Behind the Scenes with 5 State Pork Executives
When packing plant closures and market disruptions rocked the pork industry last year, state pork association leaders stepped up to help producers weather the storm. They made hard decisions and spent countless hours finding solutions, offering support and focusing on the issues. As the industry adapts and moves forward, Farm Journal’s PORK asked five pork industry leaders to share their perspectives on the challenges they anticipate in the future and to reflect on the greatest stories coming out of their state.
Cheryl Day, Executive Vice President, Ohio Pork Council
Kylee Deniz, Executive Director, Oklahoma Pork Council
Glenn Muller, Executive Director, South Dakota Pork Producers Council
Don Nikodim, Executive Director, Missouri Pork Association
Jennifer Tirey, Executive Director, Illinois Pork Producers Association
Q. What energizes you to do what you do day-in and day-out for the pork industry?
CD: How could you not be inspired by the faith, fire and focus of America's pig farmers? The hardworking individuals – caring for pigs and people – is what gets me out of bed every day. It is a true blessing to serve farmers, helping them proudly provide healthy, wholesome pork for families worldwide.
KD: The opportunity to serve Oklahoma’s pork producers as they work day-in and day-out to put a safe, flavorful, affordable and nutritious protein on consumers’ plates gets me excited each and every day.
GM: Administering the resources that South Dakota’s 900-plus pork producers have contributed to the Pork Checkoff to maximize their return on investment of their financial contributions energizes me. SDDPC’s role is to represent the industry in pork promotion, education and research, plus address policy issues impacting the pork industry. As pork producers continue to focus on improving their production skills and managing their businesses, SDPPC’s role is to collectively address the challenges and opportunities facing the pork industry. I enjoy working with the other staff members of SDPPC, our producer leadership and our volunteers to develop new programs and improve existing programs that the Executive Board of SDPPC has authorized and allocated funding to implement those programs.
DN: Day in day out, it’s the great people in our industry that keep me energized.
JT: There is always a lot to be done in the pork industry, and every day is different. The diversity of the industry energizes me. One day I may be taking a newly elected legislator on a hog farm for the first time and get the chance to witness firsthand when they begin to gain a better understanding of our industry. Another day, I am surrounded by producers from across the state who may own one finishing barn or five sow farms, contract grow for another producer or represent the show pig side of the industry – all talking about the same concern, how to protect our borders from a FAD. Whatever is on my agenda for the day, I can usually measure it as a successful one if I get the opportunity to help solve a problem for a producer. When they call, I want to help them and always support them in any way I can.
Q. As the country regains some normalcy, what is the biggest challenge you see on the horizon for the pork industry?
CD: The farmer uses science, knowledge and experience to do what is right for pigs, people and the planet. Yet, threats beyond their control slowly chisel away at their freedom to farm. If it is not a nuisance lawsuit or overreaching regulations, then it is the gaps in foreign animal disease (FAD) preparedness and planning. The biggest challenge for the pork industry is not getting emotionally entangled with all the harmful noise; instead, harness your energy and focus on making a powerful impact for the pork industry.
KD: Workforce at all levels is a focus today and will be something we continue to solve in the future. We must remain committed to foreign animal disease prevention, preparedness and response. We must continue to build trust by demonstrating how the six We Care ethical principles anchor our commitment to doing what is right.
GM: I believe there are several challenges facing the pork industry as we move forward. The industry will need to determine if the COVID-19 epidemic has affected consumer eating habits long-term. We need to rebuild consumer trust and confidence that we have the ability to minimize the food chain disruptions that were encountered during the pandemic.
DN: Those in our business are really good at what they do. The threat of foreign animal disease and the host of external, non-production factors are huge challenges.
JT: FAD prevention fell to the backburner during COVID-19. However, the silver lining to this unprecedented pandemic was that we found out a lot about our industry, its strengths and weaknesses. In Illinois, we were also able to make a connection with stakeholders in less traditional agricultural areas that will be critical during a FAD outbreak. Now, we can take what we have learned and make our proactive efforts that much stronger for our industry.
Q. What is the greatest story coming out of your state’s pork industry?
CD: Ohio pig farmers are quite resourceful. Emerging from a challenging year, we saw people helping people. Farm families donated a large amount of product to food banks and organized campaigns to boost the Pork Power Program. Members answered numerous calls to action to educate lawmakers, and agencies and make emergency response plans. They fought bureaucracies to give youth a safe environment to exhibit their pigs. At the same time, the farm families maneuvered pork supply hurdles, cared for the pigs, looked after their employees' mental health and faced a financially challenging year. The Ohio pig farmers are the state's most extraordinary story. Every day they lend their big heart to a more significant cause.
