Pork Congress 2012 - Iowa Pork Producers Association

www.iowapork.org
The official publication of the Iowa Pork Producers Association
Vol. 49 NO. 2-3 March 2012
Pork Congress 2012
Also Inside:
Complete Iowa Pork Congress Summary
Eldon McAfee’s GIPSA, feed lien summaries
March 2012
1

2 March 2012

March Highlights
The 2012 Iowa Pork Congress was held
Jan. 25-26. Catch all of the highlights
beginning on page 24.
Programs are made available to pork
producers without regard to race, color,
sex, religion or national origin. The Iowa
Pork Producers Association is an equal
opportunity employer.
The Iowa Pork Producer is the official
publication of the Iowa Pork Producers
Association and sent standard mail from
Des Moines, Iowa, to Iowa pork producers
by the first week of the month of issue. The
publisher cannot guarantee the correctness
of all information or the absence of errors
and omissions, nor be liable for content of
advertisements.
All Iowa Pork Producer inquiries should be
directed to the Editor at:
Iowa Pork Producers Association
P.O. Box 71009
Clive, IA 50325-0009
Phone: (515) 225-7675
Iowa Toll-free: (800) 372-7675
FAX: (515) 225-0563
e-mail: info@iowapork.org
04 2012 IPPA Leadership
07 Randomly Speaking – A message from the president
12 System to save energy, reduce ammonia emissions
developed
14 2011 IPPA Membership Survey – Pork producers embrace
PQA Plus
16 Hog farmers want quicker payment from packers
18 Introducing the new IPPA president
20 IPPA co-sponsors Sacramento TOE
22 Dubuque chefs take top spots in Iowa Pork TOE
24 Keynote speaker decodes activist communications
26 2011 Master Pork Producer biographies
31 IPSC’s top Seedstock producer for 2011
34 Washington producers earn 2011 Pork All-American Award
35 SE Iowa producers are top environmental stewards
36 2011 Honorary Master Pork Producers
38 2011 IPPA Membership Award winners
40 Outstanding Project Award winners
42 Hog Wild, Belle Ringer award winners
43 Iowa Pork Foundation Scholarship fund gets boost
44 Des Moines residents enjoy free pork lunch
45 2012 Iowa Pork Youth Team selected
46 Three teams earn scholarships at Youth Swine Judging
Contest
47 One day, two awards for Wapello County pork producers
48 SunnyBrook inspired by pork
50 Feed suppliers prevail in Iowa Supreme Court feed lien ruling
52 Eldon McAfee summarizes new GIPSA Rule now in effect
55 2011 Exports top $6 billion
In Every Issue
08 Pork Industry News and Updates
56 National Pork Producers Council News
58 National Pork Board News
60 Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers News
61 Pork Recipes
62 Producers’ Market
MISSION STATEMENT
The Iowa Pork Producers Association is an industry inclusive organization whose
mission is to provide a unified voice to promote and educate for a sustainable,
socially responsible, profitable and globally competitive pork industry.
March 2012
3

IPPA 2012 Leadership
Iowa Pork Producers Association Board of Directors
Executive Committee
Bill Tentinger
President
Le Mars
Greg Lear
President-elect
Spencer
Leon Sheets
Past President
Ionia
David Struthers
Vice President of
Operations
Southwest Region
Collins
Mark Meirick
Vice President of
Resources
District 3
Protivin
Mark Johnson
Vice President of
Market
Development
Stakeholder
Leland
Jamie Schmidt
Vice President of
Producers Services
District 2
Garner
Conley Nelson
National Pork Board
Algona
Derrick Sleezer
National Pork Board
Cherokee
Howard Hill
National Pork
Producers Council
Iowa Falls
John Webber
National Pork
Producers Council
Dysart
Iowa Pork Association Mission Statement
The Iowa Pork Producers Association is an industry inclusive organization whose mission is to provide a unified voice to
promote and educate for a sustainable, socially responsible, profitable and globaly competitive pork industry.
4
March 2012

Directors
Joe Rotta
District 1
Merrill
Al Wulfekuhle
District 4
Quasqueton
Curtis Meier
District 5
Clarinda
Gene Moody
District 6
Maxwell
David Calderwood
District 7
Traer
Heather Hora
District 8
Washington
Marv Rietema
NW Region
Sioux Center
Joel Huber
SE Region
Wellman
Brenda Schmitt
NE Region
Rudd
Ryan Bailey
Allied
State Center
Craig Rowles
Stakeholder
Carroll
The Honorable Bill Northey
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Harold Hommes
Iowa Department of Agriculture
and Land Stewardship
Ex-officio Directors
Dr. John Mabry
Executive Director
Iowa Pork Industry Center
Dr. Maynard Hogberg
Chair, Animal Science Department
Iowa State University
Dr. Lisa Nolan
Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine
Iowa State University
March 2012
5

Place ad I created
for this space
Advertisers
The Iowa Pork Producers
Association would like to thank our
advertisers for supporting us. Be sure
to keep them in mind as you plan
your purchases throughout the year!
Absolute Insemination...........................11
Alltech....................................................49
Boehringer Ingelheim............................37
Boyce Livestock Co. LLC......................62
Central Life Sciences.............................19
Chore-time.............................................17
Compart’s Boar Store............................62
Hog House Alarms................................63
International Boar Semen......................62
Katolight.................................................59
Kerns Farms...........................................63
Land O’Lakes...........................................2
LSG Health Systems..............................63
Marvin Wuebker.....................................63
Merck.....................................................21
Pit Charger.............................................13
Producers Livestock..............................63
SFP........................................................32
Stutsman................................................25
Truline Genitics.......................................62
Uddertech................................................9
Waldo Farms, Inc...................................62
Whiteshire Hamroc................................63
ZFI..........................................................60
2012 Board of Directors IPPA Staff
Executive Committee
President
Bill Tentinger
President-elect
Greg Lear, Spencer
Vice President of
Operations
David Struthers, Collins
Vice President of
Resources
Mark Meirick, Protivin
Vice President of Market
Development
Mark Johnson, Leland
Vice President of
Producer Services
Jamie Schmidt, Garner
Past President
Leon Sheets, Ionia
NPPC
Howard Hill, Iowa Falls
John Weber,Dysart
National Pork Board
Conley Nelson, Algona
Derrick Sleezer, Cherokee
Directors
District 1 Joe Rotta, Merrill
District 4 Al Wulfekuhle, Quasqueton
District 5 Curtis Meier, Clarinda
District 6 Gene Moody, Maxwell
District 7 David Calderwood, Traer
District 8 Heather Hora, Washington
NW Region Marv Rietema, Sioux
Center
SE Region Joel Huber, Wellman
NE Region Brenda Schmitt, Rudd
Allied Ryan Bailey, State Center
Stakeholder Craig Rowles, Carroll
Ex-officio Directors
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
The Honorable Bill Northey
Iowa Department of Agriculture
and Land Stewardship
Harold Hommes
Iowa Pork Industry Center
Dr. John Mabry, Executive Director
Iowa State University
Dr. Maynard Hogberg
Dr. Lisa Nolan
Iowa Pork Youth Team
Queen, Lindsay Reth, Manchester
Princess, Sterling Schnepf,
Granville
Ambassador, Jacob Swanson,
Ottumwa
Directors
Rich Degner, Executive
Tyler Bettin, Producer Education
Ron Birkenholz, Communications
Doug Fricke, Tradeshow Marketing
Joyce Hoppes, Consumer
Information
Bob Huckleberry, Accounting
Cody McKinley, Public Policy
Kelly Sheets, Producer Outreach
Alison Swanson, Marketing/
Programs
Assistants
Sheryl Christensen, Administrative
Lea Clemenson, Programs
Mary Lea Hampton, Promotions
Andrea Wright, Technical
Magazine design and layout by
Mindz Eye Design
6 March 2012

Randomly Speaking –
A message from the president
Bill Tentinger
IPPA President
Dear Fellow Pork Industry Advocates,
I am proud, humbled and excited to serve you as your 2012 IPPA president. Proud because your association is regarded
and respected as a very well-run and professional group. I am proud because I represent some of the best and most
professional pork producers in the world. I am humbled because I know that I will be following in the footsteps of some
great past presidents who have lead this association through good times and bad times with professionalism. I am excited
because I look forward to serving all aspects of pork production. I hope to meet many new faces and continue to build
enthusiasm and respect for what the pork industry does for Iowa.
I look forward to working with the IPPA staff members because they are truly dedicated to the betterment of the Iowa
pork industry. Feel free to contact them at any time for help or with concerns about issues in pork production. I also look
forward to working with the board of directors, a group of dedicated industry leaders. I ask that they continue to come
together with open minds to discuss issues brought before them to reach a common goal for the betterment of the pork
industry in all of Iowa.
Your association will be involved in many public relations activities this year running TV and radio ad campaigns and also
getting more involved in social media. IPPA also will continue to be involved in the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance.
Public policy will be another area that will have heavy focus as we constantly monitor national and state issues that pertain
to our industry. Regulatory and rule-making issues seem to need the most attention.
There are some things that I would ask of those involved in our industry. One of them is to get involved wherever you can.
Be it helping out at a local grilling/promotion or speaking out wherever you see a need. The strength of this association
comes from you, the member. There is nothing that can beat or outperform putting a face on our industry. We are all in this
together. Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Always think about the We Care responsible pork initiative and truly believe
in what it stands for. Someday, this industry will be asked to prove that we mean it.
In closing, I thank you for the opportunity to serve this organization and look forward to the coming year. Please feel free
to contact anyone of the board members or myself with any concerns you might have.
Bill Tentinger
IPPA President
March 2012
7

Pork Industry News and Updates
Attendance up at Pork
Congress
Thanks to some unusually warm
January weather, nearly 4,600
people attended the 2012 Iowa
Pork Congress in Des Moines.
The Iowa Pork Producers
Association announced
that official attendance for
January’s event was 4,592.
This included pork producers,
animal caregivers, special
guests, speakers, students and
exhibitors.
Attendance was the largest for
Pork Congress since more than
4,700 attended in 2009. The twoday
show, held Jan. 25-26 at the
Iowa Events Center, attracted
people from nearly 20 states,
Mexico and Canada.
A wean-to-finish hog farmer
and livestock consultant from
Michigan attended the event for
the 20th straight year.
“I always like to come out and
enjoy the Iowa Pork Congress
and see the exhibits,” said Ron
Hayden, also a former exhibitor
at the show. “I like walking the
floor and finding out what’s
going on in the industry. I’m
mostly interested in the nuances
of feed efficiency, which with
higher input costs, is the
number one issue.”
More than 250 exhibitors,
including some international
companies, filled the tradeshow
floor with various pork- related
products and services. Several
exhibitors were at Pork Congress for
the first time.
Pork Congress also featured several
free business seminars, social events
and youth activities.
The 2013 Pork Congress will be held
in Des Moines Jan. 23 and 24.
Iowa-built SafeTHome on
display at Pork Congress
SafeTHome
A massive 2010 earthquake left
hundreds of thousands of Haitians
homeless, but Iowans are coming
to the rescue through the “Special
Delivery. Homes. Help. Hope. For
Haiti” campaign.
Coordinated by the Iowa Soybean
Association’s Iowa Food & Family
Project and the Iowa-based
Global Compassion Network, the
campaign seeks to raise funds
to deliver 48 SafeTHomes to the
Village of Hope in Les Cayes,
Haiti by June 1. Manufactured by
Sukup Manufacturing of Sheffield,
Iowa, the grain bin-like structures
cost $5,700 each. One of the units
was displayed at the Iowa Pork
Congress in January.
Each unit can provide shelter
for up to 10 people. The circular
units are 18-feet in diameter,
100 percent termite, fire and
waterproof, can withstand 130
mph winds and assemble onsite
with simple hand tools.
SafeTHomes are built with a
double heat shield roof to deflect
heat and with screened-in lockable
windows and door.
The Village of Hope was established
last year to offer transitional
housing to families displaced by the
earthquake. The five-acre village can
accommodate up to 50 SafeTHomes.
Donations also are being accepted to
cover costs of transporting the homes
and concrete to secure each unit.
“Special Delivery” was launched
in December and more than 20
SafeTHomes have been pledged to
date.
The Iowa Pork Producers Association
is a participating sponsor in the Iowa
Food & Family Project and supports
the “Special Delivery” campaign.
IPPA honors Dr. Palmer
Holden
For 40 years, Dr. Palmer Holden has
been a key member of the Iowa Pork
Producers Association’s Master Pork
Producer Award program, spending
countless hours each year travelling
Iowa with the committee to visit
nominees for the award, being the
official photographer and developing
8 March 2012

the visual portion of the awards
program at the Iowa Pork Congress
Banquet.
Holden announced his retirement
from the program last year and
IPPA presented him with a
Distinguished Service Award at the
2012 banquet in January.
Dr. Palmer Holden (left) receives IPPA
Distinguished Service Award from
2012 IPPA President Bill Tentinger.
He retired from Iowa State University
in 2002, but continued to serve the
Master Pork Producer program
and IPPA. ”He has maintained a
commitment even after retirement to
ensure proper recognition of Iowa’s
Master Pork Producers because he
believes in the program’s merits and
enjoys meeting new Master Pork
Producers each year,” said 2011 IPPA
President Leon Sheets in presenting
the award.
Holden plans to fully retire to Iowa
City to enjoy life with family and
grandchildren.
EPA announces plans to
revise CAFO regulations
On March 15, 2011, a fifth circuit
federal court of appeals in the
National Pork Producers Council
v. EPA case struck down a federal
EPA rule that required discharge
permits (National Pollution Discharge
Elimination System or NPDES
permits) for CAFOs that proposed to
discharge manure or other pollutants
into the waters of the U.S. The court
found that an NPDES permit cannot
be required unless there is an actual
discharge.
In a Dec. 8, 2011, memo to all 10 U.S.
EPA regional offices, the national
director of the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Office of
Wastewater Management stated: “In
response to NPPC, which applies
nationally, we will revise the CAFO
regulations to remove from the federal
regulations the requirement that
CAFOs that ‘propose to discharge’
have NPDES permits.” Because Iowa
law states that any NPDES permit
requirements for confinement
operations cannot be more strict than
federal EPA rules, Iowa DNR rules
adopted in the future cannot include
the propose-to-discharge standard.
EPA also reiterated that “CAFOs that
have discharged without a permit
only cease to be in violation of the
Act when circumstances that led to
their discharge have changed or been
corrected.” That is, if the cause of an
accidental discharge is changed or
corrected, then an NPDES permit is
not required.
McDonald’s joins HSUS in
calling for end to g-stalls
The McDonald’s Corp. announced
Feb. 13 that it’s requiring its U.S. pork
suppliers to outline plans to phase out
use of gestation stalls, according to
a statement that carried both the
McDonald’s and the Humane Society
of the United States’ logos. The move
is supported by HSUS, which has been
pressuring the pork industry for years
to end the use of g-stalls.
“McDonald’s believes gestation stalls
are not a sustainable production
system for the future,” said Dan
Gorsky, senior vice president of
McDonald’s North America Supply
Chain Management. “There are
alternatives that we think are better for
the welfare of sows. McDonald’s wants
to see the end of sow confinement in
gestation stalls in our supply chain.”
McDonald’s expects to receive the
results of the assessment of its U.S.
pork suppliers in May and then share
the results and its next steps.
“We are pleased to see a number of our
U.S. suppliers adopting commercially
viable alternatives,” Gorsky
said. “For example, Smithfield Foods
and Cargill have made significant
progress in this area. We applaud these
and future efforts.”
March 2012
9

