The Missouri Pork Association welcomes producers, suppliers and distributors to the 2024 Missouri Pork Expo, being held Feb. 20-21 at the Margaritaville Lake Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri. The two-day event promotes the pork industry, provides educational opportunities to youth and adults, and distributes information from current research.

The Educational Series and One-Day Swine Trade Show are feature attractions for the 2024 Expo. Participants may also attend events including the FFA Pork Speaking Contest Finals, Pork Industry Banquet and Pork Leadership Breakfast.

The largest swine-specific trade show in Missouri will include over 90 booths featuring the latest products in the industry on Feb. 20 only. The show registration, sponsored by SN Partners and Eichelberger Farms, opens at 8 a.m. Tuesday and includes a Silent Auction, sponsored by Huvepharma, Inc. and Pipestone Nutrition, as well as the Trade Show Hospitality Area, sponsored by The Parks Companies. Afternoon snacks will be sponsored by Agri-Systems. Thanks to Protect the Harvest for providing lanyards for the event and Purina Animal Nutrition for sponsoring the Expo Pocket Guide. Live auction items to be sold during the Pork Industry Banquet will also be on display. The trade show closes at 5 p.m. that evening.

Youth swine exhibitors will complete Show Me Quality Assurance certification, beginning at 9:30 a.m., during the 2024 In the Show Ring educational workshop, sponsored by Heimer Hampshires. The Tuesday workshop prepares young people to show swine at the local and state levels. Participants will enjoy lunch and a scavenger hunt, sponsored by FCS Financial.

The Missouri Pork Expo will host a Barbecue Lunch in the trade show on Tuesday. The barbecue is provided and prepared by Lynch Livestock, Inc., and ice cream provided by Midwest Dairy Association, with additional support from the Pork Checkoff. Lunch is $10 per person and free for youth. This will follow the FFA Pork Speaking Contest finals, sponsored by PigTek, Chore-Time.

The 2024 Expo Educational Series kicks off Feb. 20 at 8:45 a.m. with the University of Missouri Commercial Agriculture’s Hot Topics, sponsored by Agri-Tech Enterprises, MFA, Incorporated and the Missouri Department of Agriculture, with feature speakers from the University of Missouri. Speakers include Mag Lopez, Amy Petry and Adauto Rocha, Jr., and be moderated by Tim Safranski.

It is followed at 9:45 a.m. by Pork/Hog Economic Outlook for 2024, featuring Steve Meyer with Partners for Production Agriculture. The session is sponsored by Climate Fieldview, JBS Live Pork and the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

At 2:15 p.m., join us for Are you Prepared? Foreign Animal Disease Panel Discussion, sponsored by Advanced Composting Technologies and the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The panel will include Jill Brokaw, National Pork Board; Dustin Oedekoven, National Pork Board; and Steve Strubberg, Missouri Department of Agriculture. Bryon Wiegand with the University of Missouri will moderate the session.

The Banquet Reception, sponsored by the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council and The Parks Companies, will begin at 5:30 p.m. and include a wine tasting, courtesy of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, and a spirits tasting with various Missouri distillers. The reception will lead up to the Pork Industry Banquet, sponsored by the Pork Checkoff, Elanco Animal Health, and Novus, and end with the Pork Industry Fundraising Auction, sponsored by Zoetis. Tickets for the banquet are $55 prior to the Expo and $65 on site. We are privileged to welcome keynote speakers Governor Mike Parson and Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe to the Banquet. An after-hours hospitality room will close out the night, sponsored by FCS Financial and The Maschhoffs.

Be sure to stick around for the Pork Leadership Breakfast on Feb. 21, featuring Jim Wiesemeyer with ProFarmer. There is an additional $65 fee to attend the breakfast prior to the Expo, $75 on site, which is sponsored by Enterprise Bank and Trust, the National Pork Producers Council, Smithfield Hog Production Division Midwest Region and Wiechman Pig Company.

The Expo concludes with a meeting of the Missouri Pork Association Board of Directors, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, which is open to all producers. It is followed by a Board lunch (invitation only), sponsored by the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council and Pork Checkoff.

Additional sponsors for the 2024 Missouri Pork Expo include Central Bank of Boone County; Hawkins Water Treatment; Integrity Builders & Supply Inc.; Missouri Agribusiness Association; PIC; Simmons Bank; Stutsman Inc.; and The Law Firm of Haden and Colbert.

Registration for the Expo trade show and educational sessions is free. There is a non-exhibiting supplier fee of $50. More information regarding the 2024 Missouri Pork Expo is available here.