The Kentucky Pork Producer News - Fall 2015

The Kentucky Pork Producer News FALL 2015

KPPA INVESTS $20,000 IN KY AG IN THE CLASSROOM KY PORK PRODUCERS AMONG BUYERS OF GRAND CHAMPION MARKET HOG KY STATE FAIR HOSTS FIRST PORK COOKING COMPETITION

STATE FAIR RECAP

KENTUCKY PORK PRODUCER NEWS EDITOR & DESIGNER: Celeste L. Harned Celeste Communications Paducah, Kentucky KPPA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Bonnie Jolly KPPA STAFF: Gilberta Riggs Rhonda McGrew KPPI, INC. DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MARKETING: David Lewis

MISSION STATEMENT: To influence and affect, when possible, the internal and external factors relating to pork production on the farm.

Marketing the live hog, processing the product, and merchandising the product to the consumer in ethical ways, in order to enhance the producers’ opportunity for profit.

Subscribed to by the: Kentucky Pork Producers Association, Inc.

2015 KPPA EXECUTIVE BOARD PRESIDENT Dr. Dennis Liptrap Nicholasville, Ky.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE James Coats Franklin, Ky.

SECRETARY Bob Robinson Cox’s Creek, Ky.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE Maurice Heard Rockfield, Ky.

VICE PRESIDENT Eric Heard Auburn, Ky.

TREASURER Benji Hudnall Bowling Green, Ky.

CONTACT US: Kentucky Pork Producers 1110 Hawkins Drive Elizabethtown, KY 42701 Phone: (270) 737-5665 Fax: 270-769-9079 www.kypork.org

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IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Bill Cochran Rineyville, Ky.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE Larry Eidson Paducah, Ky.

DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE John Medley Springfield, Ky. DIRECTOR-AT-LARGE Mark Reding Howardstown, Ky.

COVER PHOTO: 4-H and FFA members compete in the swine showmanship competition at the Kentucky State Fair Youth Swine Show on August 26, 2016.

Unless otherwise noted, all photos and stories in The Kentucky Pork Producer News are by Celeste L. Harned of Celeste Communications.

GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Pork Producers and Friends, Summer is officially over and we have had an eventful few months. We had plenty of rain early and the crops flourished. August and September have been very warm and dry. Now we are into the fall harvest and I have heard of some tremendous yields for both corn and full season soybeans. The USDA and others are predicting a record yield for corn and the corn market has softened which will ease the cost of feeding pigs and other livestock. Feeding quality of the 2015 corn crop in Kentucky seems to be good but I am concerned about mycotoxin contamination in corn grown in northern Indiana.

Our Kentucky Pork Producers Association just completed a very successful Kentucky State Fair. The weather was near ideal and the attendance was great.

David Lewis, manager of KPPI, reported that sales of pork chops and burgers were up significantly at all 6 booths compared to last year. I spent some time in the hog barn during the show and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

The National Pork Producers Council Fall Legislative Conference was held in Washington D.C. in September.

Maurice and Rose Heard, Bill and Rosie Cochran, Bonnie Jolly, and myself represented Kentucky. We were able to visit each office of our Congressmen and Senators and discuss issues of importance to pork producers with legislative aides. Congressmen Guthrie and Whitfield were able to meet with us during our discussions. One of the important issues was a reauthorization of the mandatory price reporting act which was set to expire on September 30. I am happy to report that the House passed the bill before we arrived and the Senate passed their bill on reauthorization on the day after we left. NPPC and representatives from the Federal Trade Office were confident that a Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Free Trade agreement would be completed by the end of 2015. This will be very good news for pork producers as it will provide tariff free access to some of the largest pork consuming markets in the world. We had several discussions on Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). The World Trade Organization has ruled 4 times that COOL is in violation of fair trade rules and is currently meeting to determine the amount of retaliatory tariffs that Canada and Mexico can place on US produced products that are imported

to their countries.

These tariffs are estimated to be $3.2 billion with pork and beef suffering the bulk of these extra charges. Even though WTO has ruled 4 different versions of COOL are illegal, congress is still trying to pass another version for WTO to consider.

Another tweaking Dr. Dennis Liptrap, Kentucky Pork Producers Association President, presents an award at of COOL will not the 2015 KPPA Annual Meeting. stop the implementation of retaliatory tariffs on US products. Trade is very important as approximately 1 in 4 market hogs produced in the US is consumed in some other country in the world. We don’t need to “shoot ourselves in the foot” with laws that cause our trading partners to charge retaliatory tariffs on pork.

I will bring this column to a close but want to let producers know about some important upcoming events. The North American International Livestock Exposition will be held in Louisville on November 7-20, 2015. The Junior Market Swine Show will be November 8 & 9 in the South Wing of the KEC. Youth exhibitors from all over the country will compete in showmanship and present approximately 1,000 market hogs for evaluation by the judge. Check the NAILE website www.livestockexpo.org for more information. The Kentucky Pork Producers annual meeting and Scholarship Auction will be held in Bowling Green at the Holiday Inn Convention Center on January 15 & 16, 2016. Mark your calendar now and look for more details forthcoming.

