The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) will honor pork industry leader Dermot Hayes on Nov. 13 at the USMEF Strategic Planning Conference in Indianapolis.
Hayes, who recently retired as an Iowa State University professor and continues to serve as a consulting economist for both the National Pork Board (NPB) and National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), will be honored for his exceptional, individual dedication responsible for the federation’s success.
Hayes was raised on a beef, barley and wheat farm in Ireland, where he worked at a nearby hog farm. After attaining a bachelor’s degree in agriculture and a Ph.D. in economics, he served on the Iowa State University faculty for 39 years. He served the pork industry as NPPC’s consulting trade economist for 30 years and as NPB’s consulting international marketing economist since 2010.
“When I started, the U.S. was a net importer of pork,” Hayes told USMEF. “Now about 25% to 30% of all U.S. pork muscle meat is exported, and a big proportion of variety meat. That means the U.S. industry is that much bigger, because farmers got an opportunity to expand. Just in my home state of Iowa, the number of finishing hogs in the state has doubled over that period, and that brings an enormous economic opportunity to the state.”
Not only did he provide critical market research during negotiations of several U.S. free trade agreements, including those with South Korea, Colombia and Central American nations, but he also worked closely with USMEF to gain a better understanding of the growth opportunities for U.S. pork.
“Last year I went to Guatemala to look at the market and met with USMEF’s representative (Central America-Dominican Republic Regional Representative Lucia Ruano) there,” Hayes said. “We met her at a Walmart, and she informed me there are now more than 900 Walmarts in the region, and that just blew me away. And I believe 80% of the pork in Honduras is now sourced out of the United States. So as those Central American economies grow because of free trade, the U.S. pork industry will continue to have fantastic opportunities.”
The many years Hayes collaborated with USMEF makes his selection as the USMEF’s Distinguished Service Award recipient even more special, he told USMEF.
“It’s the biggest honor I’ve ever gotten,” Hayes said. “I’m absolutely astonished that somebody nominated me.”
Michael J. Mansfield Award
Ted McKinney, CEO of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), and who previously served as the first USDA under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, will receive the Michael J. Mansfield Award. USMEF established this award in recognition of the U.S. Senate majority leader and ambassador to Japan whose five decades of government service advanced U.S. trade relations throughout the world.
Before his service at USDA and NASDA, McKinney served as director of the Indiana Department of Agriculture. His career in the private sector included 19 years with Dow AgroSciences, focusing on government and public affairs, and 14 years as Elanco’s director of global corporate affairs. During his time with Elanco, McKinney served on the USMEF Executive Committee.
