AMES, Iowa – Sports and pork are two staples of American culture, both encompassing valuable lessons of integrity and accountability. Through those practices come stronger relationships imperative to the success of a team, which could be considered the “Champion’s Code.” The four plenary speakers at the 2024 Iowa Swine Day bring messages of integrity, sustainability, a positive industry future, and more. Speakers clockwise from upper left are: Mike Naig, Jamee Eggers, Steve Weiss, and Ross Bernstein.

Ross Bernstein will share his expertise and ideas on ways to overcome disruption while building stronger relationships. His presentation, “The Champions Code: Building Relationships Through Life Lessons of Integrity and Accountability from the Sports World to the Business World,” is not to be missed.

Steve Weiss will draw upon his extensive experience as CEO of NutriQuest in “Can We Reach a Trifecta of Sustainability, Profitability, and Growth?” He'll review the current state of the U.S. pork industry and outline his view on the most critical factors for improving sustainability, profitability, and growth.

Jamee Eggers, Chief Operating Officer of Cloverleaf Animal Welfare Systems, will share information on the California Proposition 12 certification process in "Life After Prop 12 Implementation – The Certification Process." She'll talk about regulations, definitions, and what happens during an on-site inspection of Prop 12 sow farms.

Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, is invited to share his thoughts on "The Political Landscape of Iowa Agriculture."

The 2024 Iowa Swine Day Program is set for Thursday, July 25, at the Iowa State Center in Ames. Registration and the morning plenary session will be in Stephens Auditorium, 1900 Center Drive, and the afternoon concurrent sessions will be in the Scheman Building, 1805 Center Drive. Registration begins at 7 p.m. and the official program begins at 8 a.m. Registration cost is $85 with free parking, and students may attend at no charge.

The registration fee includes an optional preconference symposium on soybean meal July 24 in the afternoon, in the Scheman Building, and the ISU swine networking social following this symposium. Sponsored by AB Vista, Iowa Pork Industry Center, Lynch Livestock, and TechMix, the social starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center at 2508 Mortensen Rd.

The full program, information, registration forms, and directions to the venues are available on the Iowa Swine Day conference website.

Iowa Swine Day is hosted by the Iowa Pork Industry Center with support provided by the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

(This article was written by IPIC intern Emma Coursey.)

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IPIC was established in 1994 as a coordinated effort of the colleges of Agriculture (now Agriculture and Life Sciences) and Veterinary Medicine at ISU. Its mission is to promote efficient pork production technologies in Iowa, maintain Iowa's pork industry leadership and strengthen rural development efforts. IPIC focuses its efforts on programs that are integral and complementary to ISU Extension and Outreach. Through IPIC, Iowa producers receive accurate and timely information to make their operations more efficient and profitable.