Gene Nemechek, a swine veterinarian from Springdale, Ark., has been elected president of the National Pork Board by his fellow board members. The board also elected Everett Forkner, a pork producer from Richards, Mo., vice president. Both will serve one-year terms effective July 1.
Nemechek is a swine quality assurance veterinarian with the live swine division of the Tyson Pork Group, Inc. for Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. Nemechek has a shared responsibility to work with the Tyson pork production units in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri as well as customer quality assurance for the Tyson Pork Group weaned pig and feeder pig customers.
Nemechek, the current board vice president, is serving his second three-year term on the National Pork Board and serves on the organization's Budget Committee, Resolutions Committee, Pork Safety Committee and Swine Health Committee. Previously, he served as president and vice president of the North Carolina Pork Council.
Forkner was nominated for a second three-year term on the board by Pork Act delegates at Pork Industry Forum in March and is awaiting the secretary of agriculture's appointment of the 2010 National Pork Board members.
Forkner is the owner and president of Forkner Farms Inc., which has 500 purebred sows and markets 8,000 hogs per year. He has sold hogs in 27 different countries. He also raises corn, soybeans and wheat on 2,000 acres.
Nationally, Forkner is chair of the board's Budget Committee and serves on the board's Administrative Committee. He also serves on the Pork Checkoff's Animal Science Committee and Niche Committee. He also serves on the Nutritional Efficiency Consortium. At the state level, he is a member of the Missouri Pork Producer Association and serves on the board of directors. He also has served as chair of the Missouri Pork Expo and chair of the Research Committee. Locally, Forkner is past president of the Vernon County Pork Producers; he served on the board of directors from 1970 to 1995.
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.
Source: National Pork Board