The Missouri Pork Association welcomes producers, suppliers and distributors to the 2023 Missouri Pork Expo Feb. 21- 22 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 2023 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. 21 only. The show registration, sponsored by Ag Property Solutions and Aurora Pharmaceutical, opens at 8 a.m. Tuesday and includes a silent auction, sponsored by Nedap Livestock Management, as well as the trade show hospitality area, sponsored by The Parks Companies. Wright Brand Bacon, sponsored by Tyson, will be cooked fresh and served in the trade show that morning. Afternoon snacks are 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 are expected to complete Show Me Quality Assurance certification, beginning at 9:30 a.m., during the 2023 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 by Lynch Livestock, Inc., and ice cream provided by Midwest Dairy Association. Lunch is $10 per person and free to youth. This will follow the FFA Pork Speaking Contest finals, sponsored by PigTek, Chore-Time.

The 2023 Expo Educational Series kicks off Feb. 21 at 8:45 a.m. with a Pork/Hog Economic Outlook for 2023, sponsored by MFA, Inc., featuring Steve Meyer with Partners for Production Agriculture.

It is followed at 10 a.m. by How Legislative and Regulatory Changes Can Impact Producers. The panel will include Jeff Browning, Allied Engineering Services; Robert Brundage, Brundage Environmental and Agricultural Law; and Heather Peters, Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The session is sponsored by Climate LLC.

At 11:15 a.m., Sarah Klopatek with JBS and the National Pork Board's Marguerite Tan will present Sustainability: Keep Farmers Farming, sponsored by JBS Live Pork.

At 2 p.m., the University of Missouri Extension's Hot Topics, sponsored by Stutsman Inc., will cover:

The Banquet Reception, sponsored by the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council, 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, 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.

The Educational Series continues Feb. 22 with the Pork Leadership Breakfast, 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.

Additional sponsors for the 2023 Missouri Pork Expo include Agri-Tech Enterprises, Inc.; Central Bank of Boone County; Hawkins Water Treatment; Maximus; Missouri Agribusiness Association; Missouri Department of Conservation; PIC; Simmons Bank; SNPartners; 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 2023 Missouri Pork Expo is available here.