Have a good harvest and don’t hesitate to call Bonnie or myself with comments or questions.

Dennis Liptrap President

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MEET KENTUCKY STATE FAIR GRAND CHAMPION MARKET HOG EXHIBITOR JUSTIN ARNETT Selling a pig in the Kentucky State Fair Sale of Champions is the dream of every 4-H and FFA youth showman. Each year, two lucky showmen find themselves in the New Market Hall sale arena as the bids roll in on their hogs. The Kentucky Pork Producers has been a buyer of the Grand Champion Market Hog for many years. This article will highlight the Grand Champion exhibitor and their experience as a swine showman.

Justin Arnett took home top honors in the 2015 Kentucky State Fair Junior Market Hog show, exhibiting the Grand Champion Market Hog which sold for $12,500 to the Kentucky Pork Producers Association, Kentucky Corn Growers Association, Hilton Garden Inn, Monsanto, Green Hill Productions, Paris Stockyards and Darrel Billings.

Arnett, 15, is a member of the Montgomery County FFA Chapter and has been showing pigs since he was nine years old. His 275 pound crossbred gilt named “Hallie” was bred by Stohlquist Showpigs in Poplar Grove, Ill. Arnett shows both pigs and cattle and says his favorite thing about showing livestock is working with his animals every day.

“Each of the pigs have their own personality and I get really attached to the animals that my brothers and I show,” Arnett says. “I think you have to work with the animals enough that they trust you, so they perform better in the show ring.”

Arnett says selling his pig in the Sale of Champions made him very proud.

“It takes a lot of hard work every day to get

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The Grand Champion Market Hog at the 2015 Kentucky State Fair sold for $12,500.

an animal to the Sale of Champions.

My pig had changed and improved so much through the show season and my whole family had worked so hard with all of our pigs. I was very proud to stand in the ring and display such a great market hog, especially with my family there with me. “ When it comes to future plans, Arnett feels certain that he’ll make a career in the agriculture industry.

He plans to pursue an agriculture degree in college and credits showing livestock with exposing him to many different careers in agriculture.

“Showing pigs has allowed me to meet a lot of experts in the swine industry and from them I have gained knowledge about feed products, showmanship techniques, and breeding programs. My experience showing animals has helped me to improve the quality of animals

I raise and show, but hopefully it may lead to a future in agriculture,” Arnett said.

Arnett was eager to express his thanks to the buyers of his Grand Champion Market Hog and emphasized that their donation doesn’t just support him but all of the swine exhibitors.

“The purchase price of my animal will help me invest in better animals to show next year. Since some of the money is divided with class winners, it also helps more than just the grand and reserve winners. By supporting the sale of champions you have helped many kids who love showing animals continue to do what they love.”

Justin is the son of Jeff and Melissa Arnett of Mount Sterling. His FFA advisors are Alton Stull, Jeff Arnett, Tim Adams and Shelby Blevins.

2015 KY STATE FAIR YOUTH MARKET HOG SHOW: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

Swine showmanship division winners

Swine skillathon winners

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KPPA INVESTS IN PORK AND AGRICULTURE EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR KENTUCKY STUDENTS Two hundred fifty thousand. That is the number of students the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom (KyAEC) hopes to reach with food and farm-based lessons and materials in the next two years.

That goal will be made possible with the support of agriculture community partners such as the Kentucky Pork Producers Association.

KPPA recently provided a total of $20,000 to KyAEC for agriculture education program development which will include a pork curriculum for family and consumer science classrooms. Half of the contribution was made possible through the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund.

“KPPA has been a long term partner in helping us provide agriculture education to Kentucky’s students, says KyAEC Executive Director Jennifer Elwell.

“In addition to general agriculture education, we want to address specific goals of Kentucky’s pork industry.”

KPPA and KyAEC will be meeting in the coming weeks to begin work on curriculum development. KyAEC wants to make sure that production information, market cuts, food safety, and preparation are all included and packaged in a way that will be easy for teachers to utilize.

“I look forward to working with KPPA on this project,” says Elwell.

“There is a great need for food curriculum that comes from the farm community and can be implemented without a dedicated educator, which limits the number of students that can be reached.”

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Another impending project to encourage a deeper understanding of Kentucky agriculture in schools is to develop a comprehensive agriculture and food issues website. Filled with student questions, industry expert answers and curriculum, this resource will challenge students to consider technologies and careers that make food and renewable resource production possible.

