2018
Year In Review
Kansas Pork Associa on
Making connec ons Building rela onships Engaging in conversa on
Making a difference. That is what
we strive for. In 2018, your associa on con nued to work for you, to make a difference. From taking ac on and being a part of the decisions that affect your industry, to promo ng the pork that you raise with hard work and care, we strive to work with your best interest in mind. And we’re making connec ons — building rela onships and engaging in conversa on with people who are interested in knowing more about pork and the farmers who raised it. This review provides a summary of what your associa on has done for you in 2018. Thank you to our many volunteers, Na onal Pork Board, Na onal Pork Producers Council, and of course, our farmers for con nuing to be behind our success.
We’ll keep working hard for you.
KPA Staff
President-CEO Tim Stroda
Director of Communications Kim Hanke
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2018 Board of Directors Chairman: Scott Pfortmiller- St. John Doug Claassen, Whitewater Jason Hall, Elkhart David Hartter, Sabetha Kenton McKee, Goff Megan Potter, Abilene Emily Roush, Lebanon Art Sauder, Great Bend Chuch Springer, Independence Jim Nelssen, Kansas State University
2018: Year in Review CONNECTING WITH LEADERS. KPA represents farmers on many important issues. • Irrigation End Guns – KPA testified against a proposal which would have forced the removal of end guns from irrigation systems. While this was proposed as a water-saving measure, KPA pointed out the unintended consequences to swine farms utilizing center pivots for nutrient application. • Kansas Agricultural Alliance – KPA is a member of the Kansas Agricultural Alliance, a 14-member association with the purpose of promoting the general welfare of agriculture and rural communities within Kansas and the United States of America, with special emphasis on legislative activities affecting agriculture, rural areas and cooperative services. During the year, KAA provided testimony on taxes, an update to the state’s oversight on modern poultry farms, and increased charges on water usage. • Legislator E-news Video Series – KPA developed an e-newsletter series, Real Pig Farming 101: Opening the Barn Doors, targeted at Kansas legislators, county commissioners and federal legislative staff. The goal is to give an introduction to pork production in the state. The e-newsletter features a short video about a Kansas farmer, a short cooking video and quick facts. • KPA is a part of a KDHE stakeholder group which has been exploring ideas to streamline the KDHE regulatory process. • KPA held the annual Legislative Reception to visit with members of the legislature to discuss successes and challenges within the pork industry. The KPA works with the National Pork Producers Council in many ways. This work can include letters to Congress, meetings with members of Congress and their staff, and dialogue with the federal agencies that regulate the swine industry. • Trade has been hottest topic of the year. This work includes lobbying for the end of tariffs as well as the signing of new trade deals. • The new Farm Bill includes important mandatory funding for animal disease prevention and preparedness efforts supported by NPPC and KPA. • NPPC and KPA have been working to find ways to increase the industry’s protection against African Swine Fever as well as bolster preparation for responding to an outbreak and business continuation. • KPA staff was on-hand for the signing of a proposed rule to exempt the reporting of emissions from livestock farms.
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• National Pork Industry Forum. Representatives from Kansas attended the National Pork Industry Forum held in Kansas City. Forum serves as the annual meetings of the National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council. Pictured are Alan Haverkamp and KPA Chairman Scott Pfortmiller. Not pictured is Roy Henry.
Opera on Main Street. OMS presentations facilitate conversations with consumers statewide about pork production, health and nutrition information and current technlologies in agriculture. In 2018, Kansas OMS speakers gave 22 presentations to agriculture and culinary classes, dietetic associations, vet techs and more. To date, over 430 presentations have been given by Kansas speakers since the program’s inception. Taste of Elegance. The KPA helped sponsor this annual event which brings together top chefs to prepare pork-inspired dishes. The event also serves as a way to say thank you to the Harvesters food bank donors and volunteers. Youth and KSU Sponsorship. Events supported by KPA in 2018 include Swine Profitability Conference, junior swine programs, Bob Hines Swine Classic, Swine Day, Kansas 4-H, Kansas FFA and county ag days.
