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Committee members, who were in Des Moines last week for the annual Unified Research Review, have selected 22 projects for funding. Projects that are awarded grants are set to begin in May.

"Research funding is an important part of what the Checkoff does," said Paul Sundberg, vice president of Science and Technology for the Pork Checkoff. "Sound science is the basis for which Checkoff addresses issues within our industry, and this research funding will help get science-based answers."

Priority topics for 2004 include odor measurement methodologies; the porcine respiratory disease complex including porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS), mycoplasma and influenza; sow gestation housing; and production-enhancement alternatives to antimicrobials, to name a few. A complete listing of research priorities is available at www.porkboard.org, listed in research section.

"The producer-driven committees have developed a list of priorities that are aligned with the industry's needs," said Sundberg. "They then review the projects, and recommend funding based on expert advice about scientific design and how they see the project meeting those needs. It's an intense process to make sure that Checkoff is going to fund projects that are sound enough to be successful in giving information about the research topics that producers themselves have developed."

Source: National Pork Board - 20th February 2004