Elwell says careers in agriculture will be a primary focus of the web site and other KyAEC A Kentucky Agriculture A to Z coloring book is one of the most recent resources developed by KyAEC and includes information about Kentucky’s programs. pork industry as well as a KPPA ad; 5,000 of these coloring books will be “Even as early distributed to students. as kindergarten, which provide agriscience-based vocational studies and career readilessons at elementary schools ness has become a major compoacross the commonwealth. The nent of the Kentucky Core Academic centers reach about 24,000 students Standards, and I want to make sure and 800 teachers each year, and the that we are developing and revamp- KDA will soon put a third center ing programs to assist teachers. I into operation thanks to the many also hope that learning the why and KyAEC sponsors and the Kentucky how of the many agriculture careers Agricultural Development Fund. available will spark some interest in Additional KyAEC programs students at an earlier age.” include the school assembly show KPPA has also for many years Agriculture Adventures and the provided funding for the Kentucky Agriculture Literacy Network, which Department of Agriculture operated equips educators with the resourcMobile Science Activity Centers,

es, materials and training to provide quality, standards-based lessons.

KyAEC was also recently approved to market a special agricultural literacy license plate for non-farm vehicles in Kentucky. Once the minimum number of plates are reserved and manufactured, additional income will be available for programs.

To learn more about the Kentucky Agriculture and Environment

in the Classroom and its programs, visit www.teachkyag.org or contact Jennifer Elwell at jennifer@teachkyag.org or 502-921-2625.

Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom, Inc., is a 501(c)3 non-profit coalition of agriculture organizations, businesses and individuals working to teach more students the significance and impact agriculture has on their daily

lives through program development, promotion, and integration. Improved agricultural literacy develops the next generation of informed consumers.

Article provided by Kentucky Agriculture and Environment in the Classroom, Inc. and printed with permission.

CHECK OUT OUR REDESIGNED WEBSITE! The new Kentucky Pork Producers website went live on October 23 and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you. The focus of our redesign was providing a more user friendly experience for both producers and pork lovers.

The site now features pork safety and nutrition tips, as well as an integrated recipe search allowing you to search the National Pork Board’s recipe database by cut and cooking method.

Producers will appreciate keeping up with the latest news from the National Pork Board and National Pork Producer’s Council.

Articles from the Kentucky Pork Producer News will be posted online as well, allowing you to easily share them via email or social media.

We’ve also updated our Kentucky Proud pages to help you easily find everything from Kentucky Proud sausage to show pigs.

Now when someone asks you a question about how pigs are raised or how to cook pork properly, you don’t have to refer them to 3-4 different websites. Just direct them to KyPork.org and they’ll find everything they need!

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KY STATE FAIR’S FIRST KENTUCKY PORK CHALLENGE COOKING COMPETITION A SUCCESS The 2015 Kentucky State Fair hosted the first ever Kentucky Pork Challenge cooking competition on August 27.

Sponsored by the Kentucky Pork Producers, cooks were invited to submit their most creative pork recipes combining fresh pork with up to five other ingredients for a main dish.

Taking top honors was Rita Safranek of Louisville, KY, who was awarded $250. Coming in second and awarded $100 was David Goodman of Louisville. In third place

was Lynn Rupley, who was awarded $50.

The Kentucky State Fair cooking competitions have become a favorite part of the fair for many cooks and food fans. The Kentucky Pork Producers look forward to seeing how the competition will grow in the coming years.

First place in the 2015 Kentucky Pork Challenge went to Rita Safranek (holding ribbon).

Safranek’s winning pork dish.

Second place in the 2015 Kentucky Pork Challenge went to David Goodman (holding ribbon).

Goodman’s second place pork dish.

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Third place in the 2015 Kentucky Pork Challenge went to Lynn Rupley (holding ribbon).

Rupley’s third place pork dish.

PORK CHECKOFF INSPIRES CONSUMERS TO CELEBRATE “PORKSGIVING” THIS HOLIDAY SEASON This holiday season, the Pork Checkoff is inspiring people across the country to say thank you to those who have given to others all year long by celebrating “Porksgiving,” a season for giving back with pork.

“There’s no better way to show someone your appreciation than with a home-cooked meal, and there’s no better meal than one made with pork,” said Randy Brown, chair of the Pork Checkoff Domestic Marketing Committee and a pig farmer from Nevada, Ohio. “We want to inspire everyone to celebrate those who selflessly give back to others with flavor-filled pork meals.”

This Porksgiving, the Checkoff is inviting consumers to visit PorkBeinspired.com/Porksgiving for inspiration and ideas on how to give back with juicy, tender pork.

The site offers consumers stories that highlight how pork fans coast-to-coast are showing their gratitude with the gift of pork. Visitors also will be able to see how pig farmers give back throughout the year, such as the many pounds of porkdonated to food banks, support given to the military and funds raised for those in need.

The site includes featured recipes and is being updated daily with new acts of Porksgiving.