10 March 2012

March 2012
11

System to save energy, reduce ammonia
emissions from livestock facilities developed
Researchers from North
Carolina State University and
West Virginia University have
developed a new technology
that can reduce air pollutant
emissions from some chicken
and swine barns, and also
reduce their energy use by
recovering and possibly
generating heat.
Specifically, the research team
designed, built and evaluated
a proof-of-concept unit that
incorporates a biofilter and
a heat exchanger to reduce
ammonia emissions from
livestock barns, while also
tempering – or heating up – the
fresh air that is pumped into the
barns.
The pollution removal component
utilizes a biofiltration mechanism,
in which polluted air is passed
through an organic medium, such
as compost or wood chips, that
contains bacteria. Those bacteria
interact with the pollutants and
break them down into harmless
or less harmful constituents.
Biofiltration also allows recycling of
nitrogen because when the “spent”
medium is applied on cropland, the
nitrogen becomes available to the
crops. However, biofiltration also
introduces additional costs for
animal agriculture operations. The
researchers hope to defray those
costs by reducing an operation’s
energy consumption.
Here’s how their prototype works:
warm, polluted air from the
livestock facility enters the biofilter,
and some of the heat is transferred
to the heat exchanger. When fresh
air from outside is pumped into
the building, it passes over the heat
exchanger, warming it up.
The prototype not only helps
recover heat from the facility, it also
produces its own heat. This heat
12 March 2012

is generated within the biofilter
when heat-producing biochemical
reactions occur – for example,
when the ammonia is converted
into nitrate by bacteria. The heat
from the biofilter is also routed to
the heat exchanger.
Maintaining the appropriately
high temperature is important
for chicken and swine operations,
because it is essential for rearing
chicks and piglets to maturity.
“The technology is best suited
for use when an operation wants
to vent a facility that has high
ammonia concentrations and pump
in cleaner air in preparation for
a fresh batch of chicks or piglets
– particularly in cold weather.
It is also suitable for use when
supplemental heat is required for
raising the young animals,” says Dr.
Sanjay Shah, an associate professor
of biological and agricultural
engineering at NC State and lead
author of a paper describing the
research. For this to be feasible,
it would be necessary to replace
a couple of the conventional
cold weather ventilation fans
with higher-pressure fans. Shah
explains that the technology is
not compatible with summer
ventilation using tunnel-fans,
because of the high cost and
choking effect on the fans.
Shah says the researchers focused
on ammonia removal because:
it is released from chicken and
swine barns in large quantities;
it contributes to nutrient loading
problems such as hypoxia; it is an
indirect contributor to greenhouse
gases (GHGs) because it can break
down into the potent GHG nitrous
oxide in the ground; and because it
is a precursor to very fine particulate
matter, which contributes to haze
and public health problems, such as
asthma.
Researchers showed that their
design is effective under real-world
conditions, operating their prototype
in a 5,000-bird chicken facility. The
prototype removed up to 79 percent
of ammonia and reduced the
energy needed to maintain the
necessary temperature in the
facility – recovering as much as
8.3 kilowatts of heat.
“We plan to continue working
to improve the system design
in order to make it even more
efficient,” Shah says.
March 2012
13

2011 IPPA Membership Survey
Survey says: Iowa pork producers embrace
PQA Plus
The pork industry’s Pork Quality
Assurance Plus was introduced
in 2007 and most of Iowa’s pork
producers are solidly supporting
the program.
The results of the 2011 Iowa
Pork Producers Association
Membership Survey, announced
at January’s IPPA Annual Meeting,
showed that 95 percent of the 438
people responding to the annual
questionnaire are certified in
PQA Plus. Iowa currently leads
the nation with more than 14,600
individual program certifications.
More Iowa pork producers have
completed the PQA Plus site
assessment than any other state
with more than 5,400 assessments
done to date, but the membership
survey shows that 32 percent of
the state’s hog farmers have yet
to complete that aspect of the
program. Of the 68 percent who
said they have had the assessment,
96 percent said it was a positive
experience.
Producers were asked in the
survey if they favored combining
PQA Plus and Transport Quality
Assurance into a single program
and 82 percent said they liked the
idea. A total of 55 percent of the
respondents are not TQA certified.
PQA Plus was launched as a
continuous improvement program
that outlines good production
practices in the areas of food
safety and animal well-being.
Individuals are first certified
through an education program.
Following certification, producers
invite PQA Plus advisors to
conduct an objective assessment
of practices on the farm.
“PQA Plus certification and the
site assessment process helps
show customers we care about our
animals and the safety of food we
produce and aids in continuous
improvement of our industry,”
IPPA Past President Leon Sheets
said in an association news release
last year.
Feed costs/availability
The 2010 survey revealed that
feed costs were the chief concern
among Iowa producers and
it remained the number one
headache in the 2011 survey.
Disease challenges finished a
close second, followed by market
prices/access, animal rights
activists and energy costs.
A big concern of IPPA leadership
in late 2010 and early 2011 was
whether pork producers would
have enough corn at their disposal
to feed livestock due to increased
competition for corn. Those
fears have not materialized to
date and 97 percent of the survey
respondents said they have had
no problems accessing feed grains
when asked the question. Sixtyseven
percent said they would
favor releasing non-sensitive CRP
acres for feed grain production.
Thirty-three percent said they
weren’t in favor of the idea.
As a possible indication of the
impact of higher feed costs, the
2011 survey found that more corn
grown by hog farmers was used for
their own feed needs. Around 72
percent of the corn grown by pork
producers was used for feed, up 12
percent from 2010.
On a related question, 72 percent
of the respondents reported using
dried distillers grains in their feed
rations. Those who use DDGS said
22 percent is used in both gestation
and finishing.
Marketing
One section of the survey asked
questions related to marketing.
Those responding to the survey
said they receive 1.56 bids before
selling market hogs and two
different processors purchase hogs
from them during an average year.
Most producers do not have a
marketing agreement with a
processor or third-party, according
to the survey. Fifty-seven percent
said they do not have a marketing
agreement Of the 43 percent who
said they do, there’s 1.73 years left
on the agreement and they rate it
fairly positively.
14 March 2012

Facilities
Producers were asked in the
questionnaire about the age of
their swine facilities. Twenty-nine
percent said their barns are 11 to
20 years of age. Nearly half of the
facilities are 10 years of age or less
and 24 percent are older than 20
years.
On maintenance and repair issues,
32 percent said they have major
repair needs and 81 percent of
those respondents said they plan to
reinvest in their facilities.
The use of gestation stalls in
farrowing operations was the
subject of a couple of questions.
Of those producers who farrow, 42
percent said they use the stalls and
58 percent said they don’t. When
asked if they plan to use gestation
stalls in the next five years, the
percentages were the same: 42
percent yes and 58 percent no.
Foaming issues in deep pit barns
have become a growing concern
in recent years and IPPA wanted
to find out how widespread the
problem is. Just 32 percent of the
respondents said they have seen
evidence of foaming in pits, but
they have found foaming in 40
percent of their pits.
The survey revealed that producers
have an average of 10.2 months of
on-farm manure storage capacity.
General issues
After a rugged couple of years,
2011 brought a return to
profitability for most producers.
How long will the good times
roll? Can it get better? IPPA asked
producers how they feel about the
immediate future of the industry.
When asked how optimistic they
were about the next two years,
80 percent said they were either
very optimistic or somewhat
optimistic. Just 2.6 percent were
not optimistic and 17.3 percent
were unsure.
Most producers who responded
don’t envision any changes in
their operation in the next five
years. More than 65 percent said
their operation would remain
the same size. Twenty-point-six
percent said they planned to
expand and 2.7 percent said their
business would be smaller.
Of the 2,500 surveys mailed to
Iowa pork producers, 18 percent
were returned. The average age
of the respondents was 57 years.
Producers also could respond
online. Results from the survey
are used by IPPA to help develop
more effective policies, positions
and programs.
Basic Survey Results
Avg. age of respondents: 57 years
% Owner/operators: 56%
% Contract: 38%
% Off-farm Employment: 21%
% Spouse Off-farm Employment: 55%
Production Type
Avg. # head Finished
2010 2011 2010 2011
Farrow-to-Finish 27% 26% 10,243 9,465
Farrow-to-Feeder 1% 2% 38,088 1,933
Farrow-to-Wean 6% 4% 36,363 36,385
Wean to Finish 37% 55% 8,904 8,907
Seedstock Producer 2% 3% 950 1,324
March 2012
15

2012 IPPA Annual Meeting
Producers want quicker payment from packers
Iowa’s pork producers are looking to get paid
quicker when they take their hogs to market.
Delegates at the 2012 Iowa Pork Producers Association
Annual Meeting in Des Moines Jan. 24 unanimously
passed a resolution encouraging meat packers to offer
electronic funds transfer as a form of payment to
producers. The resolution also seeks to make payment
deposits available within one business day.
“We need a consistent process for being
compensated [for hog sales] and there are
opportunities for electronic funds transfer,” said
Todd Wiley, a pork producer delegate from Benton
County.
The resolution, submitted by the Benton County
Pork Producers, cited the proliferation of electronic
banking and impending inefficiencies of the U.S.
Postal Service as reasons for seeking electronic
payments from packers.
The job now falls to IPPA and the National Pork
Producers Council to encourage packers to offer
EFT as a payment option.
Only three other resolutions were submitted for
action at the annual meeting and all were approved
with little or no debate.
The 106 delegates in attendance approved a
resolution offered by the Montgomery County
Pork Producers to have NPPC and the U.S. Trade
Representative work with Canada and Mexico to
negotiate a legal World Trade Organization solution
to Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). The WTO
has determined the current COOL trade regulations
between the three North American countries are
illegal.
Export trade is extremely important to the pork
industry and disagreements need to be settled
2011 IPPA President Leon Sheets delivers his
“State of the Association” address to delegates at the
IPPA Annual Meeting Jan. 24.
before they result in retaliation such as the U.S.-Mexican
trucking dispute, the resolution read.
The other two resolutions were submitted by the
IPPA Past Presidents’ Committee. One called on IPPA
and NPPC to oppose any federally mandated animal
production systems. “We don’t need our government
telling us how to raise pigs,” said IPPA Past President
Tim Bierman. “We want freedom to operate.”
Delegates also approved a resolution dealing with
proposed changes in the child labor laws, which the U.S.
16 March 2012

Department of Labor has already said will be revised
to accommodate on-farm work by children. IPPA
and NPPC were directed to support parental rights
on determining work endeavors on farms that are
appropriate for children, as well as organizations and
programs that actively involve youth in agriculture.
Delegates from all eight IPPA districts attended
the meeting at the Des Moines Marriott and heard
various state and national reports and received
results of the 2011 IPPA Membership Survey. Iowa
Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds addressed the attendees,
Dr. Steve Meyer of Paragon Economics provided
an economic update and National Pork Board CEO
Chris Novak discussed the industry’s participation
in the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance and how
the alliance will promote agriculture. 2011 IPPA
President Leon Sheets of Ionia also presented the
“State of the Association” address.
regulate dust and other particulate matter, requiring
all CAFOs to register with the Environmental
Protection Agency and the new GIPSA rule were
among the issues.
“Rules provide structure that we all find comforting,
however we don’t need a rule for every possible
situation,” Sheets said. “More common sense and
fewer rules could better serve the citizens of the
United States.”
The meeting concluded with the honoring of several
retiring IPPA Board members and the passing of
the gavel from Sheets to 2012 IPPA President Bill
Tentinger of Le Mars.
Sheets discussed how increased revenues from
a strong hog market have allowed IPPA to
fund new research projects addressing manure
issues. “Additional research will be conducted
on the impact of manure application on ground
to be planted to soybeans,” he said. The Iowa
Environmental Protection Commission has focused
on the issue for several years and a final regulation
will be introduced to Iowa pork producers next year.
IPPA also is directing additional research funds
to the problem of manure foaming in pits under
hog buildings. “Iowa State University has agreed to
coordinate the effort, which will include universities
in neighboring states,” Sheets added.
Sheets addressed the alliance in his association
update. “Too many people in the U.S. are removed
from agriculture, so the organizations are investing
in the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance,” said
Sheets. “The alliance is viewed as a critical way for
all of U.S. agriculture to come together and tell a
positive story. People in the U.S. have lost touch with
agriculture and this is an opportunity to help them
connect.”
The industry was kept busy in 2011 responding to
proposed legislation and regulations that would
negatively impact pork producers. Proposals to
March 2012
17

