National Pork Producers Council - NPPC

A $10.4 Trillion Engine: Agriculture Drives One-Fifth of the U.S. Economy

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:46:57 GMT

Did you know that close to one in every three jobs nationwide is tied to food and agriculture? The latest Feeding the Economy Report says food and agriculture support about 49 million jobs, which is about 30% of total U.S. employment. Although less than 2% are on the farm, when you add food manufacturing, wholesale and retail, that adds another 24 million jobs, or about 15% of the workforce.

Each year, the Feeding the Economy Report measures the downstream, off-the-farm economic impact of U.S. agriculture. Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the report tracks three layers of impact.

“When you combine those layers, ag supports about $10.4 trillion in economic output, or about one-fifth of the entire U.S. economy,” Munch said on the Newsline podcast .

2025: $900-Billion Growth in U.S. Agricultural Industry

The U.S. agricultural industry grew by nearly $900 billion over the past year, according to this study led each year by the Corn Refiners Association and sponsored by three dozen agriculture and food organizations, including the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).

The first layer is direct activity, which includes the base level of food and ag production that is traditionally measured. It also measures supply industries like transportation, finance, equipment manufacturing and inputs in the second layer. The third includes the ripple effects of those two stages on how wages are earned and spent throughout the rest of the system.

“So, all the benefits we were talking about – jobs, wages, tax revenue – they’re tied to where that production happens,” Munch says. “If production shifts overseas due to cost pressures, regulatory burdens or competitive challenges, that economic activity moves with it. So, it’s not just about the food supply, it’s about all these other jobs, tax revenue and economic commerce that supports industries across every corner of every state.”

The report includes a state-by-state breakdown of agriculture’s economic impact, showing total jobs, wages, output, taxes and exports. Key findings include:

Food and agriculture generated more than $3 trillion in wages for U.S. workers, with wages rising 4% year-over-year and 13% over the past decade.
Food manufacturing remains the largest manufacturing sector in the U.S., employing almost 2.3 million workers.
U.S. food and agriculture exports were more than $177 billion, though exports declined by $5.4 billion year-over-year, underscoring the need for maintaining strong trade agreements and expanding market access for American products.
The food and agriculture sector produced $1.35 trillion in tax revenue for federal, state and local governments, a 7% increase year-over-year.

“The report confirms the incredible, positive impacts of agriculture on our country,” says NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys. “America’s 60,000-plus pork producers are proud to help drive this force that provides our food and other agriculture products—and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than themselves by carrying on a tradition of taking care of their families, neighbors, animals and land, and at heart, a way of living that often has been passed down for generations.”

U.S. pork producers annually generate more than $37 billion in personal income, contribute more than $62 billion in GDP, and support more than 573,000 jobs in the U.S. economy, NPPC adds.

Breaking News: EPA Backs Existing Wastewater Regulations, Prevents Catastrophe for Processors and Producers

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 20:41:21 GMT

The longstanding Meat and Poultry (MPP) Effluent Guidelines and Standards will stand, announced Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on Aug. 30. He says the proposed changes to the regulation are unnecessary.

EPA determined existing federal wastewater regulations under the Clean Water Act are effective and the burdens proposed changes would inflict on meat and poultry processors are unwarranted.

“The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauds the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Zeldin for taking a common sense approach on the Meat & Poultry Processing Rule,” says Duane Stateler, NPPC president and pork producer from McComb, Ohio. “As proposed by the previous administration, this rule—which provides no environmental benefits—would have been devastating to small- and medium-sized meat processors across the country and the livestock farmers who rely on them as markets for their animals.”

EPA’s action will save not only the nearly 100 local meat processors that EPA itself identified would have to close down but also the thousands of family farmers who rely on them to stay in livestock production, Stateler points out.

“It will help ensure affordable, nutritious American-grown pork can continue to be served on dinner tables across the country,” Stateler says.

Moving Forward
The decision closes the book on a nearly two-year comment and consideration process in which NPPC and other stakeholders have worked with EPA to better inform the agency’s decision and preempt unnecessary harm.

