The 2016 incarnation of the World Pork Expo gets underway in Des Moines Wednesday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and runs through Friday. This annual event brings together pork producers, exhibitors and visitors not just from across Iowa, but also from throughout the nation. Among the 20,000 to 30,000 people the Expo is expected to draw will be a great many pork producers and pork industry professionals from abroad. In 2015, there were attendees from 48 countries. This event has a truly international following.

Educational and marketing programs will appeal to many of those who attend this important pork industry event. For others, the more than 400 commercial exhibits will be the draw. The Expo also offers ample opportunities for recreation and camaraderie.

“World Pork Expo’s extensive trade show makes it easy to shop and compare new products and technologies for use on the farm,” said Ron Prestage, DVM, the National Pork Producers Council’s president and a South Carolina pork producer. “It’s also an exceptional place to experience educational seminars about what’s happening in Washington, D.C., herd-health strategies, the market outlook and export prospects. The bottom line: anyone who does not attend Expo will have to play serious catch up to remain informed about issues and new developments affecting their businesses.”

The NPPC, an entity that conducts public outreach on behalf of 44 affiliated state organizations, owns the Expo and orchestrates this popular show. The organizers say this is the largest pork-industry trade show in the world.

The Expo offers a particularly welcome opportunity to learn more about the pork industry’s future and its importance to the Hawkeye State.

It’s unlikely that anyone who lives in Iowa does not already know that pork production is exceptionally important to the economic vitality of our state. It may come as a surprise, however, that hogs raised in Iowa account for more than 30 percent of U.S. hog production. Iowa ranks as the nation’s top hog-producing state.

According to the Iowa Pork Producers Association:

Hog farming contributes $7.5 billion to the Iowa economy each year.

The total production value for Iowa hog farming exceeds $6.5 billion.

Several billion dollars in economic activity is generated annually from pork processing.

Annual Iowa pork exports are valued at more than $1.4 billion.

These statistics underline just how major a factor pork production is to Iowa’s prosperity.

The World Pork Expo, now in its 28th year, offers an exceptional opportunity to learn a great deal more.

The Messenger congratulates NPPC on more than quarter century of remarkable expositions.