P
IG TALES
The Official Publication of the Kansas Pork Industry
Oven-Roasted Baby Back Ribs See Page 15
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CONTENTS Pig Tales
Issue 2
2023
4 TIM'S COLUMN - U.S. SHIP DELEGATES MOVE FORWARD 5 KANSAS STATE FAIR BIRTHING CENTER ACTION 6 BACON AMBASSADORS 7 PINTEREST INFLUENCER PROJECT 8 KPA RETAIL PROJECTS 11 4-H LIVESTOCK SWEEPSTAKES 12 VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS
ON THE COVER
14 SUSTAINABILITY REPORTS
Oven-Roasted Baby Back Ribs
2023 KPA Board of Directors Chairman - Kenton McKee - Goff Doug Claassen - Whitewater Kent Condray - Clifton Ryan Feely - Scott City Chad Groves- Merriam Curt Haverkamp - Bern Megan Potter - Abilene Emily Roush - Lebanon Michael Springer - Neodesha Joel DeRouchey - Kansas State University
15 RIBS RECIPE
President- CEO Tim Stroda tims@kspork.org
Kansas Pork Association 2601 Farm Bureau Road Manhattan, KS 66502 Phone: 785-776-0442 Fax: 785-775-9897 www.kspork.org kpa@kspork.org
Pig Tales is the official publication of the Kansas Pork Association. The publisher cannot guarantee the correctness of all information or absence of errors and omissions, nor be liable for content of advertisements. We reserve the right to edit or refuse all materials. KPA does not guarantee or endorse the performance of any products or services advertised within the publication. All Pig Tales inquiries should be directed to the Kansas Pork Association, 2601 Farm Bureau Road, Manhattan, KS 66502; www.kspork.org.
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TIM'S COLUMN
U.S. SWINE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN DELEGATES MOVE PROGRAM FORWARD AT THIRD ANNUAL MEETING The U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan (US SHIP) concluded its third annual House of Delegates meeting in Bloomington, Minnesota, recently. Nearly 300 US SHIP stakeholders, including producers, veterinarians, state animal health officials, state pork association officials, and USDA personnel discussed and approved program standards and resolutions that further clarify and define the requirements of this national certification program being developed for safeguarding and protecting swine health. The US Swine Health Improvement Plan is an industry, state, and federal partnership for improving preparedness across the US pork industry. Based on producer-developed technical standards, US SHIP participants achieve ASF/CSF Monitored Certification that aims to provide certified sites a means to demonstrate freedom of disease outside of control areas in support of animal health, commerce, and trade. Support is provided by USDA, National Pork Board, National Pork Producers Council, and state pork associations. The US SHIP program has seen increased participation in the past year, with Dr. Tyler Holck, Sr. Program Coordinator for US SHIP, announcing in the opening session that enrollment has exceeded 68% of the U.S. breeding pig herd and 61% of the U.S. growing pig herd. “The rapid adoption by swine producers is very encouraging, especially given that US SHIP was started less than three years ago,” stated Holck, “and the high level of engagement by all facets of our industry speaks to the potential value of a health certification program similar to what the poultry industry has had for 88 years. Further developing and transitioning US SHIP from the current start-up phase into a USDA APHIS Swine Health Program is essential for establishing credibility and recognition across states and ultimately U.S. trading partners.”
Speakers and delegates representing 30 states discussed traceability, surveillance, feed biosafety, site biosecurity, feral pig risk mitigation, and livehaul sanitation. These discussions all move the US SHIP program forward to mitigate risks of disease introduction and provide a practical means for demonstrating evidence of freedom of disease (outside of foreign animal disease control areas). This supports ongoing interstate commerce and a pathway towards the resumption of international trade in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak. Voting delegates approved five program standards that bring formality to the technical subcommittees and delegate voting processes, clarify minimally required information for movement records, and incorporating the current US Department of Agriculture (USDA) African Swine Fever/Classical Swine Fever (ASF/CSF) active surveillance program. In addition, five resolutions were passed that direct further assessment of repositories for movement records to strengthen national traceability standards, the integration of a feral pig mitigation plan into Secure Pork Supply Plans, the establishment of an exhibition swine working group, further exploration of a site status verification database, and further processes around incorporation of the USDA ASF/CSF active surveillance program. Working groups and/or pilot projects will begin in the coming months with findings and recommendations to be presented at the 2024 US SHIP House of Delegates meeting. Participation in US SHIP is for all pork producers and pig owners no matter their size—from large production and packing facilities to small farms and show pig owners. Enrollment in US SHIP is simple and easy. Access enrollment information on the website www.usswinehealthimprovement.com.
