2011 Year in Review

Working for you.

2011 Review

A YEAR IN REVIEW Your association has continued to work for you in 2011. This review provides a summary of projects in consumer promotion, producer education and legislative efforts.

Thank you volunteers, National Pork Board (NPB) and National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).

Pork Be Inspired is Launched

On March 4, the National Pork Board (NPB) introduced a new look for pork to producers at Pork Forum. Spurred by new NPB funded research about pork consumers, Pork Be Inspired’s goal is to increase pork eatings by 10% in a core group of pork lovers. NPB aggressively advertised in magazines, on national television stations, placed online ads and offered unique social media interaction opportunities to create buzz.

KPA Involvement: Strategic support with key events, working with Kansas bloggers, online giveaways, advertising on local Kansas radio stations, television advertising and online video pre roll.

Legislative and Regulatory Issues

In the state legislature, your association was a member of a business coalition which provided input on immigration

legislation. The KPA also worked to ensure the funding for the Feral Swine Eradication Program was renewed. On regulatory issues, the KPA has worked on behalf of producers with the Kansas Department of Revenue, the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, and the Kansas Department of Commerce. On the Federal level, the KPA has worked with NPPC on many issues including food safety, antibiotics, climate change, free trade agreements, trucking, nutrient management, air monitoring, livestock competition, and taxes.

Direct Line

Direct Line is a monthly newsletter that keeps our members informed on industry news, upcoming events and hot topics.

KPA Involvement: Produces the newsletter.

National Pork Industry Forum

National and State representatives from Kansas attended the National Pork Industry Forum held in Pheonix, AZ Forum serves as the annual meetings of the National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council. The goal of the meeting was defining what it means to be a part of the world-class pork industry.

NPB shared this diagram early 2011 to explain how additional fresh pork eatings can reach the ultimate goal of 10% growth of pork eatings.

Congressman Tim Huelskamp, The Ambassador, Representative Sharon Schwartz, the Ambassador’s wife and Doug Schwartz take a second to visit. Bottom: Group picture of Sawin Family with visitors.

KPA Involvement: Delegates and the KPA staff attended.

Ambassador Visits Kansas Farm Brylin Farms, Schwartz Family Farms, industry supporters and your association hosted Congressman Huelskamp and the Ambassador of Vietnam to the United States, His Excellency Nguyen Quoc Cuong, in Washington, Kansas on August 24. The day began at the Brylin Farm, a swine finishing facility, and concluded at First National Bank in Washington, where the two leaders took part in a working luncheon.

KPA Involvement: Coordination and media support.

Pig Tales Magazine

Pig Tales is a four color, bimonthly magazine publication. It’s contents focus on the industry statewide and also incorporate news from the national level. Pig Tales is mailed to over 500 Kansas Pork Producers. Additionally, Pig Tales is disbursed to about 150 allied industry supporters, and nearly 150 complimentary persons including extension and university personnel.

KPA Involvement: Publish the magazine.

KPA on

Facebook has over 800 million active users. More than 50% of these users log on to Facebook in a given day and recent research by eMarketer.com finds when people follow a company on Facebook, they are 53% more likely to recommend or purchase it. Your association has used Facebook to increase it’s reach with consumers with giveaways, special pork offers and advertisements. Currently over 800 people “like” Kansas Pork on Facebook and the page has over 15,000 post views.

Connect with Kansas Pork Association by searching for Kansas Pork on Facebook.

KPA Involvement: KPA staff maintains content.

The Kansas Quick Bite offers interactive content and mouth-watering recipes for food purchasers to recreate at home.

E-News for Food Purchasers

Your association is creating a unique base of Kansas pork lovers using the Kansas Quick Bite E-Newsletter. On May 15, the first monthly e-newsletter hit mailboxes with a mix of seasonal pork recipes, cooking tips and special offers. Over 1300 food purchasers have subscribed to the e-news from advertisements placed on radio and blogger websites, and by signing up at various events statewide.

KPA Involvement: E-News creation, management and coordinating opportunities for e-newsletter recipient growth.

