FORT WAYNE Its like copying the blueprint of a blue ribbon pig.

Whiteshire Hamroc is an Albion swine genetics company that grows its herd through artificial insemination. Put another way, its a process that takes DNA from the best pigs with the goal of producing the highest-quality meat. These days, that means leaner cuts of pork.

After enduring the recession, the 30-year-old company has seen business start to pick up. The company posted $15 million in revenue in 2011, up about 5 percent from the previous year. This fall, the company expects to break ground on a multimillion-dollar research and development farm in Noble County a joint venture with a company in China.

Mike Platt is executive director of the Indiana Pork Association.

Platt said consumer demand is the reason behind Whiteshires growth. The public demands better quality food and it cant be left up to chance, Platt said.

People want their pork to be leaner, he said. So, how can you ensure that without (genetic farming)? You cant. The truth is that as science has improved over the last 30 years, it only makes sense to take advantage of it.

And Whiteshire figures to do just that.

The research project venture involves Tangrenshen Co., an integrated pork and feed firm in China. Whiteshire has been teaming with its Asian counterpart since 2007. Terms of the latest deal, announced June 7, were not disclosed. The development will create 25 permanent jobs and more than 100 temporary construction positions for northeast Indiana.

Whiteshire, which employs more than 40 workers, has three buildings over a five-acre site at 4728 N. 200 W. Besides its headquarters and genetic evaluation building, the company has two farms with 1,500 sows. Its main customers include meat packing plants, other pork farms and medical companies that harvest tissue or organs. About 40,000 pigs are sold annually.

Other companies in the state involved at the research center are Gentryville-based Tempel Genetics Inc. and Albany-based Shaffer Superior Genetics Inc. Cedar Ridge Farms of Redbud, Ill., also is participating.

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Lean pork: It's genetic