pork checkoff report

When it comes to the possibility of a foreign animal disease (FAD) outbreak or other major threat, the pork industry is taking a page from the Boy Scouts to “be prepared” with the continued development of the Secure Pork Supply plan for swine business continuity.

Youth trying to find their path in life are often told that they can be anything they want as long as they are willing to work hard and do a good job. The Pork Checkoff’s recent first-ever Elite Pork Intern Summit reminded young people that careers in pork production can be both rewarding and diverse.

An Elkhart, Illinois, pork producer joined science and ethics experts at CRISPRcon this summer to explore the role of gene editing. The first-of-its-kind conference is named for the genome editing technique that is known as Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR).

Just like previous generations, today’s pork producers are always looking for ways to improve how they raise pigs. While that includes seeking advice from veterinarians and nutritionists, it’s also critical for producers to be able to compare apples to apples when it comes to something as important as choosing the right alternatives to antibiotics.

The National Pork Board has been involved with producer-led meat quality projects and initiatives for more than 25 years. The unchanging goal has been to create more value for all segments of the pork chain by producing a better product for consumers.

For the National Pork Board, 2017 has been a year where individual pieces of the puzzle to improve consumers’ overall pork eating experience have come together. Quality, new pork cuts nomenclature and a recommended lower endpoint cooking temperature are the keys to giving the U.S. pork industry needed momentum to boost domestic and international demand.

The Pork Checkoff is putting a new twist on sharing pork meal ideas with consumers through a unique recipe partnership with Yummly that will launch in December. The move is part of Checkoff efforts to upgrade its digital footprint.

It’s no secret that the U.S. protein industry is in expansion mode. With pork production expected to be up more than 12 percent in 2017, Pork Checkoff staff and leadership spent the summer defining today’s pork demand “landscape.”

Animal care, environmental sustainability and responsible antibiotic use are all questions consumers have about today’s pork production.