Wallaces Farmer

National Pork Producers Council delegates also approve resolutions at annual meeting.

March 18, 2019

3 Min Read
livestock barn
HAULING HOGS: The NPPC says current federal rules are incompatible with the realities of transporting livestock and pose a threat to animal welfare.

At the annual National Pork Industry Forum in March, the National Pork Producers Council elected new officers and members to its board of directors. Several Iowans are among them. NPPC is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa.

Elected president of the organization is David Herring, a North Carolina hog farmer. He is vice president of Hog Slat, which supplies equipment to pork operations, and is also vice president of TDM Farms. TDM is a sow farrow-to-finish operation, with farms in North Carolina, Illinois and Indiana. Herring is past president of the North Carolina Pork Council.

Howard Roth, a Wisconsin hog farmer, is elevated to president-elect. He owns and operates Roth Feeder Pigs. Jen Sorenson, communications director for Iowa Select Farms, is the new vice president. Lori Stevermer of Minnesota and Russell Vering of Nebraska were elected as new members of the board for three-year terms. Mark Cooper of Iowa was elected to a three-year term to serve as the board's Packer and Processor Industry Council representative.

They join current directors Craig Andersen of South Dakota, Phil Borgic of Illinois, Scott Hays of Missouri, Dale Reicks of Iowa, Gordon Spronk and Terry Wolters of Minnesota, Duane Stateler of Ohio, and Kraig Westerbeek  of North Carolina.

Elected for two-year terms to NPPC's nominating committee are Jay Moore of Minnesota and Neill Westerbeek of North Carolina.

“David Herring, Howard Roth and Jen Sorenson have a lot of valuable experience and leadership that will benefit NPPC and our producers greatly,” says Neil Dierks, CEO of NPPC. “And with the addition of our new board members, we again have a strong team guiding our work of protecting the livelihoods of America’s pork producers.”

Delegates approve resolutions

Delegates adopted several important resolutions, including calling on NPPC to strengthen pork industry efforts to prevent foreign animal diseases from entering the U.S. A resolution was also approved for NPPC to work for a change to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Hours of Service rules for truckers, to make the rules more compatible with animal welfare priorities when hauling hogs. The delegates also want NPPC to address these issues:

Labor. The departments of Labor and Homeland Security need to expand visas to let foreign workers stay in the U.S. longer for a more reliable workforce. 

Lab-produced meat. USDA and the Food and Drug Administration should be monitored to ensure the agencies are transparent throughout the development, production and harvest of lab-produced cultured protein.

Issues and funding. NPPC should provide existing and emerging pork industry issues and their funding needs to state associations before the 2020 NPPC Pork Forum.

Rising stars honored at forum

NPPC awarded scholarships to 10 college students who plan to pursue careers in the pork industry. The Lois Britt Memorial Pork Industry Scholarship program is sponsored by CME Group and the National Pork Industry Foundation. The 2019 scholarship winners include Iowans John Altendorf, Drake University, and Holly Cook and William Mengler of Iowa State University.

Source: NPPC, which is solely responsible for information provided and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries aren’t responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset. 

 

 

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