KD: Resilience. Over the past 15 months, the Oklahoma pork industry has faced uncertainty from farm to fork. Across our state, there are incredible stories of lessons learned, increased collaboration and innovations to mitigate risk.
GM: The greatest story coming out of South Dakota is the growth of the industry during the past several years and the improvements to the swine infrastructure. The swine education and research facility that was built at South Dakota State University has increased the student enrollment in swine production and generated millions of dollars in additional research funding for the swine industry in South Dakota and beyond. Also, the virtual tours being hosted by this facility have expanded our ability to educate anyone about modern swine production facilities and practices.
DN: We are a growth industry that continues to provide tremendous opportunity for current and future generations.
JT: I am extremely proud of the efforts that our association made to assist producers and the packing industry during COVID-19. Illinois Pork is made up of seven hardworking individuals who all want to see the industry thrive and our producers succeed. We are small but mighty, and the sheer number of resources that we developed and shared with our producers was phenomenal. Many producers received personal phone calls just to see how they were handling the situation and to make sure they knew we were there as a resource. Our association also led the effort to secure $5 million in federal CARES funding in our state for Market Interruption Grants with the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Aside from COVID-19 related support, Illinois Pork has been focusing on our efforts to build the industry for our future generation through two programs. The first is the Illinois Livestock Leadership Institute, a combined effort from IPPA, Illinois Beef and Midwest Dairy, geared towards youth ages 16 to 20. The Institute encourages young men and women to become actively involved in the livestock industry by participating in a four-day trip in the summer to learn more about the livestock industry. The second program, Future Leaders, focuses on up-and-coming pork industry candidates between the ages of 25 and 40, and encourages young leaders to get involved in the industry through leadership roles on our committees, boards and other related positions.
Q. What would you encourage pork producers to think about in the year ahead?
CD. What did COVID-19 illuminate for you? Challenge yourself to release the negativity, build on the lessons learned, be thankful for reminders to focus on essential things and motivate yourself to move forward. Last year, for Ohio, was a wake-up call to get our act together as a state to make substantial steps ahead for FAD preparing and planning. FAD preparedness is everyone's responsibility in the industry. Make sure you are doing your part.
KD: Striving for continuous improvement would be my encouragement for pork producers. From on-farm practices to next-generation consumers adding pork to their online grocery order, we have many successful advancement examples and yet must commit to progress.
GM: Pork producers will be faced with multiple concerns as we move forward. Currently, pork producers are concerned with profit margins in their operations. As input costs for feed ingredients, building and maintenance expenses, labor and management plus basic cost of living expenses increase, producers will be challenged to maintain profitability. Marketing strategies will be vitally important. Minimizing the potential for foreign animal disease is also a major concern. Biosecurity levels have improved greatly through porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) and COVID-19 experiences. SDPPC is working to address the foreign animal disease (FAD) response plan if we should have a confirmed case in the country and particularly in South Dakota. Having experienced the reduction in harvesting capacity through the pandemic and the disruption in the food distribution system, producers need to be conscientious of how fragile their market access was and the limited alternative markets available.
DN: Stay focused on the future and continually strive to get better – not only at production, but in dealing with all the political, regulatory and social issues that impact the freedom to operate.
JT: John C. Maxwell says, “If you’re proactive, you focus on preparing. If you’re reactive, you end up focusing on repairing.” Be proactive in response to FAD prevention. Specifically in Illinois, if you haven’t updated your premise ID with the Illinois Department of Agriculture, make sure you get that done now. Work with your herd veterinarian to develop your Secure Pork Supply plan and sign up for a DUNS and SAM.gov account now, in the event that indemnity is needed. The reality is that in the event of a FAD, we already know that animal movement will stop. We also know that the better you can be prepared now with updated premise identification and on-farm biosecurity plans, the faster a producer can get back to work.
We will be uniting together June 7-13 for PORK Week across all of our Farm Journal platforms to elevate the important role the pork industry plays in feeding the world. Share your stories and post photos on social media using #PORKWeek21 to help us honor the pork industry. From “AgDay TV” to “AgriTalk” to “U.S. Farm Report” to PorkBusiness.com and everything in between, tune in and join us as we acknowledge the most noble profession there is: feeding people.
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