“Under the prior proposal, if it were finalized, major pork processors would have faced significant costs to install new waste water management systems,” explains Michael Formica, NPPC chief legal strategist. “During that period of construction, some plants would likely have needed to temporarily shut down. Others might have had to cut back on how many shifts they run.”

EPA’s internal analysis showed that dozens of facilities, likely small and medium-sized, would be forced to shut down because they would be unable to afford the cost of the technology required to comply, Formica says. Overall, the industry would have realized additional costs estimated at greater than $1 billion a year.

“Producers who rely on those processors would have then been without a market for their livestock,” Formica adds.

Unnecessary Expansions
The Meat and Poultry Products Effluent Guidelines and Standards was enacted in 1974 by the EPA and amended in 2004 to cover wastewater directly discharged by processing facilities. NPPC says the proposed amendment would have established more stringent technological requirements for controlling discharges from processors and significantly increased the scope of plants that were covered by the rules.

While the agricultural industry and the meat and poultry processing sectors support clean water efforts, EPA found these expansions were unnecessary.

NPPC says it appreciates EPA taking no action on the proposal, which would have disrupted packing capacity and livestock markets, in turn inflicting additional financial harm on producers and leading to further industry concentration and the loss of independent farmers.

The Meat Institute says the proposed rule would have also harmed the relationship between meat and poultry processing (MPP) facilities and publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs).

“Indirect discharging MPP facilities often make significant financial investments in maintaining and upgrading the POTW or shouldering major surcharges for the POTW’s continued operation and maintenance, which reduce public treatment costs for residential ratepayers and improve the quality of local and downstream waters,” the Meat Institute wrote in a statement.

Advice From The Unexpected Spy: Stop Overthinking and Do It

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 13:15:07 GMT

If she’s being honest, Tracy Walder never imagined a life for herself as a CIA counterterrorism staff operations officer or as a special agent at the FBI. In fact, if she had thought too long about saying yes to those opportunities, her life would have looked much different.

But she did say yes.

The shy, thoughtful girl who was once bullied by her peers stepped into the unknown on a path she never imagined.

“I think a lot of times, if we veer from whatever path we thought we wanted, people get a little jarred by that,” Walder shared in an exclusive interview with Farm Journal’s PORK ahead of her leadership keynote at National Pork Industry Forum.

Former CIA and FBI agent Tracy Walder shares her story at the National Pork Industry Forum.

(Jennifer Shike)

It was the 1990s and terrorism looked a lot different than it does today, she says. College graduates were not actively pursuing careers in counterterrorism because it wasn’t in front of their face like it is now with popular TV shows such as Quantico, Covert Affairs, FBI and Homeland. People around her struggled to understand how she could join the CIA when she had always wanted to be a history teacher.

“Instead of people asking me ‘How?’ (which is a more important question), a lot of people were asking me ‘Why?’” Walder says. “I think we almost get stigmatized by that question of why. It causes us to not go down that path we were thinking about and just continue on the one we were on. I believe we must actively fight against that mindset every day.”

That’s one of the most important lessons she took away from her time at the CIA – that it is possible to overthink things and get too deep into planning and asking questions.

“Sometimes you just need to do it because asking questions becomes this crutch for us to not do the thing,” Walder explains. “I’m not saying we should be careless or reckless. I’m not saying we should not research things before we do them. But I think you can only plan for so much. You can only ask questions for so long before you we just need to get into it and do it.”

Much of her work in the CIA was like that. It was reactionary based on the situation that had arisen at that moment in time. She wasn’t always able to ask questions, she had to make decisions and move forward.

Meeting a Terrorist
Walder grew up in Southern California where her dad was a college professor. Although she says they weren’t ‘millionaires by any stretch,’ she had no idea what the world in dire straits looked like.

“I remember serving a tour in Afghanistan. When I came face to face with a terrorist for the first time, my first question was ‘Why did you become a terrorist?’” she says. “I knew that he was a radical, but his answer really changed my perspective.”

What he said didn’t absolve him of his behavior, Walder clarifies. He was a terrorist who killed people. However, his response opened her eyes.

