Winter can feel like it goes on forever. That’s one reason why Jeff Tuente, owner of Tuente Farms, Inc., in Osgood, Ohio, looks forward to getting off the farm and traveling to the Ohio Pork Congress.
“It’s a great event to re-energize my passion of being a farmer and build off the enthusiasm of my peers,” Tuente says. “I saw many of my good business friends and allies in the trade show.”
There’s no question meeting new people and catching up with friends in the industry gives attendees something to look forward to all year, says Kevin Stuckey, sow division manager for Cooper Farms in Hicksville, Ohio. The educational sessions are also a great opportunity.
Step Outside Your Box
“This event helps people discover ways to make their operation better,” Stuckey says. “I also appreciate how it encourages more involvement for the younger people on our farms. Oftentimes, they started in our organization and only know our organization. You get so much more growth when you learn outside of your box.”
This year, the Ohio Pork Council offered a special track of educational sessions in Spanish. Stuckey says that’s something he appreciates with the number of TN visa workers in the pork industry now.
“They are so hungry for more information,” Stuckey says. “With the language barrier, that gets hard to provide that for them on the farm. Translation is tough – there’s a gap in pig lingo and barn lingo and getting that translated in a meaningful way.”
The truth is, everyone needs to get away to recharge their battery, he adds. It’s easy to focus on what is right in front of you and lose sight of the bigger picture. With the event in their backyard, Stuckey says it’s important to their team to give as many people as possible the chance to attend.
Disease Remains Top of Mind
For Jarred Black, director of transportation for Pork Partners in Canal Winchester, Ohio, and president elect of Ohio Pork Council, foreign animal disease (FAD) preparedness is top of his mind right now.
“We’ve seen how challenging highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been for other industries,” Black says. “We need to be as prepared as we can if a FAD were to strike the U.S. One of the things I’ll take back to my role at Pork Partners is to continue to focus on our biosecurity patterns to help prevent the spread of major viruses we deal with such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) and porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), as well as FAD prevention. I want to make sure we are dialed in and ready if and when a FAD happens.”
The discussions around PRRS stood out to Stuckey. Learning more about what strains are causing challenges, research that’s being done and solutions that could be out there was helpful, he says.
“It’s a topic on all of our minds,” Stuckey adds. “I think it’s also good to know you aren’t alone. You think you are isolated and it’s just your problem, but you come here and realize others are dealing with the same thing, too.”
Energy’s Back
A shared optimism surrounded this year’s conference. However, policy came up in nearly every conversation as what’s happening with the Trump Administration is weighing heavy on producers’ minds now.
“I’m a fan of the policies he has laid out and the speed at which things are happening,” Tuente says. “However, this week the futures market was a reminder of how volatile it may be for a while. If a pause to the tariffs with Mexico and Canada didn’t happen, there may have been a different mood at Ohio Pork Congress this week.”
He believes the industry will have a profitable year and possibly see some deregulation. Black echoes that excitement about the prospects of a more profitable year for the industry.
“Specifically in Ohio, we have a lot of opportunity for growth in the industry. It’s nice to see we have multi-language Spanish presenters here to reach everyone in the Ohio pork industry,” Black says.
Don’t Forget the Good Stuff
But of course, who can’t help but get excited about the pork industry when you have a chef like David Lani of The Syndicate in Bellefontaine, Ohio, preparing amazing pork dishes throughout the event? He showcased pork so well, Black says, proving how tasty, versatile and exciting it can be.
“We owe a huge shout-out to Chef Lani and the way he presents pork,” Black says. “His take on presenting a pork chop like a steak with a mushroom gravy was fabulous. One of our lunches was a create-your-own protein bowl with pork shoulder prepared three ways over rice or mashed potatoes with toppings. It gets folks like my dad to think outside of the box a little. He could eat a salami sandwich for lunch every day. But this reminds him there are a lot of other great and simple ways to eat pork.”
