Pork Industry Inducts Everett Forkner into NPPC Hall of Fame
The National Pork Producers Council inducted Everett Forkner, a longtime Missouri pork producer, into the NPPC Hall of Fame on Thursday at the National Pork Industry Forum. A respected leader, agent of change and role model for many, Forkner helped establish the Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) certification program in 1989 representing the U.S. pork industry’s production standards.
“None of us is as good as all of us and everyone is important,” Forkner said before his colleagues and friends.
Forkner is well known for the leadership he has provided over the years to so many in the pork industry. Not only did he sit on several breed association boards, but he also served with the Missouri Pork Association and participated on national pork industry committees. In 2012, he was named president of the National Pork Board, continuing his willingness to share his experience and commitment to the industry.
Growing up on a farm in southwestern Missouri, he developed a strong work ethic and learned to show cattle. He graduated second in his class in the College of Agriculture at the University of Missouri in 1961, before launching his own pork production enterprise, Forkner Farms, with 10 Duroc gilts and a Duroc boar. His passion for evaluating livestock and participating on the university’s livestock judging team introduced him to purebred pig production.
He was a leader in utilizing cutting-edge ultrasound technology for measuring performance traits. In addition to Durocs, he raised Yorkshire females, Hampshire boars and Duroc terminal sires. His commitment to performance testing and meat quality positioned Forkner Farms as a premier pork supplier. This shift resulted in the launch of Truline Genetics, a NPPC release said. His wean-to-finish barns, built in the late 1990s, were some of the first of its kind in Missouri.
"With more than 50 years of service to producers in Missouri and around the country, Everett Forkner's career is the very definition of a lifetime commitment," said NPPC President David Herring, a hog farmer from Lillington, N.C., in a NPPC release. "His leadership, passionate advocacy on animal health and sustainability, and innovative production practices are widely recognized by pork producers. For his ongoing success and leadership in our industry, we are pleased to induct Everett into the NPPC Hall of Fame."
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