𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

This morning, I brewed my coffee a bit stronger than usual, and the caffeine kick just hit.

As I sipped, I read a message from a friend about next week’s World Pork Expo by National Pork Producers Council . What caught my attention wasn’t a pitch about his company’s latest innovations. It was something better. He opened with nostalgia, calling it the annual Pork Family Reunion in Des Moines.

He talked about seeing familiar faces, meeting new ones, rekindling connections that had faded over the past year, and simply celebrating the people who make our industry a little more human.

Sure, he wrapped it up with an invitation to talk research and products. But the heart of the message was simple: 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵.

I attended my first World Pork Expo in 1994 with fellow grad students. A lot has changed in the hog industry since then. Ownership structure, technology, genetics, barns, and feed ingredients have all evolved. But one thing remains the same: the value of friendships built in this business and the annual tradition of renewing them in Des Moines.

Sometimes the most important innovations we bring home are not the ones on display. They are the relationships we recharge.