Apply now - $25k in pork industry scholarships

Oct 25, 2024
By Farms.com

Pursue Ag careers with NPPC scholarships

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is excited to announce the opening of the 2025 Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship application period. This prestigious scholarship, supported by CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation, grants ten $2,500 scholarships each year to college students who are poised to take leadership roles within the pork industry.

NPPC President Lori Stevermer highlighted the significance of nurturing new talent - “The strength of America’s pork industry lies in the hands of its future leaders.” This scholarship program is crucial for empowering students who are eager to contribute to the pork industry’s future.

Candidates must be undergraduate students enrolled in a two-year swine program or a four-year agriculture college. They are evaluated based on their essay responses to issues and potential solutions within the pork industry. The chosen recipients will be celebrated at the National Pork Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida, in March 2025.

The scholarship honors Lois Britt, a former NPPC board director and a passionate supporter of agricultural development during her tenures at the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and Smithfield Hog Production.

Interested students should apply by December 13, 2024. For more information, contact Jacob Sterle, NPPC’s Director of Industry Resource Development, via website – Click Here

Video: Sweetener Effects on Gut Health - Dr. Kwangwook Kim

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. Kwangwook Kim, Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, discusses the use of non-nutritive sweeteners in nursery pig diets. He explains how sucralose and neotame influence feed intake, gut health, metabolism, and the frequency of diarrhea compared to antibiotics. The conversation highlights mechanisms beyond palatability, including hormone signaling and nutrient transport. Listen now on all major platforms!

“Receptors responsible for sweet taste are present not only in the mouth but also along the intestinal tract.”

Meet the guest: Dr. Kwangwook Kim / kwangwook-kim is an Assistant Professor at Michigan State University, specializing in swine nutrition and feed additives under disease challenge models. He earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Sciences from the University of California, Davis, where he focused on intestinal health and metabolic responses in pigs. His research evaluates alternatives to antibiotics, targeting gut health and performance in nursery pigs.