Benchmark Magazine Article Archive

As human beings, one of our most basic needs is the ability to connect with each other. If we look back at the past 15 to 20 years, we can see that there has been a big vision goal to connect with people and communities across the globe.

Researchers have developed an algorithm able to translate a pig’s grunts into an emotional equivalent, which could be used to monitor animal well-being in real-time.

The Bountiful Pig. When you think of pigs, what do you think of? Did you know that everyday pigs provide vital needs for humans? Pork products range from safe high-quality delicious sources of protein, lifesaving medical uses, and many other products that help improve the quality of our lives. No other animal provides such a wide range of products for society as pigs. Through new technologies and innovative research, new by-products from pigs continue to be developed every day.

The Belcampo Farm was started in 2012 and founded with the mission “to deliver meat you can feel good about”. Belcampo meat products are a quality protein source for people; Belcampo certifies humane treatment of its animals; and regenerative agriculture for the environment.

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.

At the beginning of 2020 most people started the year with a New Year’s resolution -- usually based on hopes of working towards improving their health, business, friendships, or a personal goal. Then COVID-19 hit, resolutions were replaced with other concerns such as business closures, many changes, and uncertainties.

Pigs and humans have remarkably similar brains and digestive tracts. This affords the pig great potential as a preclinical model for biomedical research. In particular, the neonatal piglet model provides a window into understanding how early-life nutrition influences neural development.

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.

Through the Looking Glass: Past~Present~Future. We know that knowledge of the past helps us today and leads us to be better in the future. Today, the swine industry is fighting a global battle after the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the prevention or rebuilding after African Swine Fever (ASF) and other swine diseases.

In ancient times, the first marketing pieces were very likely to have been food related and painted on a wall, directing where travelers could go to get a good meal. In days gone by, marketing was by one-way communication and targeted, getting a specific message out to the audience. Today, more than ever, marketing includes two-way communication on multiple media platforms, exposing messages to a large variety of global consumers.

Biosecurity is a top concern in the livestock industry since it affects performance, economic results and can even close markets for trading when catastrophic disease occur. Excellent examples of current international biosecurity concerns include African Swine Fever (ASF), Classical Swine Fever (CSF), and Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) that could dramatically affect export sales.

As noted previously, humans are most likely to be the ones to bring in the African swine fever virus into Canada, either by bringing in contaminated meat, or by travelling with the virus on their clothes, footwear and personal items. Although the virus does not infect humans, it is very deadly for the pigs who come into contact with it. The introduction of African swine fever into Canada would put over 100,000 jobs in jeopardy and cost the Canadian economy $24 billion dollars.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a viral disease that causes high mortality in domestic and wild pigs. It, along with Classical Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease, is one of the Big Three highly transmissible diseases that would stop our export markets cold if identified in the United States or Canada.

In the past, communication in farming was typically isolated. Social media can be a positive platform for agriculture to use to battle industry relevance, help to advance development, add value to the ag business and change the behavior of our audience.

What social media tool is best, what are the positives and negatives of social media, are there any guidelines to follow, and so on.