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2018: Year in Review Virtual Field Trips. Over 1,500 students from 8 states participated in live virtual field trips in 2018. Pre- and postsurveys continue to show positive shifts in attitude in regards to animal welfare, environmental effects of raising animals and knowledge about pig farming. This program is a joint venture between KPA, Kansas Corn Commission, Kansas Soybean Commission, Frontier Farm Credit and The Pork Checkoff. Special thanks to Kaden & Emily Roush and Michael & Christy Springer for hosting the tours at their farms.
Google. KPA was one of four state pork organizations to visit Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., with the National Pork Board. The goal of the meeting was continuing education and to help the NPB craft digital planning efforts for 2019. The NPB has been working with Google for the past year and a half to enhance digital marketing efforts.
Wellness Workshops. KPA was a sponsor of six regional workshops entitled School Wellness: Action! hosted by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). The workshops focused on encouraging and assisting Kansas schools in taking action to implement modeling level wellness policies. Participants were taken on a virtual field trip to a pig farm to promote that farm-to-plate doesn’t just mean fruits and vegetables. Attendees also enjoyed a meal featuring Kansas pork.
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KPA develops new email series • Real Pig Farming Tour. The #RPF tour is continuing to make a positive impact on consumer attitudes about food and farming.This year’s #RPF tour hosted dietitians and bloggers, and included stops at Fair Oaks Farm’s Pig Adventure and Rodibaugh Farms, both in Indiana. Pre- and posttour surveys showed that concerns about raising animals indoors decreased, concerns about the humane treatment of farm animals decreased, while trust in America’s food system increased. Attendees also received a tour of the kitchen and rooftop garden at Harvest, a downtown Chicago Marriott restaurant, and visited with executive chef Myk Banas. The Kansas Soybean Commission partnered with KPA to host this tour.
• Farm Food Tour. The three-day tour hosted 10 bloggers and dietitians, and included stops at Elanco Animal Health, Monsanto’s research facility and Central Missouri Meat and Sausage. Topics covered include antibiotic and hormone use in food animals, GMOs, bee health and meat processing. The FFT is sponsored by The Kansas Soybean Commission, Kansas Farm Bureau and KPA.
Farm Food Tour Friends in Manhattan. KPA partnered with Kansas Soybean and Kansas Farm Bureau to host a meet up of previous Farm Food Tour and Real Pig Farming tour attendees. The event was meant to keep conversations going with bloggers, dietitians and farmers, and included sessions on cuts of meat, pesticides and more. New-Media Marketing Boot Camp. KPA was a presenter at the 2018 Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement event. The Boot Camp is designed to provide agricultural and rural business owners and other service-oriented individuals with tactics necessary to combat the ever-changing, new-media technology world.
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2018: Year in Review • Boos ng Pork Sales through Partnerships. With help from the Kansas Corn Commission, KPA ran a retail campaign through Ibotta offering $0.25 off any brand of fresh pork chops. In order to redeem the offer, consumers had to watch a short video. The offer started in October to coincide with pork month and it was offered to shoppers in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. Over 99,000 people watched the video and 45,700 shoppers redeemed the offer, which ran from Oct. 1 through Dec. 27.
Kansas Farm Food Connection. KPA hosted a live session on the Kansas Farm Food Connection (KFFC) Facebook page featuring blogger Scott Thomas from The Grillin Fools. The session was one in a series hosted by KFFC that featured different commodity groups in the state. KFFC is a joint effort of eight Kansas ag organizations, including KPA. Career Exploration. KPA staff participated in a career exploration activity with sixth-grade students from Northwest Middle School in KC. The sessions gave students the opportunity to talk with professionals from many different industries. The event was sponsored by PrepKC, an organization that works to improve college and career preparation for KC’s urban students.