TV Ads Air in Topeka

To support the new brand launch, your association purchased 160 (qty) 30 second commercials that ran from May 23 and through October 30, on KSN (NBC) Wichita.

New Pork Be Inspired spots produced by the National Pork Board were utilized.

KPA Involvement: Coordinating use of national ad, coordinating seasonal commercial production and cost share with NPB to purchase the TV ad buy.

United Association Conference

Approximately 125 Kansas Family and Consumer Science Teachers and Extension

Specialists gather for their spring conference in Wichita. Your organization’s involvement provided the financial means and incentives for attendees to use pork in the classroom for cooking demonstrations.

KPA Involvement: KPA staff attended the event, hosted a booth with various teaching tools and sponsored five $50 pork Visa cards to use in classrooms to buy pork.

2011 Wendell Moyer Student Enrichment Grant

Alexandra Rath, an undergraduate in Animal Sciences and Industry with a Biotechnology option at Kansas State University received a $1,000 enrichment grant.

The grant was in remembrance of Wendell Moyer, a founding member of the Kansas Pork Association in 1956.

KPA Involvement: Funded the scholarship.

@KansasPork on

Twitter is a real-time information network site that gives you the latest information about what you find interesting. There are over 175 million registered users on Twitter and now KPA is a part of it too. Find us at @KansasPork for great recipes, giveaways and pork news.

KPA Involvement: KPA staff created the Twitter profile and maintains content.

KPA Chairman, Kent Condray and volunteers Lex Dealand and Megan Potter,DVM prepare juicy pork samples for passersby.

Football Promotion

Pork Checkoff’s “We Care” trailer grilled pork samples outside of Bill Snyder Family Stadium during the KSU-Missouri game on October 8. Kansas State University students and volunteers cut and prepared over 300 pounds of pork for tailgaters. Volunteers and sponsors included Kansas producers, KSU students, the National Pork Board staff and Seaboard Foods.

KPA Involvement: Volunteer ticket purchases, event management and coordination.

KNC and KDA Conference

Each year close to 300 dietitians, Family and Consumer Science teachers and WIC Professionals gather for the Kansas Nutrition Council (KNC) and Kansas Dietetic Association (KDA) conferences. This year Pete Sherlock, DVM of Washington Vet Clinic represented your association at the KNC’s conference. The panel’s goals were to discuss how farmers and ranchers produce safe, affordable and nutritious food. During the KDA conference, 63 attendees joined your association and Cargill, Inc. for the first Pork and Cork Dinner Event. The event was at Botanica, the Wichita Gardens and featured delicious food and Kansas wine paired by 2009’s Celebrity Chef Cook-off Winner Chef Jason Febres of Taste and See. The evening was also a learning opportunity and provided 1.5 units of continuing education. Attendees learned culinary skills and techniques, food styling and presentation skills, menu planning ideas, sensory perception and evaluation of food ingredients and agricultural and technological influences on food systems.

KPA Involvement: Coordinating speakers, dinner event and financial support of the dinner event.

Kansas 4-H Sponsorship

Your organization provides recognition for individual effort and achievement at the county and state level for Kansas 4-H’ers.

KPA Involvement: Kansas 4-H Patron Spon-

For juicy, tender and flavorful pork, it might be time to toss out Grandma’s advice.

sor program with an annual financial contribution.

Temp Announcement

Earlier this year the USDA changed it’s recommendations for cooking pork. According to the new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines, pork chops, roasts and tenderloins can be safely cooked to medium rare at a final internal cooked temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit as measured by a food thermometer, followed by a three-minute rest time.

KPA Involvement: Created and utilized new cooking information and material for food purchasers. Also focused on temperature news at educational events such as Taste of Home.

BaconFest KC

BaconFest KC was held Saturday, August 27. Your organization and the Missouri Pork Association were “Bacon Lovers” sponsors.

The sponsorship included multiple mentions on day of the event, signage around the event, “I did the pig” aprons for all contestants in the bacon eating and recipe contest. BaconFest KC is currently in it’s 3rd year and attracts over 1,500 bacon enthusiasts every year to enjoy local restaurants serving up samples of creative bacon fare, cold beer, unique bacon drinks and live music. The highlight of this great time is that the event is not only fun, but it is helping one of Kansas City’s non-profit organizations- The Rehabilitation Institute.

