New Fashion Pork is headquartered in Jackson, Minnesota with Brad Freking as its CEO and managing partner. Founded in 1994, New Fashion Pork (NFP) employs over 400 people and owns 53,000 sows in six states, along with having interests in several related businesses (i.e., Triumph Foods and Daily’s Premium Meats). Annually, NFP markets roughly 1.2 million hogs.
(more…)Canadian small business owner and professional consultant Andreas Funk has over 25 years of experience working with livestock farmers to increase livestock operation productivity. Andreas built his reputation in water treatment; with a focus on the animal’s water diet. From understanding the needs on-farm to analyzing problematic areas, Andreas’s knowledge, service, and support have demonstrated the impact of a genuine passion for farming and the importance of fresh insight on livestock farms for application and practice.
(more…)Following the completion of his Doctoral Degree in Meat Science and Muscle Biology from the University of Missouri-Columbia, Dr. Chad A. Stahl founded Food Animal Consultation and Testing Services (F.A.C.T.S.). In doing so, Chad hoped to serve as a third-party scientific liaison for livestock producers, meat processors, restaurateurs, and consumers. To date, Dr. Stahl has had the privilege of providing business solutions for nearly 50 companies and universities located throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
(more…)Dr. Jim Pillen is a pig farmer, veterinarian, and the founder and chairman of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics, a multi-generational family business that employs over 1,100 team members. Raised on a farm in Platte County, Pillen has spent his entire life in Nebraska production agriculture, working alongside his dad and brothers from an early age. After a successful collegiate football career as a defensive back for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, Pillen earned his Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State University and returned home to Nebraska to build a veterinary practice.
(more…)Dr. Jason Ross is the Lloyd L. Anderson Endowed Professor in Physiology in the department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. In October, 2015, Jason became the Director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center with responsibilities in research, administration, and extension. Jason’s research program focuses on using both basic and applied research approaches to help enable livestock producers and associated industries to improve swine production efficiency.
(more…)Dr. Mark Lyons represents the second generation of the global business his father, Dr.
Pearse Lyons founded in 1980. With experience working in all regions and nearly all
departments — from palletizing bags in production to researching in the lab — he has a deep and uniquely personal knowledge of the company.
Glenn Stolt serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Christensen Farms. Glenn assumed the CEO role in November of 2012 upon the unexpected passing of Bob Christensen, founder and CEO of the company. Glenn is responsible for all strategic, operational, and financial aspects of the company. In addition, Glenn currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Triumph Foods, and sits on the Board of Directors for Seaboard Triumph Foods and Daily’s Premium Meats; all of which are primary and further pork processing companies partially owned by Christensen Farms. In addition, Glenn serves on several industry and non-industry association boards and advisory committees.
(more…)Dr. Kara Stewart received her bachelor’s degree from Purdue in 2001 and her Master’s and Ph.D. from NC State with Dr. Billy Flowers in 2004 and 2008, respectively. Kara taught in the Animal Science department at NC State for 2 years before returning to Indiana to work for Cook Inc., a human medical device company. In July of 2013, Kara happily accepted a faculty position in reproductive physiology in the Animal Science department at Purdue. She carries a majority extension appointment working across several species, predominantly swine, and teaches a reproductive management and a reproductive physiology course for undergraduates. Her recent research has focused on colostrum management and mitigation strategies for heat stress in boars and sows. Additionally, she is investigating biomarkers of fertility in seminal plasma from boars and vaginal samples from weaned gilts.
(more…)Matthew Wilkin is a pork producer and the owner of White Syke farm, a 2,000 sow family farm in Yorkshire, UK. He is also the inventor and co-founder of FARROPEN, which is a company that manufactures and distributes unique 360-degree farrowing pens. On White Syke Farm all of the sows are loose housed and farrowed in these 360-degree free farrowing pens designed and built in-house.
(more…)Paul Willis is a 5th generation family farmer and founder of the Niman Ranch Pork Company. He has owned and operated the Willis Free Range Pig Farm in Iowa since 1975. Today he works hard to increase opportunities for traditional, sustainable and humane family farmers while representing the Niman Ranch brand.
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