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Digital. Social Media at a glance... • Over 92,800
total social media followers Connect with us @KansasPork
#BaconAmbassador Program. In 2018, KPA partnered with 11 online influencers to grow and engage its Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest following, while also creating relevant content for eatpork.org. These “Bacon Ambassadors,” with an online reach of over 2 million, created content centered around the decadent flavors of pork and how easy it is to be creative in the kitchen or on the grill, while doing it at an affordable price. The project ran the majority of the 2018 calendar year, with special focus on grilling holidays. The influencers made a total of 537 Instagram posts, which garnered an impressive reach of 4.5 million and over 55 million impressions. “This was a new approach to growing KPA’s online community and we are very pleased with the results,” said Tim Stroda, KPA President-CEO. Influencer posts can be seen by searching #baconambassador on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
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2018: Year in Review Barnyard Babies. KPA was a sponsor of this family festival held at the National Agriculture Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs. The event allows attendees to experience life on a farm, including seeing baby animals, meeting a farmer, seeing inside of tractors and combines and more. The 2018 event brought more than 5,300 people. Kansas State Fair. KPA staff set up a model pig barn as part of a display in the Livestock Birthing Center at the Kansas State Fair, and interacted with fans on Facebook and Instagram with live streaming videos and posts. Kansas Pro Start Invitational. KPA supported the annual invitational as both an event sponsor and a management judge. The event is a premier high school competition focused on restaurant management and culinary arts.
Foreign Animal Disease Exercise. KPA staff participated in an emergency preparedness exercise held by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The exercise was a practice of the state’s response plan to a foreign animal disease (FAD) event, which was based on the confirmation of foot-and-mouth disease in the U.S.
Kansas Governor’s Summit on Agricultural Growth. KPA staff was among the nearly 400 leaders representing a variety of agricultural interests that came together for the conference hosted by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The event helped identify challenges and opportunities within individual sectors of agriculture. Pork Chop Open. Colbert Hills in Manhattan was the venue for the 2018 fundraiser. The annual golf tournament brought together producers and industry partners for an 18-hole scramble.
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Kansas Meat Processors Associa on. KPA sponsored the Most Innovative Pork Product award at the KMPA’s annual convention. Kansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The KPA partnered with Missouri Pork, Kansas Farm Bureau and CommonGround Kansas to sponsor a pre-conference event for the KSAND annual conference. The evening included yoga and speed networking, which allowed nutrition professionals to interact with Kansas farmers and ranchers. Kansas Nutrition Council. The KPA partnered with Kansas Farm Bureau and CommonGround Kansas to sponsor a pre-conference event for the KNC’s annual meeting. Guests participated in speed networking, allowing nutrition professionals to interact with Kansas farmers and ranchers.
• Pig Tales. Pig Tales is the official publication of the Kansas pork industry and continues to reach producers and industry partners on both the state and national levels. • E-Newsletter. This daily email features both state and national news, including consumer programs, legislative information, regulatory updates, producer education and export reports. • In Pursuit of Pork. KPA continues to manage this restaurant guide blog. Content includes review of pork dishes from Kansas restaurants, cooking tips and reader contests. • Oktoberfest. KPA staff attended the annual conference hosted by the National Pork Board. The event brings together state staff and executives to discuss retail promotions, producer education and other topics.
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2018: Year in Review Kitchen Studio. KPA converted a storage room to a kitchen studio, which will allow room for recipe development and video creation, both live and pre-recorded.
Women Managing the Farm. KPA was an exhibitor at the WMF conference, which provides resources to women in all aspect of farming operations.
Swine Profitability Conference. Over 130 swine producers, allied industry representatives, KSU faculty and students attended this year’s Swine Profitability Conference in Manhattan. This year’s theme was “Staying Competitive in the Swine Industry.” KPA is the feature sponsor of this event.
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Questions, comments or concerns? Contact us at: Kansas Pork Association 2601 Farm Bureau Road Manhattan, KS 66502 785-776-0442 www.kspork.org
Working for You.