regionalization, wild boar management, depopulation and disposal, trade, surveillance/diagnostics, and traceability.

Break

Biosecurity and biocontainment – Dr. Jordan Graham, veterinarian, Swine Vet Center, Milford, IA

The rapid expansion of the swine industry in the 1990's and early 2000's saw a rapid change in facilities, their locations, and their design. In hindsight, we can easily identify flaws that inhibit our ability to properly manage biosecurity, yet placing a value on changing/improving upon these designs can be difficult and cost prohibitive. We will look closely at how our existing facilities located in pig-dense areas may be adding to our struggle for good biosecurity practices and how we can value their improvement.

Summarizing current affairs in managing pig health: The McKean Conference – Dr. Chris Rademacher, clinical professor, Veterinary Medicine and interim director, Iowa Pork Industry Center, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Conference adjourns

Importance of research in driving decision in a swine production system – Dan Bussieres, swine nutritionist, Groupe Ceres, Levis, Québec, Canada

Commercial research is an integrated piece of swine production. How should we approach a research program and how we can use its outcome to best drive decision process and management strategies.

Evaluating, analyzing, implementing new technology for swine systems – Dr. Tom Stein, director, Animal Health Ventures, Merck Animal Health, Bloomington, MN

What's really happening today when we talk about new technology for pork producers. What's real and what's hype. What about the value proposition. Practical advice and guidance will be the heart of this presentation.

Break

Establishing a winning culture on the farm – Janae Metzger, HR Manager, Pig Hill Co., Alvord, IA

Pig Hill is recognized in the industry by many of its consultants and employees as a company with a solid "winning" culture. Their HR manager, Janae, will be sharing with participants what winning looks like, how they got here, and where they are going.

Fostering a healthy workplace culture – Heather Vaughn, HR Specialist, Cactus Family Farms, Sturgeon, MO

Foreign-born labor is the foundation of today's swine industry. The differences in language and culture can often be a challenge for producers. In this session, we will focus on best practices for working with Latino farm employees and creating a strong team.

Conference adjourns

Some like it hot!!! The impact of biological sex on heat stress- mediated outcomes – Dr. Joshua Selsby, professor, Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Some unexpected results and a serendipitous discovery caused us to objectively consider the extent to which biological sex mediates the impact of heat stress on barrows and gilts. Here, I’ll review our latest findings ranging from the whole animal to their muscles.

The present and future of boar fertility prediction – Dr. Karl Kerns, assistant professor, Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Break

New perspectives in measuring pork quality – Dr. Steven Lonergan, Morrill Professor, Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Defining the phenotype of fresh pork quality continues to be elusive. Application of metabolomic and proteomic tools can inform development of rapid methods and sensors to measure and predict pork quality.

Pork economics: It's more than just prices – Dr. Chad Hart, professor and extension economist, Economics, Iowa State Univeristy, Ames, IA

We'll chat about the economic factors that have shaped and continue to shape the pork industry. From feed costs and production problems to trade flows and tariffs, we will explore the interactions among domestic and international markets and investigate reasons for consumer shifts.

Conference adjourns