Hog producers attempt to get the most production out of their barns, and sometimes that means feeding pigs to heavier market weights. But, do heavier market weight pigs translate to farm efficiency, a quality pork product and an enhanced dining experience for consumers?

A panel will dive into these factors during the National Hog Farmer webinar “Are Heavier Pig Market Weights Better?” that is sponsored by the National Pork Board. Register today for this 1 p.m. (Central) Aug. 15 webinar.

In this hour-long webinar, five-speakers from the pork industry and academia will enlighten webinar participants on recent findings of the Pork Checkoff-funded research project “Projecting changes in pig growth, pork quality, eating experience and muscle physiology due to increasing live and carcass weights.”

Laura Bachmeier, director of Pork Safety and Quality at the National Pork Board, will highlight the reason this research is important to pork producers. The funding of research was collaborative between the Pork Safety, Quality, and Human Nutrition Committee, the Animal Welfare Committee, and the Animal Science Committee.

Next, Annie Lerner, Ph.D. student at Kansas State University, will discuss the live portion of the experiment where pigs were raised to approximately 360 pounds in a commercial setting with varying stocking densities and marketing strategies.

Steven Shackelford, USDA-ARS MARC, will present results from the study related to the abattoir data collection including carcass characteristics and chill curves.

Anna Dilger, professor at the University of Illinois, will share findings on all pork quality measurements analyzed in the study.

Lastly, Emily Rice, graduate student at Kansas State University, will communicate the results of the consumer sensory panel and visual chop evaluation.

National Hog Farmer Senior Staff Writer Kevin Schulz will moderate this 1 p.m. Aug. 15 webinar.

Click here to register. Even if you are not able to attend, register for the webinar as you will receive a link to the webinar archive so that you can view it at your own convenience.