(Photo provided by Tracy Walder)

“Talking to him about why he became a terrorist was a very pivotal moment for me,” she says. “He grew up in a country that we would label as a fragile or a failed state, meaning they’re not meeting the needs of their people. He was orphaned at age 7, had completely unchecked hepatitis and was living in a storm drain. A member of al Qaeda found him on the streets and offered him food, clothing, shelter, medicine, and as a result, this individual felt very beholden to them, and that’s why he became a member of al Qaeda.”

This life-changing conversation helped her identify for President George Bush at the time how to stop this threat from the ground up, rather than from the top down, Walder says.

Although she doesn’t remember feeling scared in her roles at the CIA and FBI, she admits there was one time when she did wonder how the situation would pan out for her in the end.

“In your 20s, you feel invincible,” Walder says. “I understood the job was risky – I’m not stupid. At 47 now, I don’t feel so invincible. I see the risks involved in what I was doing, but at the time, I don’t remember ever feeling scared.”

What She Almost Didn’t Put in Her Book
Moving on from the CIA to the FBI was a hard decision for Walder.

“I wish I had a sexier answer, but I was sick of being overseas,” she says. “I loved the CIA. There wasn’t any ill will or reason that I left. I was obviously and still am very passionate about the counterterrorism mission. I felt that the best way to do that work in the U.S. was to become an FBI agent.”

After 17 weeks of training at Quantico, she moved to the Los Angeles field office in the Santa Ana resident agency. She worked the very first Chinese economic espionage case in the U.S., white-collar crime cases like health care fraud and big arrests.

She was used to being the only female when she was at the CIA and had zero issues working in a male-dominated field.

“The FBI was a very different story,” Walder says. “I think we look at the gathering of intelligence as a bit more female. I think we associate law enforcement, like breaking down doors and arresting people, as a very male-dominated career. The number of struggles I had being the only female was not pleasant, and unfortunately, at the time, the FBI had no way to report or communicate any of that.”

It was a difficult time in her life. But it’s also when she realized she could help change the dynamic by going into education. She left the FBI, got her master’s degree in education and became a high school history teacher. She created a class on national security, foreign policy and law enforcement for girls to try to get them into those careers.

While writing her book, The Unexpected Spy, someone sent her an email about a 19-woman gender discrimination lawsuit at the FBI from Quantico.

“The head of Quantico at the time was an individual who made my life miserable when I was at Quantico. I did not join their lawsuit,” she says. “I found it interesting, though. To date, it’s the largest gender discrimination lawsuit ever against a federal agency. I almost didn’t put that I was an FBI agent in my book, so I guess it’s a fun fact I’m giving you because it’s really painful to talk about what happened.”

She’s since moved on from teaching high school and now teaches criminal justice at Texas Christian University. In addition to teaching, she serves as the National Security Contributor for News Nation – the only former CIA officer who’s doing that.

One of the greatest moments of Walder’s life was the night she launched her book, “The Unexpected Spy,” at the Spy Museum and 60 of her former female students who have jobs in national security showed up to support her.

(Jennifer Shike)

“It may sound silly, but representation does matter,” Walder says. “When people see a female who’s had the experience I have talking on these issues, we start to normalize it a little more.”

She says the most important lesson she wants to convey to her students is simple.

“You are your biggest obstacle, so don’t be the one to tell yourself ‘no,’” Walder says. “You’re never going to get the yes if you don’t even try.”

Want to learn more about Tracy Walder’s experiences as an ‘unexpected spy’ in the CIA and FBI? Watch the entire conversation with Walder on The PORK Podcast here or anywhere podcasts are found.

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What The Trump Administration's Mass Deportation Plans Could Mean for Agriculture

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 16:21:33 GMT

Farmers and food industry leaders are warning that President-elect Donad Trump’s plans to deport millions of immigrants could devastate agriculture — an industry in which immigrants make up a good chunk of the workforce.

Nearly half of all farmworkers are undocumented, and industries such as dairy and meatpacking plants are especially vulnerable to labor shortages.

“Admittedly, there are some people who slip through,” says Scott VanderWal, vice president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. “Perspective employers are required to take documentation that appears to be legal and valid. There are times when that’s not the case and then ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] comes in and cleans house, the workers disappear and go wherever they take them and the employers are left without help.”

