AMES, IOWA — Iowa State University (ISU) announced that Laura Greiner, assistant professor of animal science, is stepping into the role of director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center.

Founded in 1994, the center is administered by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine at ISU. By integrating research and skills across disciplines, the center works to promote efficient pork production technologies and strong industry leadership in Iowa.

“I am very pleased to welcome Laura Greiner as the new director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center,” said Jay Harmon, associate dean of extension and outreach and director of agriculture and natural resources extension. “Iowa leads the nation in swine production, and I am very confident that Laura’s experience and knowledge of the industry will pay dividends for swine producers in our state and beyond.”

Greiner succeeds Chris Rademacher, ISU clinical professor in veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine and swine extension veterinarian, who served as interim director over the past year. Rademacher will continue to serve as an associate director for the center.

“With pork being the number one animal protein consumed globally, and Iowa being a significant producer of pork, we need to continue to be a leader in advancing animal agriculture through modern production practices, welfare, technology and sustainability,” Greiner said. “We hope to offer new programs and help our producers with issues such as caretaker education and feed mill management, while continuing to offer activities, including our Pork Quality Assurance training and various webinars, to keep swine producers up to date and informed.”

Greiner joined the ISU faculty in 2018. She currently oversees the Greiner Laboratory, where she and her students are researching ways to improve sow longevity, sow nutrition and the immune system of young female pigs. Additionally, Greiner teaches the swine production introductory course at ISU.

Greiner graduated from ISU with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in animal science, with an emphasis in nutrition. She also completed her postdoctoral training in microbiology at the University of Iowa.