Pork demand and swine health dominated the conversations, but the topics were wide-ranging, thoughtful and passion-filled as producers and stakeholders gathered for the Ohio Pork Congress on Feb. 3-4 in Lima, Ohio.
With one of the biggest crowds yet, Cheryl Day, Ohio Pork Council executive director, rallied the crowd to join her in continuing to protect producers’ freedom to operate; build trust, demand and public confidence; safeguard animal health and emergency preparedness; and invest in people and the future.
From beginning to end, the speakers challenged and inspired attendees. Here are some quotable moments from this year’s event.
“Taste is all about what we are trying to do – inspire the craveability of pork. We need to improve education around what pork can do, and what it can taste like. It’s not the other white meat anymore. It’s something people can put on their dinner table and really enjoy. That’s where the growth is – educating all these people and understanding what pork can do for them.” – David Rigo, owner at Saddleberk
“If we have to give pork away to move it, it’s not worth it. In 2024, the percent of pork sold ‘on deal’ in the U.S. was 60%. I don’t like the word ‘cheap’, but I love the word ‘affordable’. Pork is an affordable, nutrient dense protein, but cheap doesn’t work for our farmers.” – David Newman, National Pork Board CEO
“From my experience working with our teams, both recruitment and retention have such a high amount of importance in in our companies. But if we don’t start with the end in mind, we’re always going to be facing this churn-and-burn environment. If we don’t focus on retention from the start, we’re going to see higher amounts of turnover because we’re not focusing on retaining that talent that we have.” – Ashley Hengen, PIC North America human resources manager
“Think about all the schools, that for years when meat was demonized, talked about meatless Mondays. There are schools here in Ohio that still don’t serve meat on Mondays. Well now they’re going to be in violation of dietary guidelines. Think about the opportunity this creates. It’s not every day in the pork industry we can take a moment and go, ‘Yeah, let’s do something here.’ We’re talking about an entire generation of young eaters who are going to have the opportunity for good, wholesome, nutrient-dense protein on their plate. This is a tremendous opportunity. I think we should celebrate it but take full advantage of it, and make sure pork is on the menu.” – Bryan Humphreys, National Pork Producers Council CEO
“Many of you may have laid awake at night worrying about a health test coming back. Swine health is a significant issue we deal with, and these viruses continue to get more aggressive. It is encouraging to me that we are talking about it, especially PRRS and how we will manage it as an industry moving forward. We are becoming less competitive in world marketplace because of our health. That doesn’t feel very good to me.” – Pat Hord, Ohio pig farmer
“Part of the challenge we have today is that we look at the consumer like ourselves. [As pork producers and industry stakeholders] we are not the common consumer. We are different than that individual. We have to put ourselves in a position to recognize what that consumer looks like.” – David Murray, Indiana Packers Corporation vice president of livestock procurement
“Sow farm health is a big driver of wean pig health. If we put a challenged pig in the barn, it will be challenging. What can we use – vitamins, antioxidants – to mitigate stress to help throughput and quality? If health is good, weaning age and weaning weight become important factors. As you get an older, heavier pig, it will eat more in the nursery period and improve throughput.” – Mark Knauer, swine Extension specialist at North Carolina State University
“Momentum isn’t given. It’s built. It’s built by people willing to show up. The long-term sustainability of this industry is in the hands of the next generation – and the people already working on our farms. If we don’t develop people and future leaders, momentum stalls – no matter how strong the future looks.” – Cheryl Day, Ohio Pork Council executive director