While the H-2A visa program has grown, it only covers seasonal work and cannot replace year-round jobs at meat processing plants and on dairy and pork farms.

“Our packing plants need labor. Many of our farms use temporary visa labor — educated, skilled individuals work on our sow farms,” says Lori Stevemer, president of the National Pork Producers Council. “We have been experiencing an increased number of denials over the past year, which really makes it a challenge to find workers. The H-2A visa doesn’t work well when we have animals that need care 24/7, year-round.”

Experts say mass deportations would disrupt food production, raise prices and jeopardize the stability of U.S. agriculture.

Deportation falls under the Department of Homeland Security. President-elect Trump has selected South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to lead that agency.

“With Governor Noem at the helm, she’s going to bring common sense to that discussion and make sure we don’t close businesses, make sure we get everyone in line, get the workforce in line and then make sure we’re following our country’s rules,” says Hunter Roberts, secretary of South Dakota’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, farm groups continue to urge for reforms to immigration policies or a guest worker program to secure a stable workforce.

“At the same time as controlling the border, we need to overhaul our labor system,” VanderWal says. “We need to make H-2A apply to your own workers or come up with a decent program that will help.”

We need some type of H-2A visa reform to allow those workers to stay year-round, Stevemer adds.

Even then immigration is likely to continue to be a political hot potato in 2025, and labor shortages will continue to top the list of challenges for agriculture.

Porkstars USA Brings Vietnamese Cuisine and U.S. Farmers Together

Fri, 04 Oct 2024 20:32:59 GMT

It’s one thing to read about it, but it’s another thing to travel across the ocean and experience it for yourself. That’s why Jackie Ponder, an Indiana farmer who raises pigs, corn and soybeans, decided to join the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council’s trade mission to Vietnam in September which focused on the benefits of U.S. pork and high oleic soybean cooking oil.

“I think it’s important for producers to be involved in these trade missions,” Ponder says. “There’s no doubt we hear a lot of great presentations from the National Pork Producers Council and National Pork Board about international markets. But it’s another thing to go over and see what the competition is like. How is our pork being presented? How important is pork to this country?”

Understanding how important pork is to Vietnam and to their diets opened her eyes to the value her investments have on export opportunities. Ponder, a member of the NPPC Strategic Investment Program (SIP) and Long-Range Strategic Planning Committee, is interested in helping legislators and producers understand key pork issues.

“We all know the dollars and cents benefit of exports – it’s a big chunk of the money we get per pig,” Ponder says. “I know the National Pork Board has been doing a really good job and working very hard on increasing domestic consumer demand. But there’s only so many people in the U.S. and even if we increase consumption, we’re not going to match what we could get with increased exports. I see investment not just in the National Pork Board, but also in the National Pork Producers Council critically important for me as a producer because it matters how much I can sell my pigs for.”

Al Wulfekuhle shows U.S. products on display in Vietnam’s Porkstars showcase.

(National Pork Board)

While in Vietnam on a USDA trade mission, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) brought together representatives from the National Pork Board as well as the Indiana Soybean Alliance and Corn Marketing Council delegation to continue building relationships in the Vietnamese market.

Over the past several years, Vietnam’s domestic pork industry has been hampered by outbreaks of African swine fever, which have created new opportunities for imported pork demand.

“This is a great case where it’s important to be present, to be brand ambassadors for U.S. pork and our other commodities,” says Courtney Knupp, National Pork Board vice president of international market development. “It was one of the largest trade missions for the USDA. We’re talking all commodities, which shows a full court press of U.S. agriculture, the interest in the region and in Vietnam, especially a country where we have such historical ties, which has led to relationship building for decades.”

Why Vietnam?
Vietnam is a growing country with a growing middle class, explains Al Wulfekuhle, an Iowa pig farmer and president of the National Pork Board. Both the change in culture and modernization of the country are important factors to consider now, he adds.

“We’re in this for the long game, but there are some major hurdles to increasing short-term demand because of the culture shift,” he says.

They met with Vietnam’s chief veterinarian officer who shared that in the peak of African swine fever, they lost 6 million pigs in 2019 and the number to date in 2024 is 64,000 pigs.

