Preface.

Abstract

The 10th International Conference on Pig Reproduction (ICPR) was held at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA, between June 11-14, 2017. The conference continued the tradition, begun in 1981, of providing a quadrennial forum to discuss the latest advances in pig reproductive biology and the application of this knowledge to improvements in pig fertility. The scientific program of the 10th ICPR was developed by the International Organising Committee. This program followed the successful format adopted for the two most recent ICPR, whereby the morning sessions were devoted to state-of-the-art plenary lectures, while parallel sessions in the afternoons provided an opportunity to learn more of the latest cutting-edge developments in pig reproductive biology or to emphasize the practical advantages of these recent discoveries. Some submitted abstracts describing particularly novel findings were selected for expansion into longer papers, and the authors were invited to deliver an oral presentation at the meeting. In addition, 66 posters were presented at the meeting; the poster abstracts can be found at http://muconf.missouri.edu/ICPR2017/. We thank the local organising committee for making this possible. The outstanding success of the 10th ICPR was due to the tireless hard work, commitment, and attention to detail of the local organising committee, chaired by Dr Randall Prather. Their dedication ensured that the conference preparation ran smoothly and would be enjoyed by all delegates, providing a forum for stimulating scientific exchange within an environment conducive to fruitful interactions with colleagues old and new. The conference attracted over 170 delegates from at least 18 countries, and was funded, in part, by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant no. 2017-67015-26458). This special issue of Molecular Reproduction and Development, entitled Control of Pig Reproduction X, contains internationally peer-reviewed reviews accompanying the invited lectures. Sincere thanks are due to the many external scientific reviewers, MRD editorial board members, my co-editors, Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez and William Flowers, and to Gary M. Wessel and Julian L. Wong at Molecular Reproduction & Development for their hard work and commitment to ensure a timely quality publication. We are confident that this Special Issue will provide a valuable resource for every-one interested in pig reproduction and fertility. Cheryl J. Ashworth Guest Executive Editor Chair of the International Organising Committee