NPPA addresses consumer concerns

In response to pork production concerns addressed to our attention, NPPA has compiled helpful information for consumers and others outside of the pork industry. 

PORK PRODUCTION

It is far too easy to generalize the pork industry.  Due to competitive pressures, and consumer demands, today’s pork production includes everything from small niche specialists to larger farms geared to optimum efficiency.  Change is essential throughout the business world, but it doesn’t mean the small operators can’t thrive. 

ANTIBIOTICS

The important thing to remember is that pork producers are committed to using all animal health products – including antibiotics – responsibly. Pork producers follow veterinarian’s recommendations and all U.S. pork producers are required to adhere to animal health-product withdrawal standards that meet U.S. maximum residue limits.  These standards were determined through science-based testing by the Food and Drug Administration to ensure the safety of all products entering the national food chain.

Visit http://www.nepork.org/ViewNewsRelease/tabid/735/Default.aspx?id=679 to read further information on antibiotic usage. 

Pork producers do everything possible to ensure food safety on the farm.  Furthermore, regulations and inspections by the United States Department of Agriculture at the plant have resulted in the world’s safest food supply. 

We have a winner: Porky-n-Beans tops at Ribest

BY MICAH MERTES and L. KENT WOLGAMOTT / Lincoln Journal Star

Dennis Carrino had one thing in mind when he headed for Lincoln with his Porky-N-Beans crew and equipment for the 13th Annual Nebraska Pork Producers Capital City Ribfest.

“When we came this year, we came to win Ground Zero,” Carrino said. The Port St. Lucie, Fla.-based rib cooker had won the Ground Zero Best of Show award once before and has a plaque with the front page of the Journal Star reporting the win on his office wall. He wanted another. He’ll get it.

Porky-N-Beans took the annual Ground Zero Best of Show Award, edging out last year’s winner, Johnson’s BBQ of Chesapeake, Va. Porky-N-Beans received 85 of a possible 100 points from the five judges – Ground Zero contest winner Jason Noecker, Nebraska Pork Producers President Dennis Beethe, Journal Star photographer Jacob Hannah and your co-writers.

The win is Porky-N-Bean’s first Lincoln victory with a sauce that it started using a few years ago. The key to good barbecue, Carrino said, is a combination of good meat, smoked just right and good sauce.

Operation Main Street Experience

By Mallory Wittstruck, Nebraska Pork Producers Association Intern

As an NPPA intern, I attended Pork Checkoff’s Operation Main Street, an intensive training for those within the pork industry, especially pork producers, to help spread the message about the pork industry.  The training was held in Lincoln, Neb., on July 9^th and 10^th.

 As I am not a pork producer, I wondered how the focus of this training would affect my public speaking skills and if I would be able to get something viable out of the two day training…. and boy did I learn a lot!  Not only did I improve my public speaking skills, I received training on how to deliver a positive message to the media and the public.  I never realized the skill that is needed to inform someone who may not know anything about our industry – our seemingly harmless words about the pork industry may be misinterpreted into a negative light.  What we thought was something positive could have a negative result so that is why it is so important to have the proper training through programs such as Operation Main Street.

Pork Chop Scramble provides education

By Sarah Knutson, Nebraska Pork Producers Association Mentor

The Nebraska Pork Producers Association holds an annual Pork Chop Scramble where Nebraska pork producers, allied partners and friends of the pork industry enjoy golfing, eating fabulous barbeque and a day of fun with the NPPA and I am glad that I was a part of it.  The Pork Chop Scramble was a great way for promoting pork and I was very excited to go to this outing even though I didn’t get to golf myself.  However, it turned out that I had a lot of fun without golfing.  This was the first main event that I got to help with as a pork mentoring student so it was a great way for me to learn, promote and bond with my fellow peers.