June 2007

Direct Line Keeping Our Members Informed

kpa@kspork.org • www.kspork.org

Volume XXVIII

2601 Farm Bureau Road • Manhattan, KS 66502 • (785) 776-0442

Public Notice

by Kansas Pork Producers Council and the National Pork Board

The election of pork producer delegate candidates for the 2008 National Pork Producers (Pork Act) Delegate Body will take place at 1:00 p.m., Monday, July 16, 2007, in conjunction with a Board of Directors meeting of the Kansas Pork Producers Council at the Wendell Moyer Office Building, 2601 Farm Bureau Road, Manhattan, KS 66502. All Kansas pork producers are invited to attend.

Any producer, who is a resident of the state and has paid all assessments due may be considered as a delegate candidate and/or participate in the election. All eligible producers are encouraged to bring with them a sales receipt proving that hogs were sold in their name and the checkoff deducted.

For more information, contact Kansas Pork Producers Council, 2601 Farm Bureau Road, Manhattan, Kan., telephone (785) 776-0442.

Community Outreach Program connecting pork producers and their communities

Thanks to all who have participated in the Community Outreach Program.

The participants are as follows: • Ag Management Services of Washington, sponsored a girl’s T-ball team. The KPA logo was printed on the team t-shirts. Five of the girls’ families are involved in swine production. They are playing their season during May, June and July.

• Bruce and Joyce Feldhausen of Frankfort, sponsored and served BBQ pork at the grand opening of the Wildcat Wilderness playground area in the Frankfort City Park on Sunday, June 3. They served around 150 people.

• J-Six Farms of Seneca, provided pork for the Corning Ball Association’s Annual Memorial Day Breakfast and donated pork certificates for their Memorial Day raffle.

Upcoming events: • Kansas Select Pork, Quivira Pork, Sunflower Hills and Rolling Hills Pork of Washington, donated pork for the meal held at the Washington County Hospital Foundation Golf Tournament on June 16 and 17. Proceeds will go to the county hospital for a specific item needed in the hospital.

• Rolling Hills Pork of Washington, provided pork for a meal held at the Washington County Saddle Club Annual Rodeo on June 16 and 17.

• J-Six Farms provide picnic style pork chops for their Annual Appreciation Summer BBQ for neighbors of all their locations, from White Cloud to Clifton.

All local firemen from areas where J-Six has locations were also invited.

The event was held, with more than 300 people in attendance, on June 16 in Fairview.

• Bruce and Joyce Feldhausen of Frankfort, will donate BBQ pork for a community dinner to be held on June 24 in Frankfort. The confirmation class of the First Presbyterian Church is organizing the dinner and all proceeds will go to the victims of the tornado in Greensburg.

June 2007

• Doug Gerleve, Sunflower Hills and Rolling Hills Pork, Washington, will donate pork to the food stand at the Annual Community 4th of July Celebration held this year, on June 30 in Washington.

Kansas to participate in Nutritional Efficiency Consortium The Pork Checkoff is working to address the effects of rising corn prices on pork producers. In February, the National Pork Board approved $400,000 for the development of a nutritional efficiency research and education consortium, bringing together organizations throughout the pork industry and agriculture.

“The nutritional efficiency consortium was developed to determine what research had been completed and what would need to be done on behalf of pork producers,” said Bruce Samson, pork producer from Three Forks, Mont. and National Pork Board member. “It was determined that research and education should be focused on nutritional efficiency and not just ethanol coproducts.”

The objectives of the nutritional efficiency consortium include: • To economically maximize production efficiencies through improved feed conversion and reduced/optimized feed costs.

• To help producers lower feed costs through improved feeding technologies and information about the use of lower-cost alternative diet components.

• To develop comprehensive research programs to address genomic and

cellular level nutrient utilization processes and capabilities.

• To develop real-time decision making tools to evaluate the opportunities and challenges created by corn and other ingredient prices and co-product availability.

“We have received support from several state pork associations and private organizations,” said Samson.

“To date, the consortium has matched the initial funds provided by the Pork Checkoff.”

Participants in the consortium include: Arizona Pork Council, Illinois Pork Producers Association, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Kansas Pork Association, Mississippi Pork Association, Missouri Pork Producers Association, Nebraska Pork Producers Association Inc., North Carolina Pork Council Inc., Utah Pork Producers Association, Montana Pork Producers Council, National Corn Growers Association, DPI Global, Elanco, JBS United, Lucta S.A. and Pioneer Hi-Bred.

The consortium has worked together to develop the research and education priorities. Initial calls for proposals have been sent. The next steps for the consortium include reviewing and approving spending based on the proposals with the research scheduled to begin in September.

WAL-MART PROMOTES “THRILLING AMERICAN GRILLING” TOUR

The National Pork Board is inviting pork producers to join the “Thrilling American Grilling” promotional team at their local Wal-Mart stores across the United States. The “Thrilling American Grilling” team will be handling all of the grilling/sampling responsibilities while the pork producers hand out recipe cards and answers consumer questions about pork.

