What do North American and South American pork industries have in common? It’s more than you possibly think, and those synergies that exist between both will highlight Gustavo Pizarro’s session at United Pork Americas in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 7-9, 2022.
Having the privilege of working in both North America and South America, Pizarro says he is excited to explain how collaboration between the two can be a great benefit for producers across the globe. During his session, “Building a Network Between North, Central and South American Swine Industries,” he will share how pork production systems in various parts of the world can learn from each other.
“We have business operations in the United States, China, Mexico and recently some activity in Brazil,” says Pizarro, president of Pipestone Latin America. “It’s interesting to me how our mission as a company – helping farmers – fits so well with this conference bringing producers from different countries together. I think this is a great opportunity to share our experience and learn how we can work together to improve production, performance and business.”
Risk Reduction
Pizarro will tackle interesting questions during his session. For example, why should U.S. pig farmers produce 100% of its pigs in the U.S.? Pizarro believes one way for producers to reduce risk is to consider spreading the risk of raising pigs between multiple countries.
“I think it’s valuable to share different perspectives on production. Each country’s market is different, and we can learn from those differences,” he says.
In Latin America, sow units are designed much differently. There are important variations in wean-to-finish flow that exist. It’s common to have large growth-to-finish sites with 50,000 pigs in one area, which is complex to manage in health challenges scenarios. Pizarro says there are valuable lessons to be learned from how both North America and Latin America approach sow care.
Cultural Lessons
No one will argue that networking is very important for a successful business. Pizarro believes it’s valuable to connect with different people and different cultural experiences.
“With each one you can take some value. For me, this kind of meeting provides that opportunity. It’s also about business. At the end of the day, we all want to grow our businesses, and this is a good way to do that,” Pizarro says.
Generational Transition
He hopes participants who attend his session walk away with ideas on how they can improve the design of their production system. He also plans to discuss generational transition during his session in April.
“We are facing generational transition with many producers. Because of this, planning is very important. I don’t think everyone is prepared for or has a plan for that transition. I’d like to share some perspectives our company has learned to help producers in this area,” Pizarro says.
The opportunity to meet in person in Orlando is definitely a draw, Pizarro adds, to attend United Pork Americas. In addition to interacting with people again, he can’t wait to hit the theme parks with his family while he’s there.
Learn more about the event at unitedporkamericas.com. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn more about the mega trends impacting global pork production and how you can succeed in this dynamic industry.
Who is Dr. Gustavo Pizarro?
Favorite Pork Dish: “Lomito,” a Chilean sandwich
Education: Graduated from Universidad Mayor in Santiago Chile in 1995 with a degree in veterinary medicine and continued his education in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture business administration at the Universidad Catolica of Chile
Favorite Country: Spain – old buildings, history and food make it very special for me
First Job: Joined PIC in 1996 focusing on swine production processes, reproduction programs and international business.
Favorite Theme Park in Orlando: Universal Studios!
Start Date at Pipestone: 2012
Favorite Pastime: Cooking and spending time with his wife Loreto and kids Amanda, Raimundo and Emma Luisa
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