Benchmark Magazine Article Archive

Back in February 2021, the PigCHAMP team had the pleasure of sitting down over Zoom with Joyce Hoppes from the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA). As the Consumer Information Director, Joyce works closely with retailers, educators, and healthcare workers on the consumer side of programs and activities. Other than this past year, you can usually find her at events like the Iowa State Fair or putting programs together like Pass the Pork.

The swine industry has changed greatly over the past few decades. Efficiencies in pork production and the agriculture industry, have changed the way we look at what and where our food comes from. Consumer demand for increased animal welfare and safe pork products has driven the industry to improve production and quality standards.

In early March of 2020, what now feels like another lifetime ago, the University of Illinois Meat Science Laboratory was racing through a typical, fast-paced, spring semester. Graduate students were slaughtering and fabricating over 50 pigs over the course of a week to collect data for industry supported projects.

In South Africa PigCHAMP is represented by Alzu Enterprises t/a Alzu pig genetics group in Middelburg. Despite the global pandemic in 2020, Alzu Enterprises was able to host its 9th annual charity mountain bike race, called the Alzu Tour de Farm.