The National Pork Board (NPB) will host the inaugural Swine Innovation Summit in Indianapolis, Ind., on Sept. 17, 2019, as a special event prior to the Forbes AgTech Summit Indianapolis. NPB leaders will attend the Sept. 18-19 Forbes AgTech Summit as part of its ongoing support of agricultural technology innovation and the THRIVE Midwest Challenge.

Forbes and SVG Ventures-THRIVE are founding partners of the AgTech Summit and partner with AgriNovus Indiana, Corteva, Elanco Animal Health, Land O’Lakes and Purdue University to provide networking and showcase opportunities in the Midwest.

NPB said today’s food production systems are undergoing explosive change, and the animal agriculture industry needs to prepare in order to keep pace. The Swine Innovation Summit will focus on three key drivers of change: emerging technology, new and dynamic business models and consumer behaviors that affect shopping preferences and food choices.

“Today’s consumers literally carry supercomputers in their pockets and have access to information – both accurate and misleading – that they leverage in making on-the-spot purchase decisions,” NPB director of emerging technology Andy Brudtkuhl said. “In the span of a few short hours, we intend to educate today’s pig farmers on what they need to know and how they must adapt to the changing world in which we live.”

As part of its mandate to support pork research, promotion and education, NPB is offering the conference free of charge to pig farmers, swine veterinarians, authorized academics and allied industry.

NPB became a THRIVE Corporate Innovation Partner with SVG Ventures in 2018 with the intention to connect world-class technology to the swine industry. The first annual Swine Innovation Summit is a collaborative effort between NPB and SVG Ventures-THRIVE to highlight entrepreneurs as it launches the THRIVE Swine Startup Showcase specifically for pork producers and swine industry partners.

 “Our ultimate goal is to drive innovation and to solve critical challenges facing the agriculture industry in the Midwest today, and our expanding partnership with National Pork Board reflects this vision,” SVG Ventures chief executive officer John Hartnett said.

The five finalists hand selected to pitch on stage at the Swine Innovation Summit are BinSentry, Hog Wash, ProteoSense, SwineTech and Teichos Labs. The summit is focused on developing strategic solutions to improve the swine farming sustainability practices of reducing land and water usage, shrinking livestock's carbon footprint, improving food safety and protecting animal welfare.

“Changing food production practices also include technology that is disrupting not only how food is produced but how it is transported, presented and sold to unknowing consumers,” Brudtkuhl said. “Understand, this is a trillion-dollar industry, and it has never been more important to be ahead of emerging trends.”