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BIRTHING CENTER SEES LOTS OF ACTION AT KANSAS STATE FAIR Amid the bustling atmosphere of the Birthing Center at the Kansas State Fair (KSF), the air was filled with excitement, S I M P L Esounds R E CofI delighted PE squeals, beaming smiles, and eager exclamations of "Can I hold one?" and "I want one!" Two litters of piglets made their grand entrance into the world, captivating the hearts of thousands of fairgoers, all eager for a glimpse of these adorable, pink bundles of joy.
systems, an office for meticulous record-keeping, and even slatted floors. It serves as an educational hub, offering an understanding of the environment where these animals are nurtured.
The Kansas Pork Association (KPA) provided farrowing displays that were a part of ensuring the comfort and well-being of the sows and piglets throughout their stay at KSF. The sows were comforted by fans, while the newborns enjoyed the warmth they needed, with abundant food and water provided. Fairgoers of all ages were welcomed to partake in the captivating Birthing Center experience.
Since 1994, the Birthing Center has stood as a permanent attraction at KSF, affording individuals a unique opportunity to not only learn about the miracle of life but sometimes even witness it firsthand. Visitors to the Birthing Center were able to explore a diverse array of baby animals, including goats, sheep, chickens, and cows. This experience also provided valuable insights into the areas of animal agriculture and veterinary medicine.
KPA staff set up a model finisher building, inviting fairgoers to observe and learn about the process and where the piglets would grow up. This detailed model is a recreation of an actual finishing barn, complete with fans, sprinklers, waterers, feeders, curtains, climate control
Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine students worked hard to ensure that all animals in the Birthing Center received excellent care during their stay at the KSF.
In the midst of numerous newborn animals welcomed into the world at the 2023 Kansas State Fair, it was the piglets that stole the show, leaving children and adults alike "squealing for joy."
Above: This sow gave birth to 18 live piglets in the Birthing Center at the 2023 Kansas State Fair.
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BACON AMBASSADORS FOCUS ON HAMS, RIBS, AND CHOPS KPA‘s Bacon Ambassador program continues to see strong consumer interest and influencer traction on Instagram. During 2023, content creators have focused on featuring holiday hams, pork chops, pork belly, pork loins, ribs, and more. Nearly 37 million impressions have been garnered from over 123 posts in the first three quarters, with over 415,000 shoppers engaged. Last year, the program generated nearly 200 posts from influencers and the community that follows them. These posts garnered more than 56 million impressions. Since its inception, the program has featured mouth-watering, pork-inspired posts encouraging followers to choose pork at the meat case for their enjoyment and premium flavor. Recipes are simple and can be recreated by most households who grill and are shared by some of the top barbeque influencers on Instagram. These influencers encourage their followers to purchase and share pork at dinner tables with those they love. The feed is primarily curated by 10 influencers including @bamagrillmaster, @hungry_yett, @cooking_with_fire__, @tony_and_maribel, @grilinfools, @foodwithbearhands, @hooked_on_bbq, and @learningtosmoke. Special thanks to Iowa Pork Producers Association for their support. Follow the hashtag #baconambassador to see the most up-to-date posts. Right: Instagram posts from @grillinfools, tony_and_maribel and @foodwithbearhands featuring pork.