New IPPA president says industry needs to
keep telling its story
The new president of the Iowa Pork
Producers Association believes the
industry’s most pressing challenge
this year is maintaining the right to
operate.
Bill Tentinger of Le Mars in
Plymouth County was installed as
the 2012 president at the conclusion
of IPPA’s Annual Meeting in Des
Moines Jan. 24. He succeeds Leon
Sheets, a pork producer from Ionia
in Chickasaw County.
“It is becoming increasingly more
important for the pork industry to
be open and vocal about what we
do,” he said. “We need to not only
tell the story about feeding the
world and producing a safe product,
but also that we can be good to the
environment while we provide jobs
for our communities.”
One of Tentinger’s biggest
concerns as a producer is increased
government regulation. He hopes
that 2012 will mean continued
profitability for the industry and he’d
like to see progress made toward
managing or eradicating Porcine
Reproductive and Respiratory
Syndrome (PRRS) from the herd.
Tentinger is a long-time IPPA
member and has served on the board
for the past seven years, chairing and
serving on numerous committees
as well. He says the thought of now
being the president of the state
association is both exciting and
sobering.
“First of all, it is exciting to know
that I am following in the footsteps
of some of the most dedicated
leaders in the pork industry in
Iowa,” Tentinger said. “Secondly,
it’s exciting to be able to be a
spokesman for and lead a very
important segment of the rural
economy of Iowa. It is sobering
to realize that I am at the helm
of an organization that is so well
organized and staffed with great
professionals.”
His goals for the coming year are
to “continue to have a board of
directors that can work together,
discuss issues brought
before it and find common
ground to better serve the
pork industry in Iowa.”
Tentinger has farmed and
raised hogs in northwest
Iowa for 43 years. He has
350 sows that produce
7,200 pigs each year.
He also purchases an
additional 3,000 iso pigs
that he finishes to increase
his total number marketed
annually to 10,000.
He also grows corn and
soybeans and is a member
of the state corn and
soybean associations, as
well as Farm Bureau.
2012 IPPA President Bill Tentinger (left) accepts the gavel from Leon Sheets,
2011 IPPA president.
18 March 2012

March 2012
19

IPPA co-sponsors first-ever Sacramento Taste
of Elegance
The Iowa Pork Producers Association, along with the
Missouri and California pork producers, sponsored the
first-ever Taste of Elegance event in Sacramento, Calif.,
in December. The contest was held on Dec. 6 at the
DoubleTree Sacramento.
The event was unique in that it allowed culinary
students to compete in the contest as well as chefs.
Three Sacramento-area culinary school students took
advantage of the opportunity and nine chefs from
various Sacramento-area restaurants also competed.
“The IPPA Restaurant & Foodservice Committee
had been looking for a market on the west coast
to sponsor a Taste of Elegance competition and so
this was a great opportunity to partner with the
Missouri Pork Association and the California Pork
Producers Association and promote pork in California
restaurants,” said IPPA Marketing & Programs Director
Alison Swanson.
honors. Second place went to Chef Alessandra Pichardo
of the Institute of Technology in Citrus Heights, Calif.,
and 3 rd place was awarded to Jimmy Morales, a student
at the Art Institute of California, Sunnyvale. Pichardo
also won the People’s Choice Award.
“Overall, we were very pleased with how the Taste of
Elegance event went in Sacramento,” said Swanson. “I
was pulled in as a judge at the last minute and I can tell
you that it wasn’t an easy job. I was impressed to find
out that West Coast chefs knew how to cook pork just as
well as chefs in the Midwest.”
IPPA Restaurant & Foodservice Committee members
Grace Evans and Linda Madison
also attended the event.
Chef Molly Hawks took 1 st place honors and was named
Chef Par Excellence with her “Duo of Pork” entrée. The
dish consisted of charred tenderloin and house smoked
pork shoulder, Italian butter beans and broccoli rabe.
Hawks owns “Hawks,” a restaurant in Granite Bay, Calif.
She also won a place in the 2012 Pork Summit that will
be held this spring at the Culinary Institute of America
in St. Helena, Calif. The event is sponsored by the
National Pork Board.
Second place, or Superior Chef, went to Chef Clay
Purcell with his “Pork and Beans ‘Italian Sausage’
Cassoulet.” Purcell is employed with the Tower Bridge
Bistro in Sacramento.
The title of Premier Chef was awarded to Chef Adam
Pechal of Restaurant Thir13en in Sacramento. Pechal
placed with his “Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with
Butternut Squash — Potato Gratin, Caramelized
Brussels Sprouts and Pomegranate Gastrique.”
The three competing culinary students also were judged
and awarded placement. Chef Michael Ambriz, Jr. from
the Art Institute of California, Sacramento took 1 st place
20 March 2012

March 2012
21

Dubuque chef named Chef Par Excellence at
2012 Iowa Pork Taste of Elegance
A chef from the Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque was
proclaimed the winner of the 2012 Iowa Pork Taste of
Elegance competition in Des Moines.
Chef Jon Nelson was named Chef Par Excellence in the
Iowa Pork Producers Association’s 25 th annual culinary
contest Jan. 23. He prepared a pork dish he titled
“Pur Porc.” Nelson earned a plaque, $1,000 and the
opportunity to compete in the National Taste of Elegance
event in California this spring.
Another Dubuque chef placed second in the contest and
earned the title of Superior Chef. Chef Andrew James
Weis of Caroline’s Restaurant at the Hotel Julien Dubuque
prepared an entrée titled “Pork Ribeye Specialty” and he
won a plaque and $500.
The third place winner was Chef Aaron King of Dos
Rios/Big City Burgers and Greens/Catering DSM in
Des Moines. As Premier Chef, King received a plaque
and $250. His “Pork 3 Ways” entrée featured Honey and
Cider Caramelized Pork Belly, Morse Farms Satsuma
Mandarin Marmalade, Pig Skin Ravioli, House-cured
Whiskey Smoked Ham and Lentil Parfait, and Adobo
Pork Loin with Negro Mole.
Chef Joseph Weisz of the Iowa Stater Restaurant in
Ames took home the People’s Choice Award. The 2011
Iowa Pork Taste of Elegance Superior Chef was a lastminute
replacement in the contest and he won a plaque
and $250 with an entrée he called “Tre Carbonara.”
A total of eleven chefs from Iowa restaurants competed
for the top prize in this year’s contest at the Des Moines
2011 Iowa Pork Queen Cheyenne McNichols with Chef Jon Nelson, 2012 Iowa Pork Taste of Elegance Chef Par Excellence
22 March 2012

Nearly 300 invited guests enjoyed the evening reception
Marriott. A visiting chef from Manitoba, Canada,
competed, but was only eligible for the People’s Choice
Award.
Each of the chefs was required to use a fresh pork cut
in an original entrée. The winning pork dishes were
selected on the basis of taste, appearance and originality
by a panel of judges.
Following the day’s competition, nearly 300 invited
guests enjoyed the evening reception and samples of
each contestant’s entrée, as well as samples from several
Central Iowa wineries.
The Taste of Elegance is a Pork Checkoff-funded culinary
competition designed to inspire innovative and exciting
ways to menu pork. This event brings together talented
chefs from across Iowa for an elegant occasion that
highlights pork and its popularity as a menu favorite.
The 2012 IPPA Taste of Elegance competition helped
kick off the 40 th annual Iowa Pork Congress, held Jan. 25
and 26 at the Iowa Events Center.
2012 Taste of Elegance Participating Chefs
• Chef Aaron King - Dos Rios/Big City Burgers
& Greens/Catering, Des Moines
• Chef Patricia Weidner - Prairie Meadows Racetrack
& Casino, Altoona
• Chef Rick Beaulieu - Bev’s On The River, Sioux City
• Chef Jon Nelson - Diamond Jo Casino, Dubuque
• Chef Ephraim Malag - Tournament Club of Iowa,
Polk City
• Chef Rob Thomas - Manitoba, Canada
• Chef Justin Scardina - La Rana Bistro. Decorah
• Chef Andrew James Weis - Caroline’s Restaurant/
Hotel Julian, Dubuque
• Chef Bryan Manning - Hotel Fort Des Moines/
Raccoon River Brewing Co., Des Moines
• Chef Robert Day - The Faithful Pilot Café & Spirits,
Le Claire
• Chef Henry Rodriguez - Otis & Henry’s Bar & Grill,
Waterloo
• Chef Daniel Ankrum - Art House Café, Waterloo
March 2012
23

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Mastering Meaty Messages:
Keynote speaker decodes activist communications, urges producers to
speak out
By Darcy Maulsby
Ever wonder why activist groups have been so effective
at attacking animal agriculture and influencing public
opinion? It starts with the power of persuasion.
“These groups know that pet-owning, meat-eating
consumers have one animal in their heart and one
on their plate,” said Dr. Wes Jamison, an associate
professor of communication at Palm Beach Atlantic
University who was the keynote speaker at the 2012
Iowa Pork Congress. “Activist groups excel at repeating
simple, easy-to-understand messages that are relevant
to this audience.”
Animal rights activism often functions like a religious
belief, added Jamison, who noted that this belief
stresses that livestock confinement systems go against
God’s natural order. To spread their message, groups
like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
have taken a faith-based communications approach
(www.humanesociety.org/about/departments/faith/) that:
• Targets pet owners and taps into their feelings
about companion animals to undermine animal
agriculture. People who love their cat or dog are
made to feel bad about having one animal as a
“family member” while eating other animals for food,
said Jamison, who noted that it’s not unusual for
these people to be willing to spend $4,000 on a hip
replacement for a 12-year-old poodle. “Today’s urban
society views animals in a fundamentally different way
than we have in the past. The public has lost contact
with their food supply, and the contact that they do
have with animals is much different than when we
were an agrarian society. People are now encouraged
to view production agriculture animals in the same
way they view their pets.”
Dr. Wes Jamison makes a point during his keynote address at the 2012 Iowa Pork Congress.
24 March 2012

• Makes people feel guilty for using animals as
food, but doesn’t ask them to stop eating meat.
Instead, activist groups ask people to “help stop/
reduce the suffering” by contributing money or giving
political support. “Consumers are told that they
don’t have to change their consumption habits,”
said Jamison, who has studied the animal rights
movement for nearly 20 years. “They just have to
help activist groups help the pigs by donating money
to support the groups’ legislative efforts.”
Activist groups also are using undercover videos of
alleged animal abuse on farms to spur action from their
latest target — grocery retailers. “Animal advocates have
targeted retailers to bring about ‘value chain disruption,’”
Jamison said. “Retailers guard their brands jealously,
and when a potential animal welfare scandal appears
to negatively affect their brand, they will take immediate
action rather than suffer brand diminishment or cede a
competitive advantage to other retailers regarding animal
welfare.”
Taking control of the message
Given all these attacks on animal agriculture, what
can the pork industry do to take control? Jamison said
producers must lead the charge. Farmers must be willing
to demonstrate what they do on the farm, as well as how
and why they do it.
“If we don’t do this, we’re providing the opponents of
animal agriculture with a ready-made opportunity to
show a video of our production or processing practices
and make it look like we’re hiding something. Animal
agriculture must be able to stand up for itself and morally
claim the high ground, saying, ‘What we do is the right
thing to do.’”
us to bring animals from farm to family. We
farmers take that sacred trust very seriously.” In
addition, farmers must re-consecrate the act of
using animals to disarm opponents’ arguments
that animals are a mere commodity. This involves
re-framing the view of animal agriculture around
respect and thankfulness, Jamison said. A
viable message could communicate that, “We
acknowledge the sacrifice that animals make for
us. We treat them with respect and thankfulness
and are grateful that animal agriculture provides
food security.”
Farmers also must be aware of the pitfalls of
brand hypocrisy, which can occur when an
individual, a company or an industry does not live
up to the values it appears to embrace. Consider
Tiger Woods’ fall from grace that marred his brand
of perfection and excellence.
“In pork production, it’s important to walk the talk
of the industry’s We Care program,” Jamison said.
“Just one negative video that demonstrates brand
hypocrisy can lead to a brand crisis that damages
pork producers’ credibility.”
Pork producers also will have to become more
sophisticated with the messages they use to
communicate their story, stressed Jamison, who
noted that the stakes are high. “With a growing
global population and increased demand for food,
there’s no question that pork production will take
place somewhere in the world. The big question
is where this production will occur. Beating the
activists at their own game will provide a key
opportunity for farmers to keep producing pork
here at home.”
When sharing agriculture’s story with the public, Jamison
recommends using messages like, “Consumers trust
March 2012
25

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
IPPA announces 2011 Master Pork Producers
Iowa’s best pork producers
have been named Master Pork
Producers by the Iowa Pork
Producers Association and Iowa
State University since 1942. The
producers selected for the 2011
award have joined an impressive
list of the best and brightest pork
producers of the past seven
decades.
While production methods have evolved over the years,
so have the selection criteria. Today’s Master Pork
Producer candidates must take daily responsibility for
the health and well-being of the swine in their care to
be considered. Production efficiency with supporting
records, expertise in one or more segments of the
production cycle, and an
understanding of industry issues
such as quality assurance, animal
identification and animal welfare
are other keys to receiving the
award.
There is considerable diversity
and specialization in pork
production in Iowa today and
the 2011 class of Master Pork
Producers is representative of the diversification. The
majority of hog farming is still done primarily by farm
families and the production diversity helps maintain the
strength of the Iowa pork industry and enables Iowa
producers to compete successfully in the domestic and
international commodity and specialty markets.
Congratulations to the 70 th class of Master Pork Producers!
Bernard and David Arnts
Alta, Buena Vista County
Bernard and David have raised pigs for 24 years and run a
coordinated 250-sow farrow-to-finish system on two locations.
In 2010, they marketed nearly 4,000 hogs to Hormel and
Producers Livestock. They apply manure from their operation
to 1,000 corn and soybean acres, which are part of their family business.
Identification System.
The Arnts brothers are both PQA Plus ® - and TQA ® -certified. Their pork site has been
PQA Plus-assessed and they have registered their premises with the National Animal
Bernard and David are active in the Buena Vista County Pork Producers Association. Bernard also is a member of the
Alta Community Education Foundation and David is a township trustee.
Bernard and his wife, Peg, and David and his wife, Cheryl, are active in church, school and community activities. Peg
and Cheryl both work off the farm as preschool teachers. Bernard and Peg have four children. David and Cheryl have
five children.
26 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Randy and Deb Cooklin
Jefferson, Greene County
The Cooklins have been raising pigs for 43 years and they
currently feed pigs on contract at separate sites for two larger
area hog farmers.
Deb operates a 600-head nursery for a local family business and Randy manages a 3,300-
head wean-to-finish site purchased in 2009. The Cooklins provide all of the labor and
management for both sites. Both are very conscious of biosecurity and herd health issues.
Randy and Deb are PQA Plus- and TQA-certified and their sites have been PQA Plus-assessed.
In addition to raising hogs, the Cooklins manage a cow-calf herd and farm 500 acres of crop ground.
Both are active in church and community activities and have served as 4-H leaders for more than 25 years. Randy and Deb are
active in both the Greene County Pork Producer and Cattlemen’s associations. Randy has been on the local cattlemen’s board
for more than 20 years and has served as beef superintendent at their county fair for several years.
The Cooklins have three adult children and two grandchildren.
Steve and LaVonne Flygstad
Ellsworth, Hamilton County
The Flygstads have been in pork production for 37 years and
are currently raising hogs on contract with Murphy-Brown, LLC.
In 2004, with the encouragement of Murphy-Brown staff, Steve
and LaVonne leased 20 barns from Murphy-Brown and assumed management of another
24 finishing barns. They have purchased 10 barns and manage the other 29 for a variety
of owners, both local and distant. In 2006, all sites were converted to wean-to-finish.
The Flygstads now operate 39 barns in central Iowa with their daughter, Lisa, and two
employees. LaVonne and Lisa start each group while Steve is responsible for finishing and building maintenance. They
all assist with receiving weaned pigs and market swine load-outs.
Steve, LaVonne and all of their employees are PQA Plus-certified. All of the production sites are PQA Plus-assessed and
have manure management plans. Manure is applied on adjacent land or sold by the building owners.
The couple is active in their local church and community. They also have hosted a number of foreign and supplier visitors
who want to understand modern U.S. pork production.
The Flygstads have two adult children and three grandchildren.
March 2012
27

