Sales and Shows
It’s the Super Bowl of the swine industry. The week-long event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds includes junior swine shows, open pig shows and sales, a huge trade show and international visitors. It’s a chance to build business relationships, rekindle friendships, conduct business and have fun. One week may not be long enough, for this granddaddy of an event that takes place each June. But, what is this event?
It’s the World Pork Expo. And it’s approaching for swine exhibitors, breeders, trade show reps and international visitors once again this summer.
Brian Arnold oversees shows and events for the National Swine Registry (NSR), headquartered in West Lafayette, Indiana. This includes junior shows and contests, marketing and communications and anything show pig-related. Though he manages many junior and open shows and sales across the country for NSR, none compare in size and scope to the World Pork Expo.
A Family Affair
Arnold says showing livestock in general, is one of the few competitive activities the entire family can do together. During a sporting event, a young person is on the field or on the court competing based on his or her own skill level. Livestock, however, requires families working together preparing animals at home and at the show. Each family member usually has a role in the show barn and pitches in to make it all work, he says.
What’s unique about the show pig industry is that many families who were raised in production ag and perhaps don’t have an option to live on a farm and raise livestock themselves, want a chance to raise their own children in the livestock world. Arnold says show pigs are a great way to make that happen.
“Kids are so interested in livestock, especially when they don’t grow up around it,” he says. “When they show pigs, they enjoy the camaraderie, meeting kids from across the US, and learning about the nutrition and management side of those pigs and working toward the end goal at a show. For kids who don’t grow up in every day production ag, mom and dad want them to learn what they did about agriculture and have fun with friends.”
And when it comes to having fun with friends, Arnold says there is no better place than the World Pork Expo. It’s an important event for the pork industry as a whole, with an international trade show, presentations and seminars and attendees from across the globe. Besides those who show in the junior or open classes, families travel to the show with others from their state. Arnold says they might stop at historical sites, landmarks or even make other pig farm visits. Though all of the events that take place at WPX are significant in their own right, there is still the show ring that is a central point of focus.
“Anybody that’s living, breathing and has a pulse and is interested in the swine industry should be at World Pork Expo,” he says. “It’s the epicenter of the show pig and pork industry as a whole. It’s a great event for education. It’s a great for networking in the pork industry. And in the purebred show circles, it’s the most popular event for great show pigs. And it’s in a central location. WPX is the perfect storm.”
Jared Landry of Jeanerette, Louisiana, wanted his daughters to have the experience of showing livestock just like he did growing up so he started them with show pigs when they were 4- and 5-years-old. The girls, Keri and Hallie, say their first trip to World Pork Expo was in 2005 and now they never leave home without a full trailer, which means at least 15 head of pigs.
“Not to mention the few extra pigs that hitch a ride with friends who have open spots in their trailer along the way,” Keri says.
The Landry sisters have been successful with their show pigs, taking home Reserve Grand CPS Gilt in 2013 and selling the top gilt at the 2015 WPX sale. Both girls have been in the top five in their showmanship divisions. Keri says her favorite part of WPX is being able to spend a week with her stock show family.
“Mostly everyone is at this show, whether it be people we show with every weekend or the ones I only see twice a year,” she says.
“WPX gives us the opportunity to have a family vacation where we enjoy spending quality time together and always come home with plenty of new stories,” Hallie says.
One story, in particular, happened when a tornado was heading toward Des Moines, and Keri and Hallie’s family, due to their Louisiana upbringing, didn’t realize what the tornado sirens meant. The Landry family was making dinner and kept on cooking until a police officer found them in the barn and frantically brought them to the storm shelter. Hallie says the officer told them to tornado was only one-half mile away.
“We didn’t know what the bizarre-sounding sirens meant,” Hallie says with a laugh.
She believes so many new people show up at WPX every year because after just one trip they experience so many great memories, and the desire is there to share it again and again with new friends. She also has a special memory from WPX.
“In 2005 I showed the Champion Duroc Barrow and had to wait to show him in the Grand Champion drive,” she says. “It was after midnight when we showed again so I slept on anything I could in the barn.”
World Pork Expo offers showmanship, youth judging contest and skillathon competitions, which also make it a leadership event. And those components help make it a premier youth swine show that any family would be proud for their children to participate in.
“Our business is youth development,” Arnold says. “That’s what the livestock show industry all about. Livestock are vehicles to develop young people. Just as important as it is to show pigs it also provides opportunities to really develop skills and experiences that benefit them then move on from our program and seek careers. We are providing educational opportunities for leadership development.”