The proof is always in the pudding, or at least that’s what Dave Reinecker has to say about the return on his investment in the Pork Checkoff. Simply put, producers want to see the return on their investment. And he recently had the opportunity to see the pudding.
When Reinecker, a pork producer from York Springs, Pa., was presented with the opportunity to do just that by representing the U.S. pork industry at the Latin American Product Showcase in July, he jumped at the opportunity.
A Significant Market Opportunity
The Latin American Product Showcase is held every other year. This year’s event took place in Cartagena, Colombia. The event, hosted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF), allows U.S. exporters to connect with importers from Central America and South America. This year marked their largest event yet with over 200 attendees.
Not only does this event allow producers like Reinecker to see Checkoff dollars at work, but it also allows importers to learn more about U.S. pork production from the experts who do the work, day-in and day-out.
“Having our pork producers there to not only see it and understand it, but also to speak and see where their product is at, is really exciting. It’s always a great opportunity to get in market to have that full-circle moment,” says Kelli Wicks, manager of international market development for the National Pork Board.
Colombia is a significant market and pork consumption is growing exponentially. Colombia has over 50 million people and is about 1/6 the population of the U.S. Reinecker says this was one of many things he learned on the trip that surprised him.
“What jumped out at me was the per capita increase in pork consumption in Colombia specifically,” Reinecker says. “I learned that in 2011, Colombians consumed about 7 lb. of pork on an annual basis. That has now jumped to 26 lb. annually.”
According to USDA Production, Supply and Distribution data, the annual domestic consumption in Colombia was 237,000 metric tons carcass-weight equivalent (CWE). Last year, that number jumped up to 682,000 metric tons CWE.
That’s a significant increase and shows the impact of the National Pork Board’s collaborations with USMEF, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), North American Meat Institute and USDA.
“When you can have that kind of impact, you’re making the whole pie bigger at the same time as you’re growing your share,” Reinecker says. “That is just so gratifying as a producer to see that in action. I would love to replicate that in many other countries.”
No Duplication of Jobs
The trip opened Reinecker’s eyes to the roles of the different entities that make this success happen.
“It all starts with USMEF and their relationships within these markets. The National Pork Board ensures a consistent supply of pork. Meanwhile, NPPC is instrumental in negotiating trade agreements. Then, USDA and their export program go to work matching dollar for dollar with pork producer dollars. Every dollar I contribute, USDA matches with another dollar to help my dollar go further. If there’s one thing that I’d like pig farmers to understand, this is not a duplication of jobs.”
Everybody has a distinct job that they’re good at and they work at, he explains.
“When one person would start a sentence, the next one would be able to finish that sentence because they’re in lockstep. They were all working for a common cause to keep these markets flowing and to keep our product going to these markets that we wouldn’t otherwise have. It was gratifying to me as a Checkoff-paying producer to see those dollars being used and being multiplied over and over again.”
Every Pig Matters
As of the first half of 2023, the U.S. is exporting between 28% and 29% of all pork produced in the country.
“Regardless of whether your particular packer is sending their pork to this market or to that market, a rising tide raises all ships,” Reinecker says. “If we did not have that export component to our production, we would be in a heap of trouble as an industry. That’s why we work so hard to keep the U.S. market clean and healthy, and producing high quality U.S. pork. All pigs contribute to that total production of pork.”
Although the three pork producers who were part of the U.S. group attending the Latin American Product Showcase do not export directly, they were still highly sought after by importers looking to gain insight.
“They wanted to know what we are doing through the We Care program about pig transport and movement. They wanted to know more about our animal husbandry and the feed that’s fed. They were very interested in how we have such a consistent product because they don’t get that from many of our competitors around the world,” Reinecker says.
For Wicks, that is what makes the producers such an invaluable part of what she does in international market development at the National Pork Board. She says producers are the best ones to showcase that quality, wholesome, consistent product the U.S. pork industry can offer.
“Importers love that and building these relationships only adds to that diversification that we’re able to offer that can differentiate U.S. pork from their domestic product,” Wicks says.
These insights and more have been confirmed through the completion of the Central American Country Diversification Studies with Gira, one of the National Pork Board’s partners. They’ve completed a series on many countries, including Panama, Colombia and Chile. You can request these studies at porkcheckoff.org.
More from Farm Journal’s PORK:
Poof! Why the Disappearing Act of Feed Wastage Needs Attention