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KPA PARTNERS WITH CONTENT CREATORS FOR PINTEREST IDEA PIN CAMPAIGN Kansas Pork has partnered with nine content creators from S Iacross M P Lthe E country R E C I for P Ean idea pin campaign on Pinterest in Q1 and Q2. An idea pin is a short video post that teaches Pinterest users how to do something. The goal of this campaign was to provide home cooks with easy and simple pork recipes in a vertical video format with a voiceover and timely music. Each creator submitted two videos, and one video was posted each week for the months of February, March, and April. Your association has leveraged the content created for the Pinterest campaign on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The campaign generated 19 videos and delivered nearly 1.6 million impressions. Special thanks to the Iowa Pork Producers Association for assisting with funding for this project!
Above: A screenshot from the S'mores Bacon recipe from content creator Nick Chipman with Dude Foods for the Pinterest idea pin campaign. Below: Content creator partners for the Pinterest idea pin campaign.
A screenshot from the Honey Garlic Pork Chops recipe from content creator Kelsey Byrnes with Dance Around the Kitchen for the Pinterest idea pin campaign.
Kelsey Byrnes
Dance Around the Kitchen
Jennifer Osterholt
Plowing Through Life
Carlee Scharnhorst
Cooking with Carlee
Julie Pollitt
Back to My Southern Roots
Deanne Frieders
This Farm Girl Cooks
Nick Chipman
Dude Foods
Michaela Kennel
An Affair From the Heart
Lauren Grant
Zestful Kitchen
Erin Port
Simple Purposeful Living
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KPA PARTNERS IN KROGER PORK EMAIL CAMPAIGN Last year, your association partnered with the National Pork Board (NPB) and Kroger in a singleI M P L E featuring R E C I ground PE subject emailScampaign pork and pork shoulder. The email focused on lapsed pork purchasing (consumers who had not purchased pork in the last 6 months), non-pork purchasing (consumers whose shoppers card showed they had not purchased pork at Kroger), and multicultural buyer households. Over one million emails were sent to Kroger customers nationwide, including over 40,000 to Dillons customers. Each email had a recipe and a coupon for $1 off specific UPCs for ground pork and pork shoulder. 2022 was the fourth year in a row that the Kroger brand has supported this effort by covering the $1 coupon. In addition, NPB enlisted the targeted digital platform Chicory to electronically distribute ground pork recipe suggestions to an additional 5 million Kroger customers. In the email campaign, almost half of the targeted households were multicultural, around a third were lapsed buyers, and the remainder were new pork buyers. Overall, 21% of households downloaded from the email and 12% redeemed the coupon. This all resulted in a 6.5% increase in visits and a 5% increase in units sold. The Chicory digital campaign resulted in a gain in ground pork sales and shares. Among new shoppers, ground pork sales increased from 7% grinds to 40%. Among existing shoppers, ground pork sales increased from 20% of grinds to 55%. Finally, among lapsed shoppers, ground pork sales increased from 9% of grinds to 34%. Overall, this campaign reached over 6 million shoppers. The success of this campaign led to the work in 2023 highlighted on page 9. Right: The Kroger email that featured ground pork was sent to over one million Kroger shoppers, including over 40,000 Dillons customers.
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GETTING PORK INTO CONSUMER SHOPPING CARTS Consumer shopping patterns have changed in recent years and your organization recognizes this. The Kansas Pork Association (KPA) and the National Pork Board (NPB) have joined forces with the intent of helping consumers purchase pork products in a convenient manner.
KPA has been working with various digital platforms for several years,” said Tim Stroda, KPA PresidentCEO. This cooperative program with NPB is an opportunity for us to evaluate Chicory as a new platform for future years,” he added.
Chicory is a platform that targets consumers who use online grocery lists or shopping services. Here, recipes are transformed into commerce media accessible to grocery shoppers. With 123 million unique shoppers searching for new, healthy, and cost-efficient recipes to feed their families, this campaign worked to get pork into their shopping carts. “The goal is to not only encourage consumers to integrate pork regularly into their meals, but also to make the shift from other proteins to pork such as using pork in a Spanish Rice Turkey Casserole instead of turkey,” said Neal Hull, Director of Domestic Market Development, National Pork Board. Target campaigns were set in areas where pork consumption is high and were featured at designated Sam’s Club in 12 states (total of 321 clubs) and Walmart stores in 11 states (total of 1,754 stores). The most recent campaign, which focused on pork chops and ribs, began on May 26 and ran through September 22. This incorporated the key summer grilling holidays of Memorial Day, Father’s Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. “The results of this program will influence the design of the fall programs that will focus on ground pork and sausage,” Hull added.
