April 2, 2010 - 2010 Lu Mil Vineyard Pig Cook-off  •  April 9, 2010 - 32nd Annual Newport Pig Cookin' Contest  •  April 16, 2010 - 27th Annual Pigskin Pig-Out Contest  •  April 30, 2010 - Smithfield Ham & Yam Festival  •  April 30, 2010 - 29th Annual Wil King Hog Happenin'
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Research & Development

The 46,000 North Carolina citizens involved in pork production are committed to finding new and innovative ways to do business. From environmental management to animal nutrition and animal health, North Carolina's pork producers take their responsibilities seriously and have been innovative leaders in the research, science and latest technology that helps feed the world. Our goal is to produce the healthy, safe and environmentally sound pork products our consumers enjoy and demand.

Producer funded research has resulted in a pork product that is 31% leaner than it was just a few decades ago. Healthy animals are an essential part of a successful pork industry. Pork producers know their responsibility to the environment and continue to participate in research efforts that seek to find improved ways to capture, treat and recycle the valuable nutrients produced on our farms.

The North Carolina Pork Council board of directors has approved funding for four new research projects. They are:

  • Genetics of Guilt and Sow Reproductive Efficiency (2008-09)
  • Genetic Selection Criteria and Management Practices that Improve Productivity and Pig Value of Below Average Birth Weight Piglets (2008-10)
  • Retrofitting a Pig Nursery with a Transpired Solar Wall to Save Heat Energy and Improve Pig Performance (2008-09)
  • Nitrogen Dynamics in Covered Swine Lagoons (2008-09)

Funding will continue for four other research projects already in progress:

  • NC Investigation of Post-Weaning Multi-Systemic Wasting Syndrome (PMWS)
  • Development of Real-Time, On-Farm Semen Quality Tests Based on Reactive Oxygen Species
  • A Rapid Assessment Tool for Determining Uniformity of Irrigation-Type Animal Waste Land Application Systems
  • Field Assessment of the Plant N Availability Coefficient for Land Application of Anaerobic Swine Lagoon Sludge in NC

If you would like more information or have any questions about these projects, please contact Tommy Stevens, Director of Environmental Services at 919-781-0361 or tommy@ncpork.org.