Producers are asked to sign up for three - four-hour time slots on any of the three or four promotional days. Producers are encouraged to sign up for Friday, Saturday or Sundays, as these are the

most popular grocery shopping days. The following times have been set for producer shifts, as asked by the “Thrilling American Grilling” team.

776-0442, at least three weeks prior to the intended promotion weekend. Please contact us as soon as possible for the July and August promotion times.

• Fridays: 11 am – 2 pm; 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

ARE YOU A GRATE KANSAN GRILLER? ENTER YOUR RECIPE in the “Grilling Grates from the 50 States” contest

• Saturdays: 11 am – 2 p.m.; 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

• Sundays: 11 am – 2pm; 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

• Mondays: 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.

The KPA will reimburse mileage to and from the event.

2007 Dates and Participating Kansas Wal-Mart Stores: • Friday, July 27 – Monday, July 30 Olathe (S. Alden Street) • Friday, August 3 – Monday, August 6 Olathe (S. Alden Street) • Friday, August 10 – Monday, August 13 Olathe (S. Alden Street) • Friday, September 7 – Monday, September 10 Topeka (37th Street) • Friday, September 21 – Monday, September 24 Paola (Hedge Lane) • Friday, November 2 – Monday, November 5 Bonner Springs (Kansas Ave) • Friday, November 9 – Monday, November 12 Overland Park (Metcalf Ave) A Wal-Mart Producer Kit will be sent to the producer in advance to his/her scheduled work time. The kit contents include the following: • A memo explaining procedures for the promotion • Wal-Mart FAQs • Case Ready Pork Fact Sheet • 200 Recipe Cards (to hand out in stores) • PQA Plus Polo Shirt • PQA Plus Information Card • “Proud Pork Producer” Apron • “Proud Pork Producer” Carry Case/ Cooler Interested participants should contact the KPA office, kpa@kspork.org or 785-

Do you have a for-the-flames recipe that shows off your region’s signature flair? Is it easy, tasty and quick? If so, the National Pork Board wants to hear from you! This summer we’re canvassing the country to find regionally-representative tenderloin recipes that top the taste scale, but won’t make you a slave to your grill.

Whether you are a Southwestern gal who opts for spicy rubs or a Northeasterner that sweetens the meal with a maple syrup marinade, we encourage you to throw your tongs into the ring this summer for a chance to win the “Grilling Grates From the 50 States” Contest.

WHAT TO ENTER: Send the National Pork Board your favorite grilled pork tenderloin recipe, and explain (in 25 words or less) how it represents your particular region of the U.S. Simplicity is the key to success in this contest! The recipe should consist of no more than five ingredients (in addition to the pork tenderloin), and hands-on cook time must not exceed 30 minutes to emphasize the ease of the recipe.

Please be sure to choose a regionallythemed title, like Southwestern Grilled Pork Tenderloin or ingredient element to help emphasize why your recipe is the regional grate.

HOW TO SUBMIT: Beginning on May 21, you can log on to TheOtherWhiteMeat. com to submit your entry online.* There’s no purchase necessary to win. You also can enter by mail. On a piece of paper no larger than 8 1/2” x 11”, type or clearly print your complete name, birth date, street address (no P.O. boxes) city, state, Zip code, and telephone number. Mail entry in an envelope to Grilling Grates From the 50 States Recipe Contest, Pork Information Bureau, National Pork Board,

Together, we raise our community’s standard of living.

P.O. Box 9114, Des Moines, Iowa 50306.

WINNERS: Five regional finalists (as selected at the discretion of the National Pork Board based on regional creativity, mouth-watering appeal and ease of preparation) will be selected and posted on TheOtherWhiteMeat.com beginning August 1, 2007. Entries will be judged within the following region: • North-Central (OH, MI, IN, WI, IL, MN, IA, MO, ND, SD, NE, KS) During the month of August, visitors to the site can vote for their favorite regional recipe to be named the grand prize winner.

The grand prize winner will receive a trip to Steven Raichlen’s Barbecue University, a new Weber® Q300™ grill and pork gift certificates. The additional four regional finalists will each receive a new Weber® Q300™ grill, pork gift certificates and autographed copies of Steven Raichlen’s most recent cookbook.

DEADLINE: Contest entry period runs from 12:01 a.m. (EST) on May 21, 2007 to 11:59 p.m. (EST) on July 12, 2007.

Mail-in entries must be postmarked by July 12, 2007 and received by July 16, 2007.

RULES: To see complete rules, log on to TheOtherWhiteMeat.com. While visiting, don’t forget to check out other grilling grates, tips and meal ideas with pork.

IMAGE CAMPAIGN CONTINUES THROUGHOUT THE STATE

The Pork and Soybean Checkoff Image Campaign is near completion in Brown, Nemaha and Washington counties. With the theme, “Together, we raise the community’s standard of living,” newspaper and radio ads were created to promote consumer and producer awareness about the positive impact of pork and soybean producers in their cities. Print advertisements were placed in the Hiawatha World, Seneca-Courier Tribune and Washington County News.