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
David and Kim Friese
Washington, Washington County
The Friese family operates a 550-head nursery and 1,100-
head finisher in Washington County. Two nearby finish facilities
David built are leased to a local producer.
They have an ownership share in Walnut Meadows Sow Center that supplies 550 weaned
pigs every nine weeks. Market hogs are sold to Excel in Ottumwa.
David has been raising pigs for 21 years and provides labor and management for the
hog operation. He is PQA Plus-certified and the sites have been PQA Plus-assessed. David and Kim also farm 750 acres
of crop ground.
The Frieses are active in church and school activities and serve on the Washington School Advisory Committee and as
volunteer classroom aides. A retired fire and rescue member, David still helps with fire safety demonstrations for schoolchildren.
He is active at the Washington County Swine Fair and helps grill for county pork functions.
David and Kim have three sons.
Ben and Janelle Johnson
Ireton, Plymouth County
Ben has raised pigs for five years since graduating from
South Dakota State University. The Johnsons are part-owners
and operators of two 2,400-head wean-to-finish buildings and
Ben finishes hogs on a contract basis for a large integrator.
Ben has shown his commitment to doing things right by earning certification in the
pork industry’s PQA Plus and TQA programs and having his production site PQA Plusassessed.
The Johnsons live on a Century Farm and Ben raises 550 acres of row crops with an uncle.
Ben and Janelle are both active in the Iowa Farm Bureau. They currently are on the Young Farmer Advisory Committee
and have been recognized as emerging young farm leaders. Ben is active in the Plymouth County Pork Producers
Association and participates in grilling and other activities. Janelle is office manager for the Iowa State University
Extension office in Plymouth County.
28 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Joel and Faye Kooima
Rock Valley, Sioux County
Pork producers for 40 years, the Kooimas own a 130-sow
farrow-to-finish operation. Joel and Faye also partner with
several of their four sons on contract finishers in the Rock Valley
area. They are very aware of biosecurity concerns and manage
their operation to minimize visitors and other risks.
Joel is PQA Plus- and TQA-certified and his sites have been PQA Plus-assessed.
He applies all manure from this site and receives manure from the partner units to fertilize their crop ground. They farm about
700 acres, equally split between corn and soybeans, and are pleased with the value of the manure the hogs produce for the
crops.
The Kooimas are long-time members of the Sioux County Pork Producers Association. They also participate in church and
community activities and enjoy spending time with their seven grandchildren.
Dallas Muhlenbruch
Dows, Franklin County
Muhlenbruch, who has raised hogs for 34 years, is now a
contract finisher for Murphy-Brown, LLC. He owns and operates
a 4,000-head wean-to-finish site described as one of the most
productive in the Murphy-Brown district.
Dallas and his son, Tyler, who recently joined the business, are both PQA Plus-certified and
the production site has been PQA Plus-assessed.
In addition to the swine business, Muhlenbruch also raises corn and soybeans on 2,000 acres around the production site.
Dallas and his wife, Kim, are active in church and community affairs and they take great pride in multi-generational family
activities. They have four adult sons and two grandchildren.
Muhlenbruch has been active in the Iowa Corn and Soybean organizations. He was president of the Iowa Soybean
Association and has served on the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation Board. He is a member of the Farmers
Mutual Insurance Board and is a past member of the Farmers Coop Board.
March 2012
29

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Tom Nicolaus
Whittemore, Kossuth County
Nicolaus has raised hogs for 30 years, but 24 of those years
were spent in Ohio where he also custom-farmed 400 acres
for 15 owners and worked as an over-the-road trucker. When
his wife suddenly passed away, Tom and his teenage son
came to Iowa and settled in the Whittemore area. He currently custom feeds hogs for
another area producer and Whittemore Feeds. His operation sold 1,200 feeder pigs and
3,000 market hogs to various packers in 2010.
Tom is PQA Plus-certified and the site has been PQA Plus-assessed.
Nicolaus also grows 400 acres of corn and soybeans and applies manure from the hog barns to the fields under an
approved manure management plan. He also does custom manure application.
Tom is active in the Kossuth County Pork Producers and he also assists with the local FFA chapter. His son is an Iowa
State University student.
Allen Whiley
Iowa Falls, Hardin County
Whiley joined Iowa Select Farms in 1993 and became director
of finishing in 2008. He has been involved in pork production
for 30 years. Allen’s responsible for all production decisions,
grower/contractor relations, marketing strategies and capacity
utilization. He and his management team oversee pork production at 528 nursery, weanfinish
and grow/finish sites throughout Iowa. Whiley manages 240 employees and 340
contract producers to raise three million market hogs annually. He also manages the
Iowa Select research farm, where feed and nutritional research is conducted.
Allen and all his employees and contractors are PQA Plus- and TQA-certified and all of the production sites have been
PQA Plus-assessed. Iowa Select’s recent introduction of the SelectCare initiative requires all of the sites to undergo
annual PQA Plus assessments and internal animal well-being audits.
Whiley and his wife, Kim, have two grown children and one grandson. Both are active in church and civic activities and
Allen has previously coached youth sports.
30 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Iowa Purebred Swine Council selects its top
seedstock producer for 2011
The Iowa Purebred Swine Council has named its Master Seedstock Award winner for 2011.
Robert Behnkendorf of Algona was presented with the award at the 40th annual Iowa Pork Congress Banquet in Des
Moines Jan. 25.
The Iowa Purebred Swine Council has sponsored the Master Seedstock Award since 1958. Its purpose is to recognize significant
contributions to the Iowa and national purebred industries and for evidence of genetic improvements within their selected breeds
for the benefit of Iowa, the nation and, in many cases, internationally.
Behnkendorf has raised purebred swine for 35 years
under a variety of arrangements. He and his brother,
Dennis, operated the original Behnkendorf Brothers herd
from 1962 until 1967. Dispersal was required due to
completion of college and pending military obligations.
In 1982, Bob guided his sons into production of the Spots
breed. They expanded to include Hampshire and Chester
White breeds and operated until 1997. In the interim, they
graduated from Iowa State University and moved onto
other careers. In 1997, Bob took over and maintained
the Spots and Black Poland China breeds with a few
Hampshires.
Throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, Bob was a Hormel hog
buyer and later became the Kossuth County Extension
education director.
Behnkendorf rents several production facilities outside
Algona. He sells purebred breeding stock and crossbreds
for show pigs. He markets custom butchering through a
local locker plant. His true loves are the purebred pigs and
teaching those around him about his breeds.
Bob and wife, Pat, are PQA Plus-certified. They have no
crop production or other livestock. Bob is current president
of the Iowa Purebred Swine Council and has taken an
active role in enhancing that organization.
Behnkendorf has been an Iowa State Fair exhibitor since 1982 and has won numerous Premier Exhibitor Awards. He had a reserve
champion Spot in the 2011 Iowa State Fair. He also is a member of the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame.
March 2012
31

32 March 2012

March 2012
33

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
2011 IPPA Pork All-American Award
A farm couple from Washington has been named the 2011 Pork All-
American by the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
Dan and Rachel Berdo received their award during the 40th annual Iowa
Pork Congress Banquet in Des Moines Jan. 25.
The Iowa Pork Producers Association and the Iowa State University
Extension Service have named a Pork All American each year since
1970. The award was established to honor a young pork producer who
is recognized as a successful and dedicated businessperson and a
community leader. It’s the highest honor an individual pork producer can
receive! The recipient must be an IPPA Master Pork Producer and under the
age of 40.
The Berdos own and manage a 700-sow farrow-to-finish operation with
Dan’s father, John. They constructed a 1,200-head finishing barn in 2010,
but most of the grower pigs are placed with local contract finishers. Breeding
is on one site with sows moved prior to farrowing.
Dan and Rachel strive to maintain maximum productivity. There are seven
rooms of stalls with continuous farrowing. They wean every two weeks at
two sites. Weaned pigs are sent to an off-site nursery to improve health and
performance.
Dan and two employees working with pigs are PQA Plus- and TQA-certified and all sites are PQA Plus-assessed.
Dan spreads the manure for his sites on 415 crop acres and on contractor land with contract sites. Rachel works to keep
books both for their operation and for her parents, Jerome and Heidi Vittetoe, 1991 Pork All-Americans.
The Berdos have an agreement with contractors to purchase corn to feed for the operation. All feed is made on the home
site in a modern mill and delivered.
Both Dan and Rachel are busy with church and school activities, and with the Washington County Pork Producers. Dan is
on the Washington State Bank Advisory Committee.
Dan and Rachel have four children.
Previous IPPA Pork All-American Award Winners
2010 Aaron and Trish Cook
2009 Mike and Sarah Ver Steeg, Inwood
2008 Dana and Nicky Sleezer, Aurelia
2007 Todd Wiley, Walker
2006 Brian Monaghan, Ryan
2005 Joel and Bryce Van Gilst, Oskaloosa
2004 Mike Pech, Winthrop
2003 Thadd, Travis, Trent and Troy Knoblock, Rock Rapids
2002 David Moody, Ames
2001 Allen and Darrel Burt, Marshalltown
2000 Tom and Nancy McDonald, Hopkinton
1999 Tom Floy, Thornton
1998 Marla Conley, Cherokee
1997 Rick and Brad Moser, Larchwood
1996 Rodney, Brian, Dwight and Perry Mogler, Alvord
1995 Rob and Char Brenneman, Washington
1994 Joe and Linda Scallon, Iowa Falls
1993 Roger and Linda Coon, Lohrville
1992 Jon Caspers, Swaledale
1991 Jerome and Heidi Vittetoe, Washington
1990 Dr. John A Korslund, Eagle Grove
1989 Arvin and Laura Vos, Otley
1988 David Litscher, Stanwood
1987 Michael Bovy, Waterloo
1986 Kent and Ross Paustian, Walcott
1985 Robert Jon Dircks, Clarence
1984 Dennis Friest, Radcliffe
1983 Dennis and Robert Baker, State Center
1982 Harold Trask, Renwick
1981 Duane Miller, Wellman
1980 Dave Hausman, Onawa
1979 Bill Riggan, Washington
1978 Jim Sobolick, Cresco
1977 Keith Kuhn, Moville
34 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Southeast Iowa pork producers are top
environmental stewards for 2011
A young pork producer family from southeast Iowa has been
named the state’s top environmental stewards for 2011.
The Iowa Pork Producers Association presented Ryan
and Lana Reed of Ottumwa with the 2011 Environmental
Steward Award during the 40th annual Iowa Pork Congress
Banquet in Des Moines Jan. 25. The Reeds received a
trophy and $1,000 cash as part of the award.
Ryan and Lana manage a 4,800-head feeder-to-finish farm
north of Ottumwa, where Ryan was born and raised. They
feed roughly 12,000 hogs annually for Cargill Pork, LLC.
The Reeds built their barns in 2007 and worked with the
Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers to properly site the
facilities to limit potential impacts on their neighbors.
They worked with CSIF’s Green Farmstead Partner
program to plant a 1,200-tree buffer around the facility to
reduce odor and particulate matter exiting the farm. The
buffer also provides a home to wildlife and greatly adds
to the aesthetics of the operation. The tree buffer also is
enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program.
Manure is injected as specified in a manure management
plan with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
A nitrogen stabilizer is used to preserve nutrients and
assist in maintaining water quality. Ryan also is a certified
commercial applicator.
Mortalities from the hog operation are disposed through
an on-farm compost facility. This aids in preservation of
biosecurity on the farm.
The Reeds are consistently evaluating new environmental
technologies. As president of Tri-Family Farms, LLC, Ryan
works with two other local farm families to study alternative
energy sources for the hog barns. The Reeds hope to
incorporate more of these technologies in the future.
Ryan and Lana have three children - Conner, Kylee
Jo and Colt Ryan - and the family represents the sixth
generation of Reeds to continue the farming tradition in
Wapello County.
The Environmental Steward Award was established
in 2007 by the IPPA Environmental Committee
to recognize pork producers who go above and
beyond in environmental stewardship. The selection
committee judges nominees on the producer’s manure
management, soil and water conservation practices,
air quality strategies, wildlife habitat management, and
environmental management innovations.
The selection committee consists of the IPPA Board of
Directors, the IPPA Environmental Committee, Iowa State
University Extension and Pheasants Forever.
Neighbor and community relations also are important to
the Reeds. They host a Fourth of July picnic each year to
communicate with neighbors and talk about life on the farm.
They are PQA Plus-certified and have completed the PQA
Plus site-assessment.
March 2012
35