Above: Retailer shelves filled with pork products.
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KWIKSHOP STORES FEATURE NEW PORK ITEMS KwikShop convenience stores introduced 4 new pork items to their stores in partnership with KPA and the National Pork SIM P LBoard. E R EThe C Inew P E items included two breakfast sandwiches and two roller grill items. The waffle, egg, and sausage sandwich and chorizo sandwich were brought into KwikShops as limited time items. Both were very successful and are now part of KwikShop’s regular offerings. The two new pork roller grill items were a jalapeno cheese sausage and Italian sausage. For the past four years the National Pork Board has worked with KwikShop to introduce new products through limited-time offers, supported by print and digital promotions. KwikShop has 127 locations in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa.
Above: The new waffle, egg, and sausage breakfast sandwich featured at KwikShop stores.
KWIKSHOP AND MINITMART STORES FEATURE NEW PORK BREAKFAST SANDWICH In partnership with Kansas Pork Association (KPA) and the National Pork Board (NPB), KwikShop and MinitMart convenience stores introduced the Big Pig Breakfast sandwich on their limited-time menu beginning June 21, 2023. The Big Pig Sandwich has nearly 6 ounces of pork and includes double sausage, double ham, and 4 strips of bacon with egg and cheese on a croissant. The sandwich will remain on the limited-time menu till September 7, 2023. For the past five years, the NPB has worked with convenience stores to introduce new products through limited-time offers, supported by print and digital promotions. KwikShop has 132 locations in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. MinitMart has 175 locations in Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
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KPA SPONSORS KANSAS 4-H LIVESTOCK SWEEPSTAKES Approximately 300 Kansas 4-H members from 66 counties participated in the 2023 Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes, hosted by Kansas State University’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry August 19-20. Throughout the weekend, 4-H members participated in the state livestock judging contest, meat judging contest, livestock skillathon, and livestock quiz bowl. Individual 4-H members who participated in all three activities (livestock, meat judging, and skillathon) were entered in the Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes. Lyle Perrier from Greenwood County was named the 2023 Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes high individual. Also placing in the top 10 were: 2nd – Hayden Stubbs, Sunflower District. 3rd – Tate Crystal, Southwind District. 4th – Reegan McDaniel, Southwind District. 5th – Tanner Hommertzheim, Sedgwick County. 6th – Lillian Hulse, Central Kansas District. 7th – Tyler Gillespie, Frontier District. 8th – Caylin Luthi, Greenwood County. 9th – Carly Dreher, Southwind District. 10th – Hannah Perrier, Greenwood County.
Kansas will be represented by an all-star team at the national 4-H livestock judging contest in Louisville, Kentucky. Based on their performance in the state livestock judging contest, 15 Kansas 4-H members were selected to advance to the team selection process, which includes a series of livestock evaluation workshops and other opportunities provided by the K-State livestock judging team. Also, this is the third year Kansas will be represented by an all-star team at the national 4H meat judging contest during the American Royal in Kansas City. The top 13 4-Hers will participate in several educational opportunities and meat evaluation workshops with the K-State meat judging team throughout the fall as part of the all-star team selection process. The Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes program is also sponsored by Lyons Ranch, Kansas Pork Association, K-State College of Agriculture, Ag Tech, Judd Ranch, and Farm Talk.
Greenwood County won the Livestock Sweepstakes Champion team award with the best combined team performance in livestock judging, livestock skillathon, livestock quiz bowl, and meat judging. Teams in the top five included Southwind District No. 1, second; Sedgwick County, third; Wildcat District No. 1, fourth; and Frontier District No. 1, fifth. The team champions for the livestock skillathon and livestock quiz bowl will represent Kansas at their respective national 4-H contest, which occur later this fall.
Above: 2023 Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes winners.