KPA Involvement: Coordinated and funded sponsorship.

Radio Ads Air

Radio offers your organization a large listening audience and the ability to target audiences at a competitive rate. Four radio ad campaigns aired on radio stations statewide this year. Other radio spots aired in conjunction with consumer events and pork month.

KPA Involvement: Coordinated spots for

BaconFest KC combined the excitement about pork your organization is seeking in consumers and is a testament to their devotion to our products.

use, buys and cost share with NPB to purchase the buys.

Taste of Home Cooking Schools

Taste of Home Cooking Schools are fourhour learning opportunities for attendees.

Most events include a two-hour trade show and a two-hour demonstration with culinary specialists. One of the best ways your association has found to reach approximately 4,500 primary home meal cooks in Kansas is by being a part of the trade show segment. Also this year, NPB sponsored the show nationally and showcased two recipes on stage.

KPA Involvement: KPA staff attended schools in Salina, Lawrence and Wichita.

KPA purchased booth space and served pork samples.

Pork Chop Open

Annual Pork Chop Open Tournament held on September 9 in Washington. Over 60 participants played in and competed for a chance to win the $10,000 hole-in-one on Hole 7. The tournament is a fund-raiser for your association.

KPA Involvement: Coordinated event.

KPA on Blogger

4 out of 10 Americans read blogs. To connect with those readers, KPA launched “Pigging Out and About� in late 2010.

The blog serves as a consumer restaurant guide, a place to provide cooking tips and a means to encourage pork consumption.

The blog is authored by two Kansas City Barbecue Society judges, Chris Petty and Mike Epler. The site has hosted over 6,000 visitors during its inception. Most traffic was driven by other social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. Visit http:// piggingout-n-about.blogspot.com/ to see the blog.

KPA Involvement: KPA staff created the blog and maintains content.

KPA on YouTube

YouTube is the most popular online video community worldwide that allows millions of people to discover, watch and share originally-created videos. Specific channels on YouTube allow people to share multiple videos, make friends and subscribe to video feeds. The KPA now has a YouTube channel and posted videos. To visit the channel and view videos, search YouTube for KansasPork.

Craig Good of Good Farms, Inc. answering questions from teachers visiting his farm.

KPA Involvement: KPA staff created the YouTube page and maintains content.

Ag in the Classroom

Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom helps teachers learn about the state’s agricultural industry. Each year they host graduate courses for Kansas teachers during the second week of June. The course brings together teachers from around the state and provided hands-on learning opportunities. KPA members, Craig and Amy Good own one of the farms that the group visited. While at Good Farms, Inc. teachers learned about the importance of teaching youth about agriculture, answered questions about how pigs are raised and how the environment is cared for on a the farm.

KPA Involvement: The Good Family is a member of your association, KPA staff presented pork teaching tools and offered free pork teaching tools to attendees.

Operation Main Street

OMS offers you the opportunity to have conversations about pork production, health and nutrition information, and current technologies in agriculture with food purchasers statewide.

Kansas has seven OMS speakers. KPA now has a total of 19 OMS speakers in Kansas. Those speakers have reached approximately 2,325 audience members.

KPA Involvement: Working with NPB to organize training, providing Kansas specific educational material and KPA staff participating in OMS.

Kansas FFA Sponsorship

Your organization provides support for the Swine Production-Entrepreneurship and Swine Production Proficiency Awards for excellence in the supervised agricultural experience (SAE) programs.

KPA Involvement: Award sponsor with a annual financial contribution.

KAMP Support

Kansas Association of Meat Processors and your organization worked together to provide a $500 award for the Innovative Pork Sweepstakes Product. This year’s winner was the Jalapeno Burger from Alan Waggoner of Yoder Meats.

KPA Involvement: Financial support for award.

Intern Makes A Difference

To enhance communications to food purchas-

Top: Christy Springer and Amy Clubine stop for a quick picture during the Just for Her Expo. Bottom: Chef Renee Kelly dishes up pork center stage.

ers your organization invested in Sara Schwertner, a graduate of Texas Tech University. Her work is now being used in multiple presentations, in your magazine and online.