“Between biosecurity and the vaccine working very well, their production is coming roaring back,” Wulfekuhle says. “Their reliability in exports isn’t as much as it was even a year or two ago. But I believe the U.S. needs to be in Vietnam, building trust and developing long-term relationships. I think there’s a huge opportunity for long-term demand.”

Knupp says there are many opportunities for value-added and premium product placement in Vietnam. For example, the U.S. is successfully exporting pork spareribs. They are also seeing some really unique partnerships in food service with Korean barbecue using U.S. pork hearts.

“It’s a great way to continue to maximize our carcass. We want to make sure we’re selling every part of the pig at the highest value every day,” Knupp says.

As an Indiana soybean grower, Chris Eck says Vietnam is an important country to be in now. He says most of the soybeans produced in Indiana are run through livestock so when exports increase, the demand for Indiana soybeans and corn increases. That’s why their state has stepped up to the plate to help promote pork in Vietnam through their Porkstars USA showcase, now in its third year.

Porkstars USA brings together three well-known chefs in Vietnam with three young social media influencers who each have close to a million or more followers.

(Amie Simpson)

Porkstars USA brought together three well-known chefs in Vietnam with three young social media influencers who each have close to a million or more followers. The teams included the Northern Team with influencer Vu Gia Bao and chef Le Xuan Tam . The Central Team included influencer Phan Ngan Ha and chef Dinh Son Truc . The Southern Team was made up of influencer Ong Chu Nguoi Bong and chef Cam Thien Lon .

“The younger generation in Vietnam is very focused on healthy eating and these influencers represented that segment,” Ponder says. “The cooking pairs were given U.S. pork spareribs and asked to come up with an appetizer and a main dish in a live cooking competition.”

Ponder, Eck, Knupp and Wulfekuhle served as four of the judges in the showcase.

“They just outdid themselves, showing how versatile pork is,” Ponder adds. “They did things I had not seen done before in the U.S. It was delicious, but the presentation was just over the top. Plus, they talked to the camera the whole time. And, of course, we can’t forget the dancing pig mascot. It was a ton of fun.”

The influencers will then take the video shot during the showcase and use it on a regular basis in the future to promote cooking with U.S. pork and high oleic soybean oil.

Chris Eck farms near Boggstown, Ind.

(Amie Simpson)

Eck, an Indiana Soybean Alliance board member, grows high oleic soybeans on his operation in Boggstown, Ind.

“In Indiana, we produce a significant amount of the high oleic soybean oil,” Eck says. “Everything in Porkstars is cooked in that and people can see the value of not only U.S. pork, but also the cooking oils that we provide.”

Indiana farmers are the leaders in growing high oleic soybeans, planting nearly 850,000 acres in 2023. Farmers receive a premium for growing high oleic soybeans. Increased demand for high oleic soybean oil benefits those growers and consumers.

Why the U.S.?
USMEF is doing great work to promote U.S. red meat in key export countries. But the reality is they can’t do their job as well without farmer input and support. The farmer’s voice matters most and this younger generation in Vietnam sees U.S. pork as the “end-all, be-all,” Ponder adds.

“They know U.S. pork is nutritious, it’s reliable, and they are cooking with it. Each one of those social media influencers share and make recipes online, and they teach others about the importance of being healthy and cooking with reliable meat,” she says.

What is reliable meat? Ponder says it’s when you can rely on taste and quality.

One of the items prepared in Porkstars USA.

(National Pork Board)

“That’s not always something you can rely on from our partners in other countries. We have a reputation for being high quality good protein, whole nutrition that you don’t get on a consistent basis from our competition,” she says.

The biggest hurdle for U.S. pork in Vietnam remains tariffs. Not having a free trade agreement with Vietnam poses severe challenges.

“I know NPPC does a great job getting into the markets and talking with in-country representatives, but we really need the support of the government behind us,” Ponder says. “While we can work to bring down non-trade barriers, it’s hard without the support of our representatives to bring down the tariffs. We’re always going to have to be better, and we are. And while I know U.S. pork is better than the competition, sometimes money matters.”

That’s why the investments into building these export markets helps, Wulfekuhle says.

At Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council, market development is a big part of their strategic plan, Eck says. They work with partners to accelerate demand for Indiana soybeans and corn in all forms through those exports.

“Our yields have gotten high enough that exports are vital. When you have competition like Brazil, who has seemingly unlimited acreage, making these relationships overseas is absolutely crucial,” Eck says. “The senior director of market development for ISA and ICMC says, ‘It’s that face-to-face meeting that makes the difference. You may lose on price here, you may win on price there, but it’s building relationships face-to-face that enables you to win the ties when the price is the same between the U.S. and another competitor.’ That face-to-face means we win the ties; we sell the beans.”

Why You?
And at the end of the day, farmers want to know where their investment dollars go. That’s why Eck makes it a point to help bridge the gap between U.S. farmers and international market opportunities.

“It’s exactly like any other job you hire for or invest in. If you hire the co-op or another company to spray your crop, you don’t just assume that it was done right, walk away and never go look at it,” Eck says. “You go look at the product. You see what kind of job they did, and make sure that, yes, this is what we’ve invested in, and we are getting our money’s worth.”

Showing up matters, Eck says. When you don’t show up live, you can’t really understand how it’s going.

“You can get feedback from collaborators and consultants, but you don’t see exactly what is happening,” Eck says. “When you show up, or send board members or employees to look, you can find out exactly what’s happening and be part of figuring out what improvements need made.”

For Wulfekuhle, it’s about shaking hands, smiling and truly connecting with other people who want some of the same things you do – to be able to safely and affordably feed their families.

By the end of the mission, he hopes people realize that U.S. farmers are good people and good business partners.

Ponder says there’s nothing like producers coming back and telling other producers face to face about their experiences.

“People want to see people – boots on the ground – and know their money is being well spent. Farmers are well known for being very conservative when it comes to fiscal decisions. They don’t want to spend money on things that are frivolous,” Ponder says. “I can attest to the fact that our money, given all that I’ve seen, is well spent.”

Watch the Porkstars livestream here.

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Prop 12: A Different Kind of California Wildfire

Fri, 12 May 2023 15:42:08 GMT

Proposition 12 legislation took effect in California on Jan. 1, 2022. National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) assistant vice president and general counsel Michael Formica predicts Proposition 12 repercussions will be seen in California as early as this morning.

The law requires egg-laying hens, calves raised for veal and breeding pigs (sows) to be able to lie down, stand up, and turn around in the spaces in which they are housed, without touching the sides of the stall, or another animal.

Most sows are housed in individual pens. Proposition 12 prescribes sows must have at least 24 square feet of floor space to move around, which would effectively require large group pens.

California’s Position

California raises about 8,000 sows—only 1,500 in commercial production—while maintaining a market demand of roughly 700,000 sows. California’s pork needs are generally met through states like Iowa, Minnesota and others in the Midwest.

Formica says only 4% or 5% of U.S. pork production is currently compliant with Proposition 12 legislation.

Various retailers have pleaded with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to rewrite the timeframe for enforcing Proposition 12. CDFA says they lack authority to delay the compliance deadline.

Formica explains that 28 months of unsuccessful compliance delays with the CDFA and the Animal Care Program has put retailers in an “impossible” position that could lead to criminal charges for the sale of uncertified meat.

Lessons Learned

Californians didn’t clearly understand what was being voted on, Formica adds.

“They didn’t know the impact this was going to have,” says Formica. “They were presented the question, ‘Do you think farm animals should be protected from cruel treatment?’ I would have voted the same way.”

Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim Wiesemeyer says before this legislation made its way to the proposal stage, “it should have been battled with questions,” to better educate voters.

NPPC and the American Farm Bureau have filed a joint petition on Proposition 12, scheduled to be addressed by the Supreme Court on Jan. 7, 2022.

Related Articles:

> California’s Prop 12 Took Effect Jan. 1

> Prop 12 Countdown: California Food Industry Leaders Fight Back

Slower Line Speeds in Effect at Six Pork Processing Plants

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 20:36:14 GMT

Slower line speeds are now the rule at six pork processing plants under the new Swine Inspection System after a federal court ruling earlier this year ordered packing plants to operate at slower line speeds.