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KPA HOSTS SPRING VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS TO CLASSROOMS NATIONWIDE Kansas Pork, in coordination with Kansas Soybean Commission, over S I M P L Ehosted REC I P800 E students in 34 classrooms on virtual field trips to a Kansas pig farm in late April. The tour offered the audience an inside look at a farrowing room on Kaden and Emily Roush's R Family Farm and reviewed how farmers care for mother pigs and piglets throughout their lives.
Topics Covered During a Virtual Field Trip KPA started virtual field trips to show teachers and students how pig farming works today. The program includes a live virtual trip to a Kansas pig farm and provides fun classroom activities to use as another learning tool. These activities include a Pork Bingo Kit, coloring pages, stickers, and more.
800 STUDENTS
34 33 CLASSROOMS
SCHOOLS
Below: Kaden and Emily Roush of Lebanon, Kansas, stand inside their farrowing room while giving a virtual field trip to classrooms across the nation as a part of KPA's Virtual Field Trip program.
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During the Spring semester, there were two 40minute tours offered in the morning to classrooms nationwide. The tour included an inside look at a farrowing room that explained why pigs are in barns.
S I Mreferenced P L E R Ewhy CIP E believe Kaden and Emily they raising baby piglets in farrowing stalls is important to protect the tiny piglets from their mother unknowingly laying down on them. They also brought attention to barn worker safety when handling mother pigs and how the barn works to collect manure to be used as an all-natural fertilizer. Another important topic during the virtual field trip was helping teachers and students understand what pigs eat. This was one of the most asked consumer questions. The Roushs explained to the classrooms how they work with special pig nutritionists to help them formulate pig feed, and that the feed includes soybeans, corn, vitamins, and minerals. Below: A Thank You from teachers whose classes attended the virtual field trip.
A screenshot of the video taken of Kaden showing the pig feed found in the sow's feeder.
Lastly, the virtual field trip was opened up to the classrooms for question and answer. Many of the questions were very good and included questions about how farmers keep records, how farmers work with veterinarians, where mother pigs go after their piglets are weaned, and more. Over 20 questions were asked by each group of classrooms, whose ages ranged from kindergarten to sixth grade.
“We enjoyed learning about pigs and soybeans. There were a lot of fun ways to learn. We really liked the virtual tour. We also adopted a dairy calf this year. Thank you for sponsoring this project! See us below!” Mrs. Kelso and St. Mary 1st grade class
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DOCUMENT YOUR FARM'S SUSTAINABLITY PROGRESS. Request a Pork Cares Farm Impact Report. Sharing the industry's commitment to doing what's right for people, pigs, and the planet. National Pork Board is working with producer to measure and document key sustainability metrics with Checkoff-funded on-farm sustainability reports.
Top Benefits of Pork Cares Farm Impact Reports Provides the economic value of agronomic manure rates Offers data on water quality and usage Validates producer commitment to community via donation and service
For more information, visit porkcheckoff.org/sustainability 14
OVEN-ROASTED S I MBACK P L E R E C I PRIBS E BABY Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 90 minutes Serves 6
Ingredients 2 racks pork back ribs 1 tablespoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt 1/2 cup tomato ketchup 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed Celery leaves and lemon slices for garnish, optional
Directions Combine paprika, garlic, black pepper, and seasoned salt. Mix to blend. Rub each rack with paprika mixture, massaging into meat. Wrap each slab in plastic wrap. Chill several hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 375°F. Unwrap seasoned slabs and cut into serving size (3-4 rib portions). Place ribs in foil-lined baking pan and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and drain. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and continue baking ribs at 350°F for 45 minutes. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes in 1-quart saucepan. Mix to blend. Cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove ribs from oven, uncover, and spoon sauce over ribs. Cover, bake 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Garnish with celery leaves and lemon slices, if desired.
*NOTE: Makes approximately 3/4 cup sauce. Sauce recipe may be doubled.
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PIG TALES The Official Publication of the Kansas Pork Industry
Kansas Pork Association 2601 Farm Bureau Road Manhattan, KS 66535
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