The Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is in the process of hiring a new applied swine nutritionist and pork producers are being encouraged to take part in the process.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association has made a two-year financial commitment to ISU for this position and a fundamental swine nutritionist position and recently made an initial investment of $100,000.

Scott Tapper, past president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, is a member of the ISU search committee, which would like to have several pork producers take part in interviews with candidates for the position.

Four candidates have been selected for interviews in the coming weeks. The first is Dr. Jason W. Frank from the University of Arkansas who will be in Ames Monday, Feb. 18. He is scheduled to meet with pork producers from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. that day in the library of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association in Ames.

Three other candidates also are scheduled to be interviewed by the search committee. Merlin Lindemann is set for March 24, Jonathan Holt will be interviewed March 31 and John Patience will meet with the search committee April 7.

The candidates will be available for one-hour interviews with interested pork producers from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Iowa Cattlemen's Association library each of those days.

This is a great opportunity for the Iowa pork industry to further convey its support of ISU and have input into the hiring process. Producers will be able to visit with the candidate, ask questions and help determine if the candidate will be able to benefit Iowa pork producers as the applied swine nutritionist.

If you are interested in meeting the candidates and learning more about their qualifications for the position, please make plans to attend the interviews. If you have any questions, call IPPA at (515) 225-7675 or (800) 372-7675.