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Honorary Master Pork Producers
for 2011 announced
The Iowa Pork Producers Association annually recognizes two individuals who have worked tirelessly in their professions to make
a positive impact on Iowa’s pork industry. Those honored with the Honorary Master Pork Producer award have exhibited outstanding
and distinguished service to the betterment and success of Iowa’s pork producers. The recipients are selected by the
IPPA Board of Directors and the program is funded by the Pork Checkoff.
IPPA’s 2011 Honorary Master Pork Producers are Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and farm broadcaster Bob Quinn.
The Honorable
Bill Northey
Northey graduated from
Iowa State University
in 1981, after which he
returned to Spirit Lake to
farm with his grandfather.
He was elected Iowa
Secretary of Agriculture
in 2006 and is currently
serving his second term
after re-election in 2010. He continues to farm corn and
soybeans, in his free time, near Spirit Lake.
Bill’s priorities as secretary of agriculture include advancing
opportunities available through renewable energy,
promoting conservation and stewardship and telling the
story of Iowa agriculture in Iowa, the U.S. and abroad.
He also has committed to traveling to each of Iowa’s 99
counties every year to hear from farmers and rural residents
with a stake in Iowa’s agricultural future.
The secretary has been instrumental in promoting Iowa
pork and agricultural products overseas. Over the past
year, Northey accompanied IPPA representatives on trade
missions to South Korea and Japan to help tell pork’s
story and build on important existing foreign markets.
Northey also served on the steering committee for the
Iowa Agriscope 2030 project.
Bob Quinn
Quinn spends
countless hours
each year delivering
agriculture news and
promoting pork over
the airways for WHO
Radio in Des Moines.
He graduated from
Iowa State University
and joined WHO in
1983 and has been
heavily involved in farm broadcasting since then. He is
the early morning voice for farm programs and teams
with Mark Pearson for WHO’s Big Show over the noon
hour.
Bob frequently invites IPPA representatives to talk about
pork during The Big Show and has hosted numerous
remote broadcasts for IPPA, the Coalition to Support
Iowa’s Farmers and other pork industry interests. He is
a tremendous advocate of the pork industry, featuring
numerous pork-related guests and topics.
Quinn also delivers the Iowa Pork royalty portion of the
annual Iowa Pork Congress Banquet program.
Bob lives in West Des Moines with his wife, Ann.
His open communication style and dedication to Iowa’s
agriculture industries has directly benefited pork producers
and many others involved in producing food, fuel and
fiber across the state of Iowa.
Bill currently resides near Spirit Lake with his wife, Cindy.
36 March 2012

March 2011 2012 37

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
2011 IPPA Membership Awards
Recognizing the people and county organizations who are working to keep the Iowa pork industry strong!
Many individual pork producers and their county organizations devote considerable time and effort each year
to educating the public about the industry, promoting pork and working to increase membership in their county
pork groups and the Iowa Pork Producers Association. The outstanding work of these producers and county pork
organizations is recognized each year during the Iowa Pork Congress and the IPPA Annual Meeting. The 2011 IPPA
awards were presented during the Annual Meeting Luncheon Jan. 24, 2012, at the Des Moines Marriott.
Membership
Membership is the backbone of the Iowa Pork Producers Association and the county pork organizations. IPPA proudly
recognizes the county organizations that successfully retain and attract new members to the organization. Iowa’s organized
counties recruited 4,159 producer/members in 2011, a 5 percent increase from 2010!
Membership dues are used for non-Checkoff purposes such as regulatory and public policy efforts. IPPA has used
membership money to address price reporting, environmental issues, animal identification, foreign trade barriers and legal
challenges on behalf of pork producers.
Awards for Largest County Membership, Early Bird Membership, Direct Mail Bonus, Over-Goal Membership, Largest
Percentage Over Goal, the County With the Most New Members Over 2010, and County Involvement were presented by
Conley Nelson, chairman of the IPPA Membership Committee.
Largest County Membership
Award – Washington County
County Involvement Award - 24 Counties
Heather Hora from Washington County
with the Largest County
Membership Award.
Washington County has quietly built
a dynasty when it comes to recruiting
new members and winning this award.
The county did it again in 2011,
the 6th straight year, recruiting 235
producer/members.
The County Involvement Award was
created by IPPA in 2006 to honor
and reward counties that maintain an
active presence and support the state
organization. The program includes
all areas, from annual meeting
Adair *
Benton*
Buchanan
Buena Vista
Cherokee*
Chickasaw
Clay
Delaware*
Franklin
Green
2011 County Involvement Award winners
Hamilton*
Hardin*
Jefferson
Kossuth
Marion
participation and grilling at the Iowa
Pork Tent, to placing newspaper ads
or purchasing billboard space. Each
county that earned 2,000 points for
their activities received $50. The top
10 counties each received $100.
Marshall
Page
Plymouth*
Scott
Sioux*
Story*
Tama
Washington*
Webster
* denotes top 10 county!
38 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
The 2011 Over Goal Membership Award recipients
Over-Goal Membership Award – 32 counties
These are the counties that reached or exceeded their 2011
membership goal. The goals are determined by taking the
three-year average of a county’s membership and then
increasing it 2 percent.
Adair
Audubon
Benton
Black Hawk
Buchanan
Butler
Cerro Gordo
Cherokee
Chickasaw
Crawford
Dallas
Fayette
Franklin
Greene
Hamilton
Howard
Ida
Jefferson
Kossuth
Lyon
Madison
Marshall
Mitchell
Plymouth
Poweshiek
Sac
Sioux
Story
Taylor
Van Buren
Warren
Washington
Worth
2011 Early Bird Membership Award winners
Early Bird Membership Award – 5 counties
The following counties earned certificates by filing their
membership lists with IPPA by the March 1 deadline:
Adair County
Buchanan County
Delaware County
Lyon County
Tama County
Largest Percentage Over-Goal Award
Franklin County
Franklin County received additional recognition for
passing its goal by the greatest percentage for the
second straight year!
County with Most New Members Over 2010
Sioux County
Sioux County recruited 34 new members in 2011.
Congratulations to all of the
2011 IPPA award winners!
We appreciate your hard work and dedication!
Direct Mail Bonus Award – 35 counties
These are the counties that elected to have IPPA mail
membership forms directly to producers and have the
producers return them directly to the state office.
Benton County
Cass County
Cedar County
Cherokee County
Clayton County
Crawford County
Des Moines County
Fayette County
Franklin County
Grundy County
Hamilton County
Hancock County
County representatives from two of the 35
2011 Direct Mail Bonus Award winners
Howard County
Iowa County
Jackson County
Jasper County
Johnson County
Jones County
Kossuth County
Linn County
Mahaska County
Marion County
Mitchell County
Montgomery County
Page County
Plymouth County
Sac County
Scott County
Story County
Taylor County
Van Buren County
Wapello County
Warren County
Winneshiek County
Worth County
March 2012
39

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
2011 IPPA Project Awards
Outstanding County Promotion and Education Project Awards
Pork promotion helps keep pork top of mind for consumers and enhances demand for the products. Whether it’s a
grilling, a store promotion or sampling at a major public event by a county organization, being in front of the public
is important. When pork producers get involved, consumers listen. They want to know who is producing their food.
Promotions are a great way to share our commitment to providing safe and wholesome products for their families.
Many county pork producer groups actively promote the product every year and several had successful pork
promotions in 2011. The Best County Promotion and Education Program awards, as well as the Hog Wild and Belle
Ringer awards were presented Jan. 24 by IPPA Promotion Committee Chairman Curtis Meier.
Ben Johnson accepts the Best County Promotion Program
for Plymouth County from 2011
Iowa Pork Queen Cheyenne McNichols.
Best County Promotion Program – Plymouth County
The Plymouth County Pork Producers has operated a
concession stand at the County Fair every year since 1990.
The Grandstand Pork concession features a new pork product
every year. At the 2011 fair, the feature was the “Brat of the
Day.” Customers could choose bacon cheddar, mushroom
and swiss, pineapple, pepperjack and original brats and
1,120 skinless pork brats were sold during the five-day fair.
Grandstand Pork also features its infamous “Chop in a Glove,”
pork loin sandwiches and pork hot dogs. Plymouth County
also handed out 150 t-shirts featuring the Grandstand Pork
and Pork ® Be inspiredSM logos to anyone who worked in
the stand. Another new idea was giving away refillable mugs
imprinted with the logos. Customers received the mugs for
free when they purchased a soda. Grandstand Pork sold 500
mugs during the fair.
The Plymouth County Pork Producers also grilled and gave
away more than 600 pork hot dogs during the county fair hog
show. They sponsored some of the hog show trophies, door
prizes at the cooking school and also provided prizes for the
Pride of Iowa contest.
For 32 years, the Plymouth County Pork Producers has
had an active presence at the County Fair. It’s estimated
that Grandstand Pork and various newspaper and radio
promotions has enabled the county group to reach more than
90,000 fairgoers with their pork message.
“We are proud of our entire team of pork producers from
Plymouth County” their nomination form read. “It takes an
outstanding membership to make all of this happen in just a
few days of summer.”
40 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Best County Educational Program – Plymouth and Tama Counties
Educating consumers about pork is often a challenge, but very important to the future success of the pork industry. Two
counties were recognized for their education efforts in 2011. The winners not only educated their county schools and
4-Hers about the pork industry, but other facets of agriculture as well.
Plymouth County
Harold Lee with the Plymouth County Pork Producers has
taken a four to seven day-old piglet to Kuckhon Elementary
School in Le Mars for a “Show & Tell” every year for the last
four years. He started when his daughter was in kindergarten.
Lee’s visits have been well-received by the kids and faculty.
Along with the piglet, Harold shows video clips he made at
his sow farm and hands out IPPA promotional materials such
as pig erasers, pencils and bookmarks. His target audience
has grown from preschooler’s to 3rd and 4th grade students.
Harold’s goal with this project has been to get the message
out to students and school faculty that animal agriculture is
important because it directly and indirectly impacts so many
people in the community and the state. This has been a great
way to show that pigs can be raised in a clean and humane
environment.
2011 Iowa Pork Princess Chelsey Branderhorst
presents the Best County Educational Program Award
to Harold Lee.
Tama County
In 2011, the Tama County 4-H Youth Committee decided
to show the Tama County Fair swine exhibitors how a hog
carcass is broken down and cut up for meat. After the county
fair pig weigh-in, the committee invited Maynard Wedmore,
a local butcher, to come in and cut up a hog carcass and
give the 4-Hers a chance to see the entire process. Maynard
showed the kids how pork is cut into wholesale and retail cuts.
He also showed them some of the less popular cuts and what
cultures enjoyed those cuts. A total of 15 4-Hers and some
parents showed up for the workshop.
“As pork producers, we want the kids to see all parts and
aspects of pork production” read Tama County’s nomination
form. “In past years, we have toured plants, posted pigs and
held other activities to keep their interest in showing hogs at
the fair. We hope through our efforts that they would decide to
become pork producers in the future.”
David Brezina accepts the 2011 Best County Educational
Program Award from 2011 Iowa
Premier Pork Youth Ambassador Derek Brown.
March 2012
41

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Hog Wild, Belle Ringer Awards Presented
The Iowa Pork Producers Association named its 2012
state Hog Wild and Belle Ringer Award winners during the
IPPA Annual Meeting Luncheon in Des Moines Jan. 24.
These awards are presented each year by the IPPA
Promotions Committee to individuals who commit time
and effort to introducing consumers to new pork products,
educating restaurants and retailers about pork, and
assisting with county and state promotions.
Gary Helmrichs received the state Hog Wild Award and
Jean Palmer was presented with the state Belle Ringer
Award. Both are from Manchester in Delaware County.
County Fair Board. Otis also packs and delivers pork
weekly for Delaware County Meats.
Prior to receiving the state award, Helmrichs, David
Sullivan of Cherokee County and Phillip McKenna of Tama
County were named district Hog Wild Award winners.
For someone who has never served on the county Board
or raised hogs, Jean Palmer has certainly outdone
herself in Iowa pork promotion.
Nancy McDonald accepts the award for Jean Palmer from
2011 Iowa Premier Pork Youth Ambassador Derek Brown.
State Hog Wild Award recipient Gary “Otis” Helmrichs
with 2011 Iowa Pork Princess Chelsey Branderhorst.
Helmrichs has been an active member of the Delaware
County Pork Producers for 35 years and promotes pork
wherever he goes. He has served on the county board for
four years. Gary, or “Otis” as he’s known to most, has
worked at several county swine weigh-ins, swine shows
and livestock sales.
For more than 30 years, he has been a member of the
Delaware County Pork Grill Team. He has served on the
Iowa State Fair Pork Tent Committee since 1981. Otis has
grilled and served pork at the Delaware County 4-H
Food Stand and livestock auction for 25 years. He also
supports the annual 4-H pie auction fundraiser, making a
great “Hog Pan Cherry Pie.”
Otis is active in church activities and helps with many 4-H
activities. He has served for 13 years on the Delaware
Jean and her husband, Roger, were asked by her brother
to help grill at a promotional event years ago and she
is still helping today. When people see the Delaware
County Grill Team, Jean is there — whether it’s at the IPPA
4th of July and Labor Day Fareway promotions, the Iowa
Pork Tent, Bumper Brigade in Iowa City or the annual
Coggon Harvest Home.
For the past 20 years, Jean also has helped grill for the
4-H Food Stand at the Delaware County Fair and the 4-H
sale auction. She has volunteered for many years at the
county pork barbecue.
Jean is active with her church and helps with the Knights
of Columbus in her community of Manchester. When not
promoting pork, the Palmers attend activities that involve
her grown adult children and grandchildren.
Palmer and Amy Vossberg of Bremer County received
district Belle Ringer awards.
42 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Iowa Pork Congress Kickoff Reception and Auction
Foundation scholarship fund gets
substantial boost
The nearly 300 people who attended
the annual Iowa Pork Congress
Kickoff Reception and Auction Jan.
24 at the Iowa Events Center in Des
Moines helped raise significant dollars
for youth scholarships.
The auction raised $16,810 for the
Iowa Pork Foundation’s scholarship
program during a light and lively
prelude to the 2012 Iowa Pork
Congress. That topped last year’s
total by just under $4,000.
Pork producers, allied business
partners and trade show exhibitors
joined IPPA producer leaders and
others for the social hour, pork buffet
and auction.
More than 40 contributors including
IPPA staff, allied business partners,
county pork producer groups and
individual pork producers donated items
for bidding. Auction items included
“Glow in the Dark” beverage containers,
handmade quilts, Kansas Speedway
race tickets, carvings, welcome signs,
gift baskets and many more.
The speedway package was donated
by SFP and brought in $1,150. A
hammered-metal pig bench, farm
animal framed mirror and other items
donated by 2011 IPPA President Leon
Sheets and his wife, Barb, raised
$1,100 and a grilling by the Tama
County Pork Producers went for $1,000.
The auction was again conducted
by auctioneer Mike Christensen and
Steve Maynes of Christensen Auction
Services. They were assisted by
Ernie Barnes from the National Pork
Board; Pete Houska of the National
Pork Producers Council; the IPPA
Board of Directors, Tyler Bettin, Cody
McKinley and Kelly Sheets from
IPPA staff; 2011 Iowa Pork Queen
Cheyenne McNichols, Princess
Chelsey Branderhorst and Premier
Pork Youth Ambassador Derek Brown
and foundation scholarship winners.
IPPA and the Iowa Pork Foundation
extend sincere thanks to everyone
who attended, donated and
purchased auction items, helping
make the event a great success.
Thank you to the following auction contributors!
ADA Enterprises
Andrew Dickson
Bill Tentinger
Chelsey Branderhorst, 2011 Pork Princess
Cheyenne McNichols – 2011 Pork Queen
Chickasaw County Pork Producers
Craig Rowles
Derek Brown – 2011 Pork Ambassador
Des Moines Marriott
Doug & Jeannette Fricke
Eldon McAfee
Hog Slat
IFA Roller-Grinder
International Nutrition
Iowa Events Center
Iowa FFA Foundation
Iowa Hawkeyes
Iowa State Cyclone Club
John & Kathy Weber
Kelly Sheets
Latham for Congress
Leon & Barb Sheets
Lynch livestock Inc
Manitoba Pork Council
Marting Mfg of Iowa
National Pork Producers Council
Nioex Systems
Phibro Animal Health Corp
Pride of the Farm
Rex & Joyce Hoppes
Rich & Nancy Degner
Scott Tapper
SFP
Sleezer Fertility Center
Tama County Pork Producers
Tomco Chemical
Tyler Bettin
Udder Tech
Vittetoe Inc/Show Stopper Equipment
March 2012
43

