DES MOINES, IOWA — The National Pork Board announces the debut of Pork Quick Facts (pork.org/QuickFacts) and the Pork Checkoff Photo Library (pork.org/photos), two new online resources to help build transparency and trust in the U.S. pork industry. Pork Quick Facts provides a snapshot of the pork industry through statistics and infographics, while the Pork Checkoff Photo Library shares images of pig farms across America.
“Today, farm and ranch families make up only 2 percent of the U.S. population, with most of the other 98 percent two or more generations removed from the farm,” said National Pork Board President Jan Archer, a pig farmer from Goldsboro, North Carolina. “That makes it even more important to share how we raise safe, high-quality pork. The Checkoff’s new online resources will help bridge the gap as consumers increasingly ask how their food is raised.”
The Checkoff’s Quick Facts is designed to provide information for consumers, media, educators, students and others looking for an overview of the pork industry. It also provides statistics on everything from top U.S. pork export markets to state rankings for pork production, and from U.S. pork expenditures to the attributes of a typical market hog.
“Pig farmers also are a key audience for Quick Facts, with the production benchmarking stats serving as a powerful management tool,” said Chris Hostetler, director of animal science for the Pork Checkoff. “The data can benefit all producers by identifying areas for improvement in caring for their pigs and producing pork for their customers.
In addition to an extensive statistics section, Quick Facts provides historical information on the Pork Checkoff and pork production. The infographics in Quick Facts depict all things pork, including the life cycle of a market pig, what responsible antibiotic use means on a farm, bacon facts and U.S. pork export achievements.
The images available from the new Pork Checkoff Photo Library were taken on farms across the country and are designed to help the public learn how pigs are raised today. More than 1,000 photos are housed on Flickr, a popular, free online storage system. The high-resolution photos can be viewed and downloaded in different sizes for use in everything from social media posts to print publications. Photo categories include biosecurity, environment/crops, exports, farms/buildings, feed/feeders/bins, pigs, safety, transport, ventilation and waterers.
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. Importers of pork products contribute a like amount, based on a formula. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, science and technology, swine health, pork safety and sustainability 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 pork.org.
Source: The National Pork Board