Red Oak Pork Producer provides input

Susan Carlson a pork producer from Red Oak, served as a delegate at the Pork Act Delegate assembly March 4-6 in Kansas City, Mo. Carlson was named a delegate by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

Carlson was one of 163 delegates who represented producers from 44 states and importers who sell pork products in the United States. The delegates are charged with helping to provide direction to the pork promotion, research and consumer information programs that are funded by the Pork Checkoff through the National Pork Board. Producers contribute 40 cents of every $100 of sales to the Checkoff, and importers use a sales formula to contribute a similar amount. That money helps producers support the We Care initiative, The Other White Meat brand and research into animal welfare, food safety, swine health, environment and other topics.

The National Pork Board approved a 2010 budget for national spending of $44.1 million. About $19 million is focused on domestic pork expenditures.

“Several of the National Pork Board’s goals for 2010 reflect a commitment to increasing demand for pork products,” said Carlson. “For example, aggressive retail program are being planned with leading retailers in a year that likely will have consumers paying higher prices for pork.”

The Checkoff also is at work in ongoing programs that include efforts to provide science-based answers and educational opportunities including:

We Care, a responsible pork initiative, which is a coordinated effort of the National Pork Board and National Pork Producers Council to earn the trust of the pork industry’s customers as well as regulators and consumers.

Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus), which is a three-part process that includes attending an educational and training session and then having an on-farm site evaluation to achieve PQA Plus site status. The program also includes a third component of random, statistically valid, third-party evaluation of program implementation. Results of those evaluations will show if the industry is improving its overall animal-care practices.