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
Des Moines residents enjoy free
pork lunch at Winter Pork Picnic
The always popular Winter Pork Picnic attracted another
large crowd Jan. 25 as the Iowa Pork Producers
Association conducted its annual Iowa Pork Congress
promotion in downtown Des Moines.
2012 Iowa Pork youth contestants and
many other producers and volunteers
helped with the promotion.
The Tama
and Story
County Pork
Producers and
several other
volunteers
grilled and
served 3,000
ground pork
and bacon
burgers from
11 a.m. to 1
p.m. at Capital
Square to
celebrate the
Iowa pork
industry and thank consumers for purchasing pork and
supporting the industry. Chips, pop, ice cream and pork
loin samples also were served.
Several pork prizes were given away and attendees were
given discount coupons for fresh pork at Fareway Stores.
IPPA accepted free-will donations to be given to the Food
Bank of Iowa to help feed Iowa’s hungry and the public
came through in a big way. Nearly $1,200 was collected
for the Food Bank and IPPA donated 76 pounds of
leftover meat.
The 14th annual Winter Pork Picnic was supported by
participating sponsors Fareway Stores, Webster City
Custom Meats, Rotella’s Italian Bakery, Frito Lay, Pepsi
Americas, Cookies Food Products, Wells Blue Bunny and
Tyson Fresh Meat.
During the lunch, pork producers Ryan and Lana Reed from
Ottumwa received the “Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award”
for January. The presentation was carried live on WHO Radio.
The Winter Pork Picnic attracted a large crowd to Capital Square in Des Moines for a free pork lunch.
44 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
2012 Iowa Pork Youth Team selected
The 2012 Iowa Pork Youth Team was introduced Jan. 25 during the 40th annual Iowa
Pork Congress Banquet in Des Moines.
The new pork royalty is Lindsay Reth, Iowa Pork Queen; Sterling Schnepf, Iowa Pork
Princess and Jacob Swanson, Iowa Premier Pork Youth Ambassador.
Reth is a senior at West Delaware High School. She is the daughter of Russ and Dianne
Reth of Manchester. Lindsay plans to attend Wartburg College in Waverly next fall and
study business administration.
2012 Iowa Pork Princess Sterling Schnepf is a sophomore at Iowa State University. She is
majoring in animal science pre-graduate studies. Sterling is the daughter of Richard and
Sharon Schnepf of Granville in Plymouth County.
Lindsay Reth,
2012 Iowa Pork Queen
A total of eight county pork queens competed during the Iowa Pork Congress for the
2012 IPPA crowns.
The new Iowa Premier Pork Youth Ambassador hails from Ottumwa in Wapello County.
Jacob Swanson is a junior at Iowa State University. He is majoring in public service and
administration in agriculture. Jacob is the son of Don and Pat Swanson.
Swanson received the title over four other worthy competitors.
Each of the contestants was judged on their interviewing and communications skills,
poise, presentation and overall knowledge of the pork industry and Iowa agriculture.
The new Iowa Pork Queen and the Iowa Premier Pork Youth Ambassador each receive a
$2,000 scholarship and the Iowa Pork Princess earns a $1,000 scholarship from IPPA.
Sterling Schnepf,
2012 Iowa Pork Princess
All three title holders will serve as representatives of the Iowa Pork Producers Association
and assist with various pork promotional and educational activities throughout the year.
Jacob Swanson, 2012 Iowa
Premier Pork Youth Ambassador
March 2012
45

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
IPPA Youth Swine Judging Contest
winners announced
The performance of some of the students impressed IPPA
Producer Outreach Director and contest organizer Kelly
Sheets.
“No matter how much a student knows about pork
production, there is always more to learn,” Sheets said.
“The more these kids know about pork production, the
better. We need these students to be advocates for the
industry and this is a good way of teaching them the things
they need to know.”
A Cargill Meat Solutions team brought half of a hog
carcass for its breakout session and discussed meat
quality and the different cuts with students. Brady McNeil,
the 2012 president of the Iowa State University Block
and Bridle Club, shared information about the club with
interested students.
Young 4-H and FFA members from 34 Iowa schools
participated in the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s fourth
annual Youth Swine Judging Contest at the 2012 Iowa Pork
Congress in Des Moines Jan. 26.
Ninety two teams representing 361 students were
given the opportunity to sharpen their gilt selection and
market hog evaluation skills on a herd of 24 Durocsired
crossbred hogs. The contest featured four judging
classes. The students scored a keep/cull gilt class, did
live carcass evaluation, and judged market hog and
commercial gilt classes. In addition to the judging contest,
two breakout sessions were held for the students.
Several allied business partners joined the Pork Checkoff
in co-sponsoring the event. Cargill, Producers Livestock,
Eldon C. Stutsman, Inc., Swine Genetics International and
Marting Manufacturing/Smidley all had a major role in
making the event a success. In-kind support was provided
by Marting, Highway Farms, Inc., and Tractor Supply Co.
More sponsors are needed for next year, when the contest
moves to the Iowa State Fairgrounds.
Earlham Team 1 was the overall winner and each of the
four team members earned a $400 scholarship. Finishing
second was Grinnell Team 1 and each team member
received $200 scholarships. Third place was Columbus
Team 3, earning each team member a $100 scholarship.
The top individual was Zach Lear from Spencer.
In the Junior Division, the Benton 4-H Team 1 took
1 st place and 2 nd place went to Benton 4-H Team 2.
Members of both teams received plaques. The top
individual in the Junior Division was Drew Wiley from
Walker.
46 March 2012

2012 Iowa Pork Congress Re-Cap
One day, two awards for Wapello Co.
pork producers
Jan. 25 turned out to be a pretty
big day for Ryan and Lana Reed of
Ottumwa. Before receiving the 2011
Environmental Steward Award from
the Iowa Pork Producers Association
that evening, they were presented
with the “Gary Wergin Good Farm
Neighbor Award” for January.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill
Northey presented the award to the
Reeds at the “Winter Pork Picnic”
during the Iowa Pork Congress in
Des Moines. The presentation was
broadcast live on WHO Radio’s Big
Show.
“It is exciting to be able to recognize
a young family like the Reeds that
not only take great care of their
livestock, but also go above and
beyond to care for their neighbors
and reach out to the community,”
Northey said. “The Good Farm
Neighbor Award was created to
recognize families like this that are
an example of the great livestock
farmers we have in this state.”
The Reed Family has a 4,800-head
tunnel-ventilated pork facility on
their home farm and has additional
production at another site.
with their neighbors and the
community.
“When the Reeds first approached
us about building their barn in 2007,
the very first thing we discussed
was trees. The Reed family farm
aesthetics are second to none.
They have coordinated with the
Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers,
Trees Forever and the Iowa Nursery
Landscape Association’s Green
Farmstead Partner Program to plant
an astounding 1,200-tree buffer
around their facility to limit odor and
particulate matter and provide a home
to wildlife,” read the nomination.
The Reed family also hosts an
annual Fourth of July picnic for area
residents to visit the farm, learn
about pork production and ask any
questions. “This shows the Reed’s
strong commitment to neighbor
relations and communications,” the
Hollingsworths said.
The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor
award, made possible through the
financial support of the Coalition to
Support Iowa’s Farmers, recognizes
Iowa livestock farmers who take pride
in doing things right. This includes
caring for the environment and their
livestock and being good neighbors.
It is named in memory of Gary
Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm
broadcaster who helped create the
award.
Ryan and Lana have three children:
Conner, Kylee Jo and Colt Ryan.
Gary and Debbie Hollingsworth
nominated the Reeds. “We have
been lifelong friends and neighbors
of Ryan’s family and it is great
to see him and his young family
succeeding in livestock agriculture,”
the nomination read.
The Hollingsworth’s went on to
praise the Reed’s efforts to care for
the environment and communicate
Pictured from left: CSIF Executive Director Brian Waddingham,
Ryan and Lana Reed, Debbie and Gary Hollingsworth
and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.)
(Photo courtesy of Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers.)
March 2012
47

SunnyBrook inspired by pork
Until four years ago, Kumar Wickramasingha was executive
chef and owner of Alpha’s on the Riverfront in Fort
Madison. In 2008, he made a career change and is now
director of public relations for SunnyBrook Assisted Living
Communities, with eight locations throughout Iowa.
As a past winner of the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s
Taste of Elegance competition, Wickramasingha always
included a variety of pork dishes in his restaurant fare,
and he is excited now to share his love of pork products
with the SunnyBrook residents.
Wickramasingha recently announced a new culinary event
at SunnyBrook. A cook-off is being held bi-monthly on a
rotating basis at the company’s locations and is a friendly
competition among the SunnyBrook chefs.
Through his association with the residents,
Wickramasingha has learned that pork dishes are
among their favorite meals because many of them
grew up on Iowa farms. Wanting to introduce the
pork industry’s new “Pork® Be Inspired SM brand to the
residents and guests, it was decided that the theme of
February’s cooking contest event would be pork.
Chefs from six SunnyBrook Assisted Living
Communities participated at Fort Madison in the
Sunnybrook chefs competing in the pork cook-off (from left)
were Toby Cluney, Burlington; Stephanie Watson, Fairfield:
Dominick DeLeon, Muscatine; Kendra Husbond, Muscatine;
Sarah Martin, Mt. Pleasant; Linda Borkowski, Carroll;
and Tom Bryant, Fort Madison.
cooking contest. The entrees included Island Pork
Tenderloin Salad, Burlington; Pork Cutlets, Carroll;
Shredded Pork Croissants, Fairfield; Hawaiian Ribs, Fort
Madison; Mediterranean Pork Loin, Mt. Pleasant; and
Pork Shanks with Gravy, Muscatine.
First place and the People’s Choice awards both went to
Tom Bryant of Fort Madison. Residents and guests alike
enjoyed the creative variety of pork dishes.
Wickramasingha is a current member of the IPPA
Restaurant and Foodservice Committee.
Assisted living residents enjoy a pork meal.
48 March 2012

March 2012
49

Feed suppliers prevail in Iowa Supreme
Court feed lien ruling
By Eldon McAfee, IPPA legal counsel, Beving, Swanson & Forrest, P.C.
In the case of Oyens Feed & Supply,
Inc. v. Primebank, a decision
of major importance to feed
suppliers and lenders as well as
livestock producers, the Iowa
Supreme Court ruled on Dec.
30, 2011, that Iowa’s feed lien is
superior to a secured lender’s
security interest even though a
certified notice of the feed lien is
not sent to the lender.
Iowa and federal courts have
issued conflicting rulings on the
priority of feed supplier liens
vs. a lender security interest
in a producer’s livestock. Four
judges have ruled that a feed
supplier’s lien for feed sold to a
pork producer had priority over
the producer’s bank’s lien, while
two other judges ruled exactly
opposite and found that the pork
producers’ banks’ liens had priority
over the feed suppliers’ liens. In the
court decisions, the feed suppliers
properly filed their liens with the
Iowa secretary of state but did not
send a certified notice to the bank.
The judges then had to determine
who had priority, the banks or the
feed suppliers.
To briefly recap the problem,
Iowa law provides a lien to
businesses that sell ag supplies
such as fertilizer, pesticides,
seed, feed or petroleum products
used for an ag purpose. This
lien must be filed with the Iowa
secretary of state within 31 days
after the farmer purchases the ag
supply. The disputed part of the
law provides that the supplier is
to send a certified letter to the
farmer’s lender. The lender
must then respond
whether the farmer has
sufficient finances to
assure payment of the ag
supply and provide a full
and complete relevant
financial history. A
supplier who sells an
ag supply and files
an ag supply
lien
will lose to the lender’s lien if the
lender either did not receive the
certified letter or received the
letter and responded, along with
the necessary financial history, that
the farmer did not have sufficient
finances to cover the price of the
ag supply. If the lender responded
that the farmer had sufficient
finances, the ag supplier and the
lender have equal priority under
their liens. However, the law also
states that for feed, the ag supplier
will have priority in livestock
sales proceeds for the difference
between the livestock’s purchase
price and the greater of the value
of the livestock when the feed was
sold or the livestock’s sales price.
This section of the law dealing
with feed does not specifically refer
to the section of the law requiring
a certified notice be sent to the
lender. Because of this omission,
the analysis is that for a feed lien,
the supplier is not required to send
a certified letter to the lender.
With this background, the Iowa
Supreme Court in the Oyens
case first noted if the certified
letter sections of the law were
intended to apply to feed liens, the
Legislature “would have expressly
said so as it did” for the other ag
supply liens. The court went on to
rule:
50 March 2012