KPA Involvement: Coordinated funding, oversaw Sara’s projects and funded additional cost of internship.

Community Outreach

The Community Outreach Programs is designed to assist individual pork producers in becoming more involved and visible in their local communities. This year your organization supported various events with the cost-share program.

KPA Involvement: Matched financial contributions to events with a $500 cap.

Kansas FACS Teachers Support

Each year, the Kansas Association for Career and Technical Teachers gathers in Overland Park for their annual conference. This year, KPA hosted a afternoon event during the conference for Family and Consumer Science Teachers at the Culinary Center of Kansas City showcasing three mouth-watering simple dishes for teachers to prepare in the classroom and gave out 40 $50 gift certificates to the teachers.

KPA Involvement: Purchased the 40 $50 gift cards and KPA staff presented at the luncheon.

Just For Her Expo

From June 3-4, your organization was the Food Sponsor for the Just For Her Expo. The event is Kansas City’s premier women’s expo and hosts approximately 7,500 women at the Overland Park Convention Center. The Food Sponsorship included a premier booth among the jam packed convention center by food vendors, mentions on local radio stations, and the Pork Be Inspired logo on all printed and online material. Sponsorship also included a 30 minute cooking demonstration, or Pork Inspiration Cafe, on the main stage by local celebrity, Chef Renee Kelly. Chef Renee is owner and operator of Caenen’s Castle in Shawnee.

KPA Involvement: Coordinated and funded sponsorship, booth and All Day Pork Cafe.

Youth at the Annual Bob Hines Swine Classic show livestock and learn about your industry.

KSU Support

It is important for your association to work closely with Kansas State University and the Swine Team. Specific events supported by your association over the last year include: Reciprocal Meats Conference, Junior Swine Programs, Graduate Student Trip, Bob Hines Swine Classic, Swine Day, and the PQA Plus Advisor Training Program.

KPA Involvement: Financial support.

SNA-KS Annual Conference

The School Nutrition Association of Kansas is a nonprofit professional organization representing more than 500 members whose mission is to promote quality school nutrition programs.

Your organization played a large part in the Annual Conference.

KPA Involvement: Conference and luncheon sponsor.

Working with Local Magazines

Your association has been working with Kansas magazines this year to further your checkoff dollars. Full page ads with new Pork Be Inspired images and full recipes were placed in 6 different magazines focused on women’s lifestyle and cooking.

KPA Involvement: Coordinated ads from NPB and financed the ads.

Blogger Relationships

Partnerships with local bloggers are growing each year. This year your association has made contact with 11 Kansas bloggers and has worked with 4 of these to generate buzz about pork. One specific example is a recipe

by MamaDweeb which has generated over 48,000 views on her website, in under 3 months.

KPA Involvement: Coordinate blogger outreach and blogger projects.

Retail Promotion

Your association has participated in multiple retail programs initiated by NPB. Some of those projects include, providing over 60 retail kits to grocers across the state during the brand launch, special coupon offers, and point of sale material to support the new temperature release. Specific retailers include Ray’s Apple Market, HyVee, and Kroger.

KPA Involvement: Coordination of special offers.

Kansas Pork Association President-CEO Tim Stroda Director Of Industry Relations Jodi Termine

2011 KPA Board of Directors Chairman: Kent Condray – Clifton Board Members: Jim Crane-- Liberal Kevin Deniston, Scott City Thomas Frederick – Hugoton Daniel Gerety-- Seneca Alan Haverkamp – Bern Jerry Morris-- Sedgwick Michael Springer – Sycamore Ron Suther – Blaine Jim Nelssen – Kansas State University

Questions, comments or concerns?

Contact us at Kansas Pork Association 2601 Farm Bureau Road Manhattan, KS 66502 785.776.0442 www.kspork.org

Kansas Pork Producers Council 2011 KPPC Board of Directors Chairman: Michael Springer- Sycamore Board Members Kent Condray – Clifton Alan Haverkamp – Bern Pete Sherlock- Washington

Working for you.