Pork Producers Annual Meeting

This afternoon I headed up to Minneapolis for the annual meeting of the Minnesota Pork Producers Association. The association is made up of pork producers, those individuals in business that work with the pork Industry and just supporters of the pork Industry. Pork producers pay a small fee when they sell a pig and that money goes to the association. Supporters of the pork industry can pay a small one-time fee per year to be a part of the organization. It is completely voluntary; the money raised can be used in any way the association feels necessary.

The association annual meeting was pretty typical with the election of three board members, financial reports, legislative reports, resolutions and also a report from Neil Dierks, the chief executive officer of the National Pork Producers Council. The National Pork Producers work on legislative issues and spend a lot of time and resources working on trade and fair trade.

After the Minnesota Pork Producers Association meeting, the Minnesota Pork Board held its annual meeting. This is the check-off organization. The Minnesota Pork Board meeting was called to order by Kevin Estrem from Northfield. It was great to see so many pork producers running for the Minnesota Pork Board, as 13 new members were elected. A big part of the meeting was a report on programs that were funded through the check-off, common audit workshops, workforce workshops, placing emergency livestock trailers around Minnesota, promotions at the state fair and county fairs, and oink outings, just to name a few. The complete financial report is available to all pork producers. If you would like a copy or have questions or ideas contact the Minnesota Pork Board in Mankato at (507) 345-8814.