“It makes sense the Legislature
would give superpriority status
to livestock feed suppliers limited
to the new value created, without
requiring compliance with the
certified request procedure.
Livestock feed is often supplied
on an ongoing basis, and it would
be impractical and cumbersome
to require serial certified requests
with ever-changing dollar amounts
and recurring fees. Livestock feed
is grown and sold by farmers. The
Legislature presumably sought
to encourage a fluid feed market
without burdening cooperatives
and farmers with the certified
request process. By contrast, sales of
crop seed, herbicides and fertilizer
are more often bulk transactions by
large vendors for whom the certified
request process is less cumbersome.
Importantly, the superpriority
provision only allows feed
suppliers to trump perfected
secured lenders to the extent the
acquisition value of the livestock
is exceeded by the livestock’s value
at the time the lien attaches or its
ultimate sale price. Accordingly,
the secured lender generally
retains its secured position up to
the livestock’s acquisition price.
The feed supplier’s superpriority
corresponds to the livestock’s
increase in value that typically
results from consuming feed.
The Legislature reasonably could
conclude the feed supplier who
made the credit sale, not the
secured lender, should be entitled
to superpriority in this new value.
This interpretation furthers the
Legislature’s goal to encourage
feed sales to livestock producers
already burdened with bank debt.”
After years of uncertainty, it is
now settled law that Iowa’s feed
lien law does not require a feed
supplier to send a certified notice
to a lender with a security interest
in the livestock. The Iowa feed
supplier’s lien is superior to a
lender’s security interest if the
feed supplier files a UCC-1 with
the Iowa secretary of state within
31 days after the feed is purchased.
March 2012
51

USDA GIPSA Final Rule on 2008 Farm Bill
contracting requirements now in effect
By Eldon McAfee, IPPA legal counsel, Beving, Swanson & Forrest, P.C.
The long-awaited and controversial final rule on
federal swine and poultry contracting requirements
was released by the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers
and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) in December.
The rule went into effect on Feb. 7, 2012, and applies
to contracts “entered into, amended, altered, modified,
renewed or extended” after that date.
Before analyzing the final rule, it is important to note
that the final rule does not change the current GIPSA
legal actions penalizing packers and contractors for
failing to have disclosures in contracts regarding
arbitration and court venue clauses, as well as
legal actions against contractors for failing to have
disclosures regarding the three-day right to cancel
contracts and additional large capital investment
requirements. Contractors must continue to review
their contracts entered into, amended, altered,
modified, renewed or extended after June 18, 2008, for
compliance with these requirements.
It also is important to note that each section of the
final rule sets out criteria that GIPSA may consider
in determining if there is a violation and each section
states that “these criteria include, but are not limited
to” the specific criteria listed. The effect of GIPSA’s
broad discretionary language is that the rule allows
GIPSA to use criteria in each of the three sections in
addition to the listed criteria and producers and others
subject to the rules cannot be certain what criteria they
must follow to comply with the rules.
Some of the most controversial sections of the rule
proposed in June of 2010, such as pricing premiums
and packer-to-packer sales, were withdrawn from
the final rule by GIPSA. The final rule includes the
following three sections:
Additional Capital Investments Criteria
This section applies to swine and poultry production
contracts. Other than including the disclosures as noted
previously in this article, contractors may not need to
include any specific contract language to comply with
this section of the rule. Producers should review the rule
definition of additional capital investment (in essence,
“a combined amount of $12,500 or more per structure”
and maintenance or repair costs are excluded) and
the criteria GIPSA may consider to determine if there
is a violation. If a contract requires additional capital
investments, contract language must conform to those
criteria. More importantly, regardless of whether the
contract requires additional capital investments, these
criteria should be reviewed at the time of any additional
capital investment and the contractor and contract
grower should sign a contract addendum which lists
each criteria in the rule, and any others that may be
applicable, and which states that the criteria have been
reviewed and complied with, including the criteria
that the grower had discretion to decide against the
investment.
Reasonable period of time to remedy a
breach of contract
This section applies to swine and poultry production
contracts. The criteria GIPSA may consider in
determining whether a requirement that a swine
production contract grower or poultry grower has
been provided a “reasonable period of time to remedy
a breach of contract that could lead to contract
termination” include but are not limited to (these
criteria do not apply where “food safety or animal
welfare is concerned”, but note that GIPSA did not
exclude environmental emergencies):
1. Whether the grower was provided written notice
of the breach upon initial discovery of the breach
if the other party to the contract intends to take
an adverse action, including termination, against
the grower.
2. Whether the notice of breach includes:
a. A description of the act or omission believed
to be a breach, including the contract believed to
have been breached
52 March 2012

. Date of the breach
c. Means by which the grower can satisfactorily
remedy breach, if possible, based on the nature of
the breach
d. A date that provides a reasonable period of time
to remedy the breach, based on the nature of the
breach
3. Whether the contractor took into account the
grower’s ongoing responsibilities related to the
raising and handling of the poultry or swine when
setting the date to remedy the breach.
4. Whether the grower was given adequate time after
the notice of breach to rebut the allegation of a
breach.
Producers should review clauses in their contracts that
govern breach and the grower’s right to remedy a breach.
This review should include:
• The amount of time provided to correct the breach/
default after the grower receives written notice of
the default, before the contract can be terminated.
The primary question raised by the rule is whether
that period of time is reasonable for the specific
situation.
• Producers must be able to show that they
“took into account” the grower’s “ongoing
responsibilities related to the raising and
handling” of the hogs under contract
when they established the time period for
correcting the default. See section 3 above.
• As noted in section 4 above, one criteria is
whether a grower was given adequate time
to rebut the alleged breach after the notice
was received. Very few contracts contain a
clause giving a grower a specific period of
time to rebut the alleged breach. As a practical
matter, the opportunity to rebut the alleged
breach is included in the time period to cure
the default. However, as a result of this rule,
producers may want to either establish a
specific time period for rebutting the breach
or specifically refer to the opportunity to
rebut the breach when setting the time period
to cure the breach.
• If a grower default occurs, the notice sent to the
grower must contain all of the points set out
in section 2 above. In addition, although not
specifically required by the rule, contractors
may want to include a reasonable deadline date
March 2012
53

for the grower to rebut the alleged breach.
• As noted in section 1 above, if the contractor
intends to take an adverse action against the
grower (including termination) because of
a breach, one criteria of reasonableness is
whether the grower was provided written
notice of the breach when the contractor
initially discovered the breach. This requires
the contractor to balance maintaining a
good working relationship with the grower
by working to correct performance issues
before sending written notice vs. complying
with the rule.
• If the contract has a clause allowing the
contractor to take action against the grower,
such as termination, if there is an environmental
problem, that clause must be carefully reviewed
to make sure there is a reasonable period of time
for remedy by the grower.
Arbitration
This section applies to all livestock or poultry
marketing or production contracts. A contract that
requires arbitration must first have the following
clause on the signature page of the contract in “bold
conspicuous print:”
“Right to Decline Arbitration. A poultry grower,
livestock producer or swine production contract
grower has the right to decline to be bound by the
arbitration provisions set forth in this agreement.
A poultry grower, livestock producer or swine
production contract grower shall indicate whether
or not it desires to be bound by the arbitration
provisions by signing one of the following statements;
failure to choose an option will be treated as if
the poultry grower, livestock producer or swine
production contract grower declined to be bound by
the arbitration provisions set forth in this Agreement:
I decline to be bound by the arbitration provisions set
forth in this Agreement ____________
I accept the arbitration provisions as set forth in this
Agreement____________”
Second, a contract that requires arbitration must also
have a clause in bold conspicuous print that gives
sufficient information about the following so that the
grower or producer may make “an informed decision
on whether to elect arbitration for dispute resolution:”
1. Payment of the costs of arbitration
2. The arbitration process
3. Any limitations on legal rights and remedies
Finally, an arbitration clause should be reviewed taking
into account the following criteria:
1. Whether arbitration costs and time limits are
reasonable
2. Whether the grower or producer is “provided
access to and opportunity to engage in reasonable
discovery of information” held by the other party
3. Whether arbitration is required only for disputes
under the contract
4. Whether a “reasoned, written opinion based on
applicable law, legal principles and precedent for
the award is required to be provided to the parties”
Under all three sections of the final rule, other than rule
requirements that specifically require contract language,
it is not clear when a violation of the rule would occur.
Is a violation based on the contract language itself
or is it when that contract language comes into play,
such as when there is a breach of the contract? The
safest course of action is to try to make sure contract
language complies with the rule and then implement
that contract language. However, it appears to be more
critical to comply with the rule when a regulated event
occurs, such as when an additional capital investment
is required, when a breach of contract occurs, or when
arbitration is required.
Again, this final rule went into effect on Feb. 7, and
applies to contracts “entered into, amended, altered,
modified, renewed or extended” after that date. Existing
contracts that are not “amended, altered, modified,
renewed or extended” after Feb. 7 are not required to
meet the requirements of the rule.
There are and will continue to be many questions about
what the language of the criteria in the final rule actually
means. IPPA will provide additional information as
these questions surface.
As with any legal issue, producers should consult an
attorney for individual legal advice.
54 March 2012

2011 U.S. pork exports top $6 billion
Exports of U.S. pork set an all-time record in 2011,
according to year-end statistics released by USDA
and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
Pork exports totaled 2.255 million metric tons valued
at $6.11 billion, breaking the previous volume record
of 2.052 million metric tons and shattering the value
record of $4.88 billion, both set in 2008. Year-overyear,
pork exports were up 18 percent in volume and
28 percent in value.
While the record-breaking performance of 2011 is
impressive, USMEF President and CEO Philip Seng
feels strongly that USMEF and its industry partners
have laid the groundwork for even greater success in
the future.
“Demand for U.S. red meat has never been stronger,
and we are well-positioned to build on this success,”
he said. “We have the marketing tools in place
to showcase the quality and consistency of U.S.
products, which our industry is able to deliver at
a very competitive price and end users are able to
utilize in extremely creative and innovative ways.
Real opportunities exist for further growth, and
USMEF fully intends to capitalize on this strong
momentum.”
For the year, pork exports equated to 27.5 percent of
total production when including both muscle cuts
and variety meat. Export value per head slaughtered
was $55.55, an increase of 27 percent (nearly $12)
from a year ago.
In December, pork exports were down slightly from
November’s record performance but remained well
above the previous year’s pace. Exports increased
16 percent in volume (215,870 metric tons) and 32
percent in value ($582.6 million) from December
2010.
In addition to setting a global value record, Seng
noted that the U.S. industry achieved new heights in
its top two markets, Japan and Mexico.
Pork exports to Japan set new records for both
volume (493,313 metric tons) and value ($1.96
billion), respective increases of 13 percent and 19
percent over 2010. While slightly lower in volume
(537,535 metric tons) than last year,
Mexico became the first market other than Japan to
import more than $1 billion in U.S. pork in a single
year. Exports to Mexico jumped 6 percent in value
over 2010, reaching $1.04 billion.
Other pork export highlights
included several new records,
with a very strong year in the
Hong Kong/China region
pushing exports up 64 percent
in volume to 483,323 metric
tons and nearly doubling in
value to $910 million (and
surpassed 2008 records).
Exports to South Korea more
than doubled in volume to
188,307 metric tons and
increased 162 percent in value
to $497 million.
March 2012
55

News from the
National Pork Producers Council
NPPC statement on McDonald’s sow
housing decision
McDonald’s Corp. announced Feb. 13 that it would begin
developing a plan to transition its pork supply away from
farmers who use conventional sow gestation stalls.
The National Pork Producers Council issued a statement in
response to the announcement, saying it’s an opportunity
for the pork industry to respond to its customers.
Farmers and animal care experts know that various types of
housing systems can provide for the well-being of pigs. After
an extensive review of scientific literature, the American
Veterinary Medical Association determined that both
individual sow housing and group housing can provide for
the well-being of sows.
Perhaps most importantly, McDonald’s announcement
reflects the best process for meeting evolving
consumer demands – through the market, not through
government mandates. Pork industry customers have
expressed a desire to see changes in how pigs are raised.
Farmers are responding and modifying their practices
accordingly. That process is effective, it’s efficient and
doesn’t require an act of Congress.
The pork industry supports a free market; it opposes
legislative mandates on farmers pushed by special
interest groups. Farmers are some of the most innovative
and resourceful people in our country. They will
continue to meet the ever-changing needs of customers
and provide consumers with safe, nutritious and
affordable food produced responsibly.
NPPC stands ready to offer its assistance to McDonald’s as it
assesses sow housing.
U.S. pork exports reach new heights in
2011
The U.S. pork industry exported a record amount of
product in 2011, according to data released in February by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The U.S. pork industry exported more than $6.1 billion
– about 2.3 million metric tons – of pork last year,
topping the previous record of $4.9 billion exported in
2008. Exports increased by 18 percent in volume and 28
percent by value compared with 2010 pork exports. Japan
again was the No. 1 export market for U.S. pork, with
$1.96 billion. Other top export markets included Mexico,
Canada and China. The record numbers were driven by
strong demand in China, South Korea and Japan.
In the coming year, NPPC will continue to press the Obama
administration to keep export markets open to U.S. pork and
will advocate for the acceptance of new free trade agreements
to expand U.S. pork exports abroad.
NPPC opposes federal ‘farm takeover’ bill
The National Pork Producers Council criticized congressional
legislation introduced Jan. 23 that would prescribe cage
sizes for egg-laying hens, saying it would set a “dangerous
precedent” for allowing the federal government to regulate
on-farm production practices, including animal housing.
The legislation seeks to codify an agreement the Humane
Society of the United States came to with the egg industry.
HSUS agreed to forego trying to pass state ballot initiatives
that would dictate egg production practices and to stop 10
years of litigation against and undercover investigations of the
egg industry in exchange for egg producers nearly doubling
the size of their cages for laying hens. In addition to cage sizes,
the bill, H.R. 3798, includes labeling requirements for eggs
and new air-quality standards for hen houses.
NPPC says the legislation would take away producers’
freedom to operate in ways that are best for their animals,
make it difficult to respond to consumer demands, raise retail
food prices and take away consumer choice, devastate small
and niche producers and, at a time of constrained budgets for
agriculture, redirect valuable resources from enhancing food
safety and maintaining the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture
to regulating on-farm production practices for reasons other
than public and animal health.
NPPC is urging congressional lawmakers to oppose the
“Farm Takeover Bill.”
56 March 2012