The Biden administration has until the end of August to file an appeal, which is being requested by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). The NPPC argues the ruling will quickly lead to increased pork industry concentration and packer market power.

Iowa State University research shows the ruling eliminates 2.5% of pork packing plant capacity nationwide and could result in $80 million in lost income for small U.S. hog farmers this year alone.

World Pork Expo Returns in Person: Here’s Why Attendance Will Be Strong

Thu, 24 Jun 2021 19:02:23 GMT

World Pork Expo (WPX) is making its grand return to Des Moines, Iowa, this week. After a double dose of headwinds forcing show cancellations, this year marks the first time since 2018 the event is being held.

The event was canceled in 2019 due to African swine fever (ASF) concerns, while 2020 was shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Pork Producers Council says this will mark the 33rd annual WPX event.

“Excited is an understatement,” says Neil Dierks, CEO of National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) who just last week announced his retirement after three decades of working for NPPC. “We’ve not had Expo for the last two years because of various things. Of course, we all know a year ago this time, things were shut down. But we’re very excited to have Expo this year. And it appears from early indications from interest by exhibiting companies and others that people are very excited about getting back to having an Expo.”

In a recent Farm Journal’s PORK poll, 55% of respondents said this will be the first in-person pork event they’ve attended since the start of the pandemic. Nearly 30% said they are most looking forward to networking with companies and 25% said they couldn’t wait to get to the show to catch up with friends.

Source: Farm Journal’s PORK

“It seems like people are a little bit of starved from being able to talk face to face with people,” Dierks says. “I’ve heard the comments saying they miss having the meetings because they was learned much even in the hallway from other attendees. So, we’re really excited about it, and from an NPPC perspective, Expo allows people to come together to share stories, look at new technology, attend seminars, attend the barbecue and more. We are very, very excited for this year.”

In addition to catching up with friends, brainstorming and sharing ideas were the biggest things attendees have missed about the WPX not taking place the past two years, the survey noted.

NPPC is expecting thousands of producers and industry professionals to attend, including a trade show with more than 700 vendors. Survey respondents said the first thing they plan to accomplish when they get to the event is to walk the trade show. More than 22% of those surveyed said the trade show was their favorite part of WPX.

World Pork Expo kicks off Wednesday, June 9 and runs through Friday, June 11. Follow along as Farm Journal’s PORK provides complete “PORK Week coverage ” from the event this week.

Pork Producers Protect the Environment—Campaign Shows Public How

Fri, 15 Jan 2021 18:47:27 GMT

U.S. hog farmers are committed to protecting the country’s air, land and water for generations to come. A new campaign from the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), “Farming Today for Tomorrow,” launched on Wednesday showcasing U.S. pork producers’ long-standing commitment to environmental stewardship and further reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“For more than five decades, U.S. pork producers have embraced advancements that have allowed them to do more with less,” NPPC president Howard “AV” Roth, a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wis., said in a release. “Hog farmers have an excellent story to tell and want to be part of ongoing discussions and solutions to address climate change.”

The “Farming Today for Tomorrow” campaign includes interviews with pork producers discussing their efforts to reduce their environmental footprint by using renewable natural gas to power facilities, hog manure to fertilize the land and precise nutrient farming to ensure fertilizer is only used where it’s needed among others.

“Conservation is important to the future of our family operation because we rely on the ground. They’re not making any new ground,” Duane Stateler, a hog farmer from McComb, Ohio, said in the release, featured in the campaign. “It’s invaluable to us that we protect and preserve what we already have.”

U.S. pork producers have reduced their emissions to 0.4% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to 2019 Environmental Protection Agency data.

“As a third-generation farmer, we’ve learned from our parents and grandparents that taking care of the land is important and that we have a responsibility to do so,” said Lori Stevermer, a hog farmer from Easton, Minn., also featured in the campaign. “I want clean air and clean water because I live on the farm and next to our pigs….I want my children to have the opportunity to farm just like I have.”

NPPC said hog farmers are committed to further reducing their environmental footprint, including support for voluntary, incentive-based tools to maximize the sequestration of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Learn more at www.nppc.org/farmingtodayfortomorrow.

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