What’s next for the purebred swine industry? That’s a good question and one that a passionate group of people are exploring and asking of themselves right now.
“The purebred side of the business is constantly changing,” says Clay Zwilling, CEO of the National Swine Registry. “It’s a dynamic industry. I think we truly are in a place of transition. We always talk about the generational gap. But the industry is so fast paced that even in my short tenure of being gone, it changed so much.”
After leading the National Swine Registry for four years, Zwilling decided to make a career change for his family. But his passion for the purebred swine industry drew him back in 2024.
“A lot of what we’re focused on now as an organization is creating sustainability from a breeder base and from a generational knowledge standpoint,” he explains. “We are focusing on educational activities like our Young Breeder Forum held before NSR’s Draft Sale and partnering with National Pork Board and showpig.com to create the National Show Pig Summit to bring people together and have critical discussions.”