High court tosses California ‘downer’ law
In a unanimous decision issued Jan. 23, the U.S. Supreme
Court struck down a California law that bans the
processing of all non-ambulatory animals, including hogs.
NPPC hailed the ruling.
Your participation in the Strategic
Investment Program allows the
National Pork Producers Council and
state organizations to enhance and defend your opportunities to
compete at home and abroad.
The California Legislature approved the law in 2008
after a video was released by animal activists, showing
non-ambulatory, or “downed,” cows at a California beef
packing plant being dragged and prodded to enter the
processing line. The statute prohibited the buying, selling,
or receiving of non-ambulatory animals, the processing,
butchering or selling of meat or products from nonambulatory
animals for human consumption and the
holding of non-ambulatory animals without taking
immediate action to humanely euthanize them.
[As part of its efforts to address Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy, or “mad cow” disease, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture already forbids the slaughter
of “downed” cattle.]
Negotiate for fair trade (import/export)
Fight for reasonable legislation
Fight for reasonable regulation
Inform and educate legislators
Provide producers direct access to lawmakers
Proactive issues management with media
Secure and guide industry research funding
Enhance domestic and global demand
Provide producer information and education
Strategic
Investment
Program
Mandatory
Pork
Checkoff
The National Meat Association (NMA) challenged
the law, and a federal district court judge in California
blocked it. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit in San Francisco in 2010 overturned the lower
court ruling. NMA appealed the case to the Supreme
Court, arguing that the Federal Meat Inspection Act
(FMIA) pre-empts the California law.
The high court agreed with NMA, ruling that the FMIA
“expressly pre-empts” the California law’s application to
federally inspected swine slaughterhouses. It reversed the
Ninth Circuit decision and sent the case back to that court
“for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”
NPPC, which along with the American Association of
Swine Veterinarians and the National Farmers Union
filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case, argued that
the California law would create an animal health risk
and criminalizes the work of federal slaughterhouse
inspectors. The organization also has pointed out that
the state law could have prevented from being shipped to
California meat processed in another state that did not
adhere to the statute’s ban.
Funding $0.10/$100 $0.40/$100
Your voluntary investment is NPPC’s primary source of funding;
Checkoff dollars cannot be used for public policy funding.
The National Pork
Producers Council (NPPC)
conducts public policy
outreach on behalf of its
44 affiliated state
association members
enhancing
opportunities for the success of U.S. pork
producers and other industry stakeholders by
establishing the U.S. pork industry as a consistent
and responsible supplier of high quality pork to the
domestic and world market.
NPPC is primarily funded through the Strategic
Investment Program, a voluntary producer investment
of $.10 per $100 of value that funds state and national
public policy and regulatory programs on behalf of U.S.
pork producers.
For more information on NPPC, visit www.nppc.org.
March 2012
57

News from the
National Pork Board
Checkoff research helps wage war
against PRRS
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome
(PRRS) is a formidable and costly enemy to
fight, but extensive research funded by the Pork
Checkoff is helping the pork industry gain ground
in the battle against the tenacious virus.
“The Pork Checkoff is committed to finding
practical solutions to this very complex disease
through investments in research,” said National
Pork Board President Everett Forkner. “Whether
it’s looking at real-time challenges, such as the
implementation of regional elimination, or longterm
issues, such as determining genetic resistance
to PRRS, the Checkoff is involved on the research
frontlines on producers’ behalf.”
To aid producers, the Pork Checkoff recently
mailed producers a copy of the 40-page PRRS
Initiative Research 2004-2011 Report, which offers
a comprehensive reference on the evolution of
PRRS research and can help with the development
of herd health management strategies, said Lisa
Becton, director of swine health information and
research for the Pork Checkoff.
“Thanks to the breadth of the research that has
been gathered in recent years, our understanding
of PRRS is increasing by leaps and bounds,” said
Becton, noting that the PRRS Initiative Research
program, supported by the Pork Checkoff ’s Swine
Health Committee, has funded 123 projects
totaling more than $10 million since 2004. “There
are definite things producers can do to control
PRRS from getting in their operation.”
Checkoff supports new flu naming
Before the current flu season got into full swing,
the Pork Checkoff, the National Pork Producers
Council and the American Association of Swine
Veterinarians met with USDA and the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about influenza.
The objective was to find accurate ways to describe
influenza viruses that prevent confusion about pork’s
safety.
The CDC, along with international human and animal
health agencies, recently announced that it will now
refer to influenza viruses that normally circulate in
animals and may infect humans as “variant influenza
viruses,” designated by a “v.” For example, the recent
human cases of influenza A(H3N2) that contain
components of human, avian, swine and H1N1
influenzas are now called influenza A(H3N2)v.
“This will allow the media to use more accurate
terminology to communicate to consumers and will
help reinforce to consumers that you cannot get the
flu from eating or handling pork,” said Dr. Jennifer
Koeman, director of producer and public health for the
Pork Checkoff.
Research shows less bedding needed
during hog transport
Texas Tech and Iowa State University researchers
have found that the pork industry can generally use
less bedding year-round than it currently does while
improving overall animal well-being - a breakthrough
finding that could save the industry an estimated $10.1
million per year.
The results are from a new study funded by the Pork
Checkoff.
John McGlone, a swine researcher at Texas Tech
University and principal researcher for the study, along
with Anna Butters-Johnson an Iowa State University
researcher, looked at various rates of bedding in
semi-trailers at different times of year and in different
locations throughout the Midwest. This approach
provided data representing cold, mild and hot weather.
58 March 2012

Specifically, the research trials showed that groups of
pigs headed to market can experience lower mortality
rates in warm weather and overall improved well-being
year-round when less bedding is used in transport
trailers. According to McGlone, the current standard in
the industry is to use four bales of bedding per semitrailer.
“During the study we found that the surface temperature
of the pigs changed with the air temperature and that
increased surface temperature actually caused a negative
effect on the pigs’ welfare,” McGlone said. “In cold
weather, we found that there is no added effect to using
more than six bales of bedding per trailer.”
“We concluded that if the industry changed to using
only three bales per trailer, it would create a big savings
with no change in welfare,” McGlone said. “So it’s
something the industry will need to consider carefully.”
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. The Pork
Checkoff funds national and state programs
in advertising, consumer information, retail
and foodservice marketing, export market
promotion, production improvement,
technology, swine health, pork safety
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.
Task force outlines “road map” to
Improve sow lifetime productivity
How productive sows are during their lifetimes has
sizeable economic and animal welfare implications for
the U.S. pork industry. That’s why the Pork Checkoff
created the Sow Lifetime Productivity Task Force to
chart a “road map” of research tactics to improve sow
retention rates and pig survival.
The task force, made up of leading industry experts,
has set a goal of improving sow lifetime productivity
by 30 percent over the next seven years, according to
Chris Hostetler, director of animal science for the Pork
Checkoff.
The task force recommends research priorities be
concentrated on three main areas:
1. Increasing sow life in the herd through focused
research on increasing average number of parities per
sow and decreasing herd fall-out in the early parities.
2. Increasing the number of pigs weaned per litter
through improved litter size at birth and decreased
pre-wean mortality.
3. Optimizing gilt development and retention to
increase lifetime productivity.
March 2012
59

Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers
News and Notes
From your side of the fence: Combination farms
By Kent Mowrer, CSIF field specialist
Combination livestock farms
can be challenging if a farmer
is considering expanding. The
most common example of a
combination farm is cattle and
hogs on the same farm site.
Under state law, for the purpose
of new construction permitting,
all animal units in the same
production practice need to be
counted together.
What this means is if you have a
2,400-head confinement hog barn
and are considering building a
600-head cattle confinement barn,
you will need to count the animal
units from both confinements
together. Animal units determine
which separation distances and
permitting requirements need
to be met for the proposed cattle
confinement.
In this case, the combined animal
units are 1,560 animal units
(2,400-head of hogs is 960 animal
units and 600-head of cattle is
600 animal units). The proposed
cattle confinement would need
to meet the separation distances
and permitting requirements for
a confinement feeding operation
between 1,000 and less than 3,000
animal units.
If a farmer needs assistance
in better understanding DNR
regulations and how these
regulations apply to their
individual farm, they can request
a free farm visit by contacting the
Coalition at (800) 932-2436 or visiting
supportfarmers.com.
Alliant Energy invests in
Iowa agriculture
Alliant Energy, a Midwest energy
company that provides electric and
natural gas services to communities
throughout Iowa, Wisconsin and
Minnesota, recently affirmed its
support of Iowa agriculture through
an investment in CSIF.
Their financial commitment will
assist CSIF in its efforts to provide
direct assistance to livestock and
poultry farmers as they grow their
farms successfully and responsibly.
The Alliant Energy investment will be
used to support the increasingly
popular Green Farmstead Partner
program, which offers timely and
cost-effective assistance to farmers
wanting to plant trees and shrubs
around their livestock and poultry
buildings.
“Alliant Energy’s Ag program is
dedicated to promoting energy
efficiency and environmental
stewardship with our agriculture
customers,” says Dave Warrington,
agricultural representative for
Alliant Energy. “Alliant Energy’s
sponsorship of the Green
Farmstead Partner program is
an excellent way to enhance our
efforts to help support livestock
production in the state of Iowa.”
60 MARCH March 2012

Delicious pork recipes
for Easter
Basic Boneless
Ham
5-6 pounds fully-cooked boneless
ham
Place ham in shallow pan and heat
in a 350 degree F. oven, uncovered,
for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until
an inserted meat thermometer
reads 140 degrees F. (about 18-20
minutes per pound.) Serves 12.
If desired, glaze your ham with a
mixture of 1/2 cup honey and one
6-ounce can thawed orange juice
concentrate during the last 15 minutes of reheating.
Harvest Pork
Roast with
Vegetables
3 pounds pork loin roast
1 0.7-oz package dry italian salad
dressing mix
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
leaves
8 cups fall vegetables, (potatoes,
carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips,
onions, bell peppers) cut into 1 to 1
1/2-inch chunks
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 343 calories
Protein: 46 grams
Fat: 16 grams
Sodium: 2879 milligrams
Cholesterol: 119 milligrams
Saturated Fat: 5 grams
Carbohydrates: 1 grams
Fiber: 0 grams
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 182 calories
Protein: 12 grams
Fat: 4 grams
Sodium: 65 milligrams
Cholesterol: 30 milligrams
Saturated Fat: 0 grams
Carbohydrates: 27 grams
Heat oven to 350º F. Place pork in shallow roasting pan.
Blend Italian salad dressing mix, cumin and oregano in
small bowl. Sprinkle half of seasoning mixture over pork;
cook uncovered for 1 hour or until internal temperature
on a thermometer reads 145º F. Remove roast from oven;
let rest about 10 minutes. While pork is cooking, coat
a separate baking dish with vegetable cooking spray
and add vegetables. Sprinkle remaining seasoning over
vegetables. Cover and roast in oven for 30 minutes.
Remove cover, stir and continue roasting 15 to 30 minutes
until vegetables are tender. Slice roast and serve with
vegetables. Serves 6 to 8.
Italian-stuffed Pork
Tenderloin
2 Pork Tenderloins, about 1 pound
each
2 tablespoons butter
1 8-oz carton fresh mushrooms,
chopped
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1 6-oz package long-grain and
wild rice mix, cooked according to
package directions and cooled
1 cup pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley,
chopped
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 10-oz container Alfredo sauce, refrigerated
3 tablespoons Chardonnay, OR other dry white wine
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 579 calories
Protein: 39 grams
Fat: 31 grams
Sodium: 1141 milligrams
Cholesterol: 117 milligrams
Saturated Fat: 10 grams
Carbohydrates: 34 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut lengthwise slit in each
pork tenderloin, cutting to but not through the other
side. Set pork aside. Melt butter in large saucepan over
medium heat. Add mushrooms and green onions; cook
until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in cooked long grain
and wild rice mix, pecans and parsley. Set aside 3/4 cup
of the rice mixture. Spoon remaining rice mixture into 1
1/2-quart casserole; cover and set aside. Divide 3/4 cup
rice mixture between slits in pork tenderloins, spreading
evenly in slits. Close slits; secure with toothpicks.
Stir together Italian seasoning and salt in small bowl.
Sprinkle evenly over top of pork tenderloins. Place
pork tenderloins on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast
tenderloins, uncovered, for 25-27 minutes until internal
temperature is 145 degrees Fahrenheit, followed by
a 5-minute rest time. Bake casserole of rice mixture
alongside tenderloins. Meanwhile, for sauce, combine
Alfredo sauce and Chardonnay in medium saucepan.
Cook and stir over low heat until bubbly. To serve, spoon
rice mixture onto serving platter. Remove toothpicks from
tenderloins. Cut pork tenderloins into
1-inch-thick pieces; arrange on rice
mixture on platter. Serve sauce with
pork and rice mixture. Serves 6 to 8.
March 2012
61

P R O D U C E R S ’ M A R K E T
Place
your ad
here!
ADVERTISING
WORKS.
THE
IOWA PORK PRODUCER
SELLS!
Contact Doug Fricke for more
information on how to reach
Iowa’s pork producers.
(800)372-7675
dfricke@iowapork.org
62 March MARCH 2012

P R O D U C E R S ’ M A R K E T
Thank you
for attending the
2012 Iowa Pork
Congress.
The 2013 event will
be Jan. 23-24.
Mark your
Calendar!
March MARCH 2012
63

Iowa Pork Producers Association
P.O. Box 71009
Clive, IA 50325-0009
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
DES MOINES, IA
PERMIT NO. 1911
64 March 2012