“All the creative possibilities with pork make it the perfect ingredient in dishes this holiday season,” Brown said. “Our goal is to continue to inspire pork-passionate cooks and expand long-term pork demand.”

To add to the celebrations, consumers can wrap their gifts in bacon-designed wrapping paper. The wrapping paper can be purchased for Porksgiving and the holiday season at www.PorkBeinspired.com/Porksgiving.

Bacon wrapping paper available on the Porksgiving website.

The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. Importers of pork products contribute a like amount, based on a formula. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, science and technology, swine health, pork safety and sustainability and environmental management. For information on Checkoff-funded programs, pork producers can call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at (800) 456-7675 or check the Internet at www.pork.org.

Article provided by the National Pork Board.

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NATIONAL PORK BOARD DEFINES ANTIBIOTIC RESEARCH AND EDUCATION PRIORITIES The National Pork Board announced the seven members of its blue ribbon panel on antibiotics, an outcome of the Pork Checkoff’s stewardship plan first defined in June.

The new, third-party panel includes experts with specific experience and knowledge in antibiotic practices or consumer marketing, but who are independent of National Pork Board practices.

The panel’s call to action is to objectively review the status of antibiotic use in the pork industry and advise National Pork Board efforts in prioritizing research and producer education programs. Also, this independent panel will identify opportunities for improvement in current antibiotic practices and offer guidance in how to improve antibiotic stewardship in the pork industry. The panel members are: • Mike Apley, D.V.M. and Ph.D., food animal production medicine, Kansas State University • Bonnie Buntain, D.V.M. and professor emerita, public health and food safety, University of Calgary, and coordinator, veterinary medical and surgical program, University of Arizona • Mike Chaddock, D.V.M. and associate dean, College of Veterinary Medicine, Michigan State University • Chris Cochran, senior manager, food sustainability, Walmart • Jim McCollum, protein purchasing manager, Independent Purchasing Cooperative, Inc. • Justin Ransom, senior director, quality systems U.S., McDonald’s • Steve Solomon, M.D., public health consultant and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s office of antimicrobial resistance “The critical role antibiotics play in pig farming is one of the most misunderstood facets of food production today,” said Chris Hodges, National Pork Board chief executive officer. “We thank these leaders for their assistance and appreciate their range of expertise. From rigorous scientific study to foodservice and retail management, these experts will help us continue to build consumer trust and confidence in meat production.”

Toward that end, the National Pork Board has hosted meetings with its food chain partners, sharing the innovation of current production practices and efforts to responsibly use antibiotics. Since the U.S. pork industry introduced its new antibiotic stewardship plan in June, meetings have been held with animal health companies, pack-

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ers and processors, and retail and foodservice leadership.

“We are advancing in antibiotic stewardship, but antibiotics remain a vital part of our ability to address animal welfare and food safety issues,” said Michael Apley, a veterinarian and professor in clinical sciences at Kansas State University. “We can raise some animals without antibiotics, but not all.”

“The science is complicated, but we do know how to improve the use of antibiotics in both human and animal medicine,” said Steven Solomon, M.D., a public health consultant and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s office of antimicrobial resistance. “We need to better translate complex information about antibiotic use for the benefit of the food consumer and the medical community.”

The National Pork Board has defined a three-point plan of action focused on five research priorities, shaping educational outreach to pig farmers and broadly sharing information with the retail and foodservice industries and pork consumers.

• Research – Investing $750,000 in new research projects that span five distinct priorities intended to provide data for animal and public health outcomes (pig health/welfare, human health/safety, environmental impact and pork quality).

• Education – Updating the Pork Quality Assurance® Plus (PQA Plus®) farmer certification program in 2016 and investing up to $400,000 in education and awareness programs to ensure pig farmers understand and adopt new Food and Drug Administration rules for the use of medically important antibiotics (to treat human illness) in feed and water.

• Communications – Gathering industry leaders for meetings on responsible antibiotic use and sharing the U.S. pork industry’s story of continuous improvement with producers and consumer media through outreach, byline articles and advertisements.

“All of these efforts are focused on sharing our story of innovation and excellence in pork production. The bottom line is simple: safe food comes from healthy animals,” said Derrick Sleezer, National Pork Board president and a pig farmer from Cherokee, Iowa. “Our farmers are experts in animal care and sustainable farming. And that expertise is needed to maintain our track record of responsible antibiotic use. Our goal is to protect the health and well-being of people, pigs and the planet.”

Article provided by the National Pork Board.

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www.kypork.org Phone: (270) 737-5665 1110 Hawkins Drive Elizabethtown, KY 42701 Kentucky Pork Producers

KENTUCKY PORK PRODUCERS UPCOMING EVENTS January 15-16, 2016

KPPA Annual Meeting

Holiday Inn University Plaza Bowling Green, Ky.

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE: www.kypork.org