Tariffs, global demand and sustainability drew producers in for day two of the Ohio Pork Congress in Lima. More than 500 people gathered for this event on Feb. 4-5.
“It’s always great to come together as a community, to share and learn from joint experiences and reconnect with everyone,” says Jarred Black, president-elect of the Ohio Pork Council and director of transportation for Pork Partners. “We may represent different farms and companies, but we are all trying to achieve the same goals. I appreciate the educational component of the Ohio Pork Congress. The symposium was very well received and provided insights that will help us.”
Here are a few quotable moments from the day:
“We need a rally cry. We need something other than bad news. We need something that we can all rally around, that people get excited about the only thing we make. The entire pork industry revolves around one very simple concept: a consumer walks into a retail store and purchases pork, takes it home and cooks it, or they walk into a food service restaurant, buy pork and eat it. If they like it enough, they repeat the process. If that doesn’t happen, it doesn’t matter whether you sell breeding stock, feed, or grain bins, or whether you build buildings or are in the processing community, if we don’t have a consumer base who wants to eat the only thing we make, that creates a scenario for long-term decline. If we can’t rally around that, I don’t know what we can rally around. Consumers today have more choices than they ever have, so making sure that we position pork for long-term success is critical to the business.”– David Newman, senior vice president market growth at National Pork Board, in NPB Market Growth Update
“Ultimately, global population decline will require a permanent shift in the ‘feeding the world’ narrative. I think ‘feeding the world’ sends the wrong signal. We will see a change from feeding more to feeding fewer. That gives us an opportunity to feed them differently.” – Todd Thurman, founder of Swine Insights International in The Economics of Global Swine Production
“Sustainability…. It’s not just one thing. Ohio Pork Council’s farmer-led projects are a good example of being more sustainable at the farm level. If you can’t afford to make sustainable products, our customers won’t be able to buy them. We are seeing that younger customers are the most passionate. They go to our website and want to know how you treat your animals. We trust you all as pig farmers. We count on you to work with your veterinarians.” - Shelly Thobe, director of culinary innovation, Wendy’s in Baconator and Beyond
“Our No. 1 priority is caring for our team. If we care for the community and not the team, it becomes disingenuous. After we prioritize our team, we look at our community. We think business is an opportunity to do good. That’s what energizes us as a family.” – Pat Hord, CEO of Hord Family Farms in Sustainability – Why It Matters
“With a new Congress, it’s always like the first day of school in DC, especially this year. New members and new staff finding their way though, learning where the tunnels are. There are 63 new members of the House of Representatives and 9 new senators to get to know. The key to that is starting the conversation when candidates are running and in DC. That’s where the strength of the pork industry and the grassroots engagement is so important – it brings these candidates to us. They want to get in and have conversations with us early to hear the issues the industry is facing.” – Chase Adams, assistant vice president for domestic policy at the National Pork Producers Council in NPPC’s Political Strategy
“What percentage of residents in Ohio are favorable to the Ohio pork industry? 67% are favorable and 9% are anti-pork. The rest are the movable middle, the ‘persuadables.’ Telling your story helps move and shift those folks to the core. The more knowledge the public has about the industry, the more favorable they are toward the industry. And that impacts their choice.” – Carol Gstalder of Heart+Mind Strategies in Sustainability – Why It Matters
“We need to focus on consumers. Instead of ‘How can we sell what we produce?’ – we need to ask ‘How can we produce the stuff people want to buy?’” – Todd Thurman, founder of Swine Insights International in The Economics of Global Swine Production
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