Radio spots aired on KNZA FM, WIBW 580 AM and KFRM 550 AM. Three billboards, located in Hiawatha, Seneca and Washington, stated similar messages.

The June campaign is currently running in the southeastern part of the state, in Wilson and Montgomery counties.

Billboards can be spotted in Neodesha and Independence. Radio spots are running during farm time on WIBW 580 AM and KKOW, Pittsburg. Look for print ads in the Wilson County Citizen and the Independence Daily Reporter.

In July, Stafford and Barton counties will be the main focus. An illuminated billboard will be placed in Great Bend.

Print ads will run in the Great Bend Tribune- fair section, The Stafford Courier, The Rocket and the Ellinwood Leader. Radio spots will run on the Kansas

Ag Network including KFRM-AM in Clay Center, KVGB-AM and KBGLAM in Great Bend, KCAY-AM and KRSL-AM in Russell, KRSL-AM, and KAYS-AM in Hays.

The KPA’s plan, in cooperation with the Kansas Soybean Commission, is to cover different counties within Kansas every month until October. Please let us know if and how the advertisements are affecting your communities.

Pork Quality Assurance Plus™: The Official Launch of the Program

The Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus™) program was officially launched June 8, at World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa.

“The pork industry is working on programs that will demonstrate to our customers our accountability, trust and social responsibility in pork production,” said Wayne Peugh, a pork producer from Edelstein, Ill. and National Pork Board president. “The Pork Checkoff is working to provide producers with tools and the ability to do that and PQA Plus will serve as a foundation to help meet that challenge.”

Pork Quality Assurance Plus incorporates an animal well- being component, mainly the Pork Checkoff’s Swine Welfare Assurance Program®,

into the Pork Quality Assurance® (PQA®) certification program. The industry’s solution is a continuous improvement system focused on producer education, certification, and premises assessment. An audit of a representative sample of sites will extend credibility to the program.

“The first class of producers was trained in PQA Plus yesterday,” said Peugh. “They included members of our board of directors and the Pork Leadership Academy. I am proud to say the program is up and running.”

In addition to pork producers’ willingness to adapt PQA Plus, acceptance by those in the pork industry is critical. Veterinarians, through the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV), have participated in the development and testing of PQA Plus.

“The AASV is very pleased to support the new PQA Plus program,” said Dr. Daryl Olsen, AASV president.

“Practitioners and producers will continue to rely on the framework provided by the new PQA Plus program in maintaining high standards for judicious antibiotic use, residue avoidance, health management and welfare assurance.”

To make sure producers of all sizes and production styles are able to take advantage of the PQA Plus program, the Pork Checkoff has been conducting beta tests on pilot farms. Each PQA Plus pilot advisor brought a variety of swine experience and background

to the development of the program by representing and working with all types and sizes of pork producers.

“As with any new program, we ran into a few challenges,” said Larry McMullen, Iowa State University Extension swine field specialist. “The challenges were addressed and resulted in a PQA Plus program that accommodates production methods resulting in positive well-being to animals and allowing for production efficiency.”

A nationwide network of trained and certified advisors will work with pork producers to help them achieve PQA Plus certification. The certification will be good for three years, when it must be renewed.

Producers currently certified in PQA Level III will continue to be certified until their current certification expires. However, all producers are encouraged to obtain PQA Plus certification at any time.

“Pork producers have always cared for our animals and now we have a way to demonstrate that care to others,” said Peugh. “I encourage pork producers to achieve PQA Plus certification because it is the right thing to do.”

For more information on the PQA Plus program call the Pork Checkoff Serviced Center at 800-456-Pork. Additional information also is available at /Producers/ PQA/PQAPlus.aspx.

Pork, NOw that’s bbq!

The Kansas Pork Association is asking for your help in spreading the word across Kansas grocery stores about grilling pork. We have “point of sale” materials

Direct Line Keeping Our Members Informed

available FREE OF CHARGE that promote pork in the grilling season. This BBQ kit includes magnetic signs, meat case cards and recipes. We need your help getting them utilized in grocery stores around Kansas. We are hoping that those who put up the nutritional kits will go back to those local grocery stores to put up the BBQ kits.

We will ship all materials to you FREE OF CHARGE. Another idea would be to include your kids. If any of them are in 4-H, this would make a great activity for their record book!

E-mail kpa@kspork.org or call the office (EXTENDED until July 15 for your chance at the drawing for the Chill ‘N Grill set) at 785-776-0442, with the following information: your name, address, phone number, E-mail, number of kits needed and the name and town of grocery store.

Take a picture talking to the meat manager, putting materials up in the grocery store and send it to the KPA Office. Once we receive your photos, we’ll send you a bottle of Perfect Pork Chop Sprinkle, as your gift for helping us spread the great word about pork.

Also, participants will be entered into a drawing for a Chill N’ Grill set.