Pork-buying tourists get some free lessons at U of I

International buyers from countries throughout Asia, Central America and South America visited the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) recently as part of this year’s Illinois Pork Tour, organized by the Illinois Department of Agriculture. According to a release from the department, the participants visited the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) and heard talks from a number of UIUC faculty and associates. They learned about the benefits of soy from the Illinois Soybean Association, and UIUC’s large animal veterinarian delivered a talk titled “Health Impacts on Production in the United States and Around the World.” Dr. Mike Ellis, from ACES, gave an overview of research on commercial swine. The tour participants also visited the university’s Morrow Plots, where faculty and students conduct crop science research. “The Illinois pork industry is a vital component of Illinois agriculture,” Raymond Poe, director of the agriculture department, said, according to the press release. “The industry contributes billions of dollars to our economy and creates thousands of jobs. Through the Illinois Pork Tour we can build relationships between foreign buyers and Illinois agri-businesses in the hopes of growing our industry and improving our export sales.”