"We invite all pork producers attending World Pork Expo to join us for the PORK Academy seminars," said Ron Schoo, chairman of the Pork Checkoff's Producer Services Committee and a pork producer from New Um, Minn. "Access to accurate and timely information is vital to my operation and the Pork Checkoff is helping provide that through educational seminars like PORK Academy."

PORK Academy is a series of in-depth seminars designed specifically to meet the need for pork producers to remain competitive in today's rapidly changing world. PORK Academy allows producers to select those areas that they have the most interest.

"The seminars are designed to allow producers to get information they can use on their farm but also allow them time to explore the other opportunities at World Pork Expo," said Schoo.

PORK Academy's seminars on Thursday, June 5 focus on employee care and market outlook. The employee care seminar topics include the challenges and opportunities in the emerging Hispanic workforce, occupational health and safety and hearing protection. The market outlook seminar includes lunch and topics including weather situation and outlook for summer 2008, outlook for feed costs in 2008-09 and beyond and a hog and pork economic outlook.

Day two of Pork Academy seminars, Friday, June 6 focus on education, environment and market outlook. The educational seminars topics include risk management, strategies to improve production costs and efficiencies and a grain outlook. The environmental seminars include facility sitting, how to make EQIP work for you and odor mitigation technologies from the pork industry environmental stewards. The market outlook seminars include the same topics as Thursday's seminar.

A schedule of the seminars is available on pork.org or by calling Sharlotte Peterson at 515-223-2600.

In addition to PORK Academy, visit other Pork Checkoff sponsored activities at World Pork Expo including the Great Pork BarbeQlossal™ contest on Saturday, June 7. Pork Producers also are invited to visit the Pork Checkoff hospitality tent to learn how the Pork Checkoff is focused on harnessing its resources to best position the pork industry for domestic and international competitiveness and profitability.

The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, technology, swine health, pork safety and environmental management.