Bierman says hog industry has survived tough blows
By By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 07/01/2010 9:12 AM
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DES MOINES — Things are going well for pork producers, said National Pork Board President Tim Bierman of Larabee.
"The weather has been beautiful, the crop is growing and pork is profitable," Bierman said at last week's World Pork Expo in Des Moines.
Bierman said that the industry recovered from the blows of H1N1 influenza and U.S. consumers ate almost 10 percent more pork.
"It's been very exciting watching the market finally come back and get producers back in the black," Bierman said. "It's great to see producers happy again and profitable."
Bierman said the mood at the Expo is better than last year. Producers are looking at new technology to improve their operations.
"They're not expanding, but they want to be more efficient," he said.
Bierman, who took the reins of the board last July, said the next few years will be exciting. He had the opportunity to travel to Japan and China as well as to many U.S. locations. He credited his wife, Mary, with keeping things running while he was away.
Bierman said that the National Pork Board is implementing it's new five-year strategic plan.
"Through the Pork Checkoff, we've set our sights on leading a world-class food industry, and I'm already beginning to see some evidence of making that happen," Bierman said. "If you look at the three areas of focus in the plan —helping farmers produce hogs in a socially responsible manner; refreshing the image of pork to increase consumer demand; and pursuing strategies to remain competitive globally — you can see some of the specific steps to implement the plan and its vision."
Bierman said the industry's We Care initiative is helping producers demonstrate their commitment to socially responsible production. One of the most visible ways pork producers do that is through the Pork Quality Assurance Plus certification program.
"PQA Plus helps assure the world we're producing a safe and wholesome product," Bierman said. "We introduced PQA Plus three years ago at World Pork Expo, and I am proud to announce that we are very close to having 50,000 producers certified by June 30. It demonstrates the commitment producers make each day to producing safe food in a responsible way."
Bierman said that there is still work to do to complete as many site assessments of farms as possible by the end of the year.
He completed a site assessment on his farm and challenged others to do the same.
"Its a great experience," he said. "You pick up a lot with a second pair of eyes, and it reaffirms that you're doing the right thing."
To celebrate PQA Plus progress, the Pork Checkoff hosted a celebration complete with the Earlham High School Marching Band and bacon ice cream. Bierman unfurled a banner showing that 46,861 individuals have been certified through PQA Plus and 10,286 sites have been assessed. That represents 60 percent of U.S. hogs. There have been 28,310 young people certified through Youth PQA Plus and 24,385 handlers certified through Transport Quality Assurance Plus.
Stacy Revels, manager of National Pork Board certification programs, said that many states are offering cost-share programs for producers to complete PQA Plus certification. She urged them to call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at 1-800-456-7675 for more information or to www.pork.org.