DES MOINES, Iowa — Anyone planning to attend the 2017 World Pork Expo, June 7-9, should consider arriving early to take part in one of two pre-expo agricultural tours.
Organized by the National Pork Producers Council and set for June 4-6, the Midwest Agriculture Tour and Iowa Agribusiness Tour will provide insights into Midwestern agricultural businesses and pork production.
Midwest Agriculture Tour
Participants will spend two days traveling across Iowa to Illinois and just across the border into Indiana.
Underwritten by the Illinois Soybean Association, this tour will provide an overview of modern pork production, feed processing, and equipment manufacturing, as well as shipping channels and exports.
Because of the multi-state trip, attendees can select from a couple of options to join the tour. Participants can board the bus in Des Moines June 4 or join the group at the Marriott Suites O’Hare in Chicago June 5.
On June 5, the tour will travel to Indiana, arriving at Fair Oaks Farms, home of The Pig Adventure, for an up-close look at modern pork production.
Tickets will also be available for The Dairy Adventure. A barge trip down the Mississippi River will help participants to get a perspective on grain export activities.
Participants will dine on-site at the Farmhouse Restaurant and will stay overnight at Jumer’s Hotel and Casino in Rock Island, Illinois.
On June 6, the tour will move on to the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, Illinois, and include stops to Brenneman Pork, a JBS feed mill and modern wean-to-finish barn managed by JBS.
The tour bus will return to Des Moines for dinner on the evening of June 6.
Cost for the Midwest Agriculture Tour is $450 per person, which includes bus transportation, lodging June 5, meals on tour days and World Pork Expo admission. Individuals are responsible for booking their own hotel rooms before the tour begins and during Expo.
Iowa Agribusiness Tour
The tour June 5 will begin and end the day in Des Moines and provide a snapshot of agribusinesses in central Iowa, including feed, technology and pork production enterprises.
The day-long trip will stop at Kemin Industries for a look at innovations in animal nutrition and health and biofuels. From there, it’s on to east central Iowa and a visit to Brenneman Pork, a fully-integrated, family-owned swine and grain operation.
A visit to a modern wean-to-finish barn and feed mill managed by JBS will round out the tour.
The cost for this one-day tour is $150 per person, which includes bus transportation, breakfast, and lunch on the tour and admission to World Pork Expo.
Register. It’s important to note both tours have limited space, so early registration is advised. Along with the details about the tours, the website offers general registration information.
The site also provides information about room availability at official World Pork Expo hotels, answers for international visitors, a variety of Expo facts and other helpful tips about traveling to World Pork Expo. The 2017 World Pork Expo will take place at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, June 7-9.
