USMEF Chairman Caspers Addresses Pork Forum

USMEF Chairman Caspers Addresses Pork Forum

USMEF Chairman Jon Caspers provided participants in last week’s Pork Industry Forum in Dallas with an overview of the international market for U.S. pork, the activities that USMEF conducts in those markets, and an outlook for the coming year.

“This audience understands the significant role that exports play in the pork industry,” said Caspers, who operates a nursery-to-finish swine operation near Swaledale, Iowa.  “The U.S. pork industry enjoyed record success in 2008, exporting one in four pigs at the same time as we face decreased domestic demand.”

Caspers explained the importance of the Pork Checkoff to USMEF programs, enabling USMEF to leverage funds received from the USDA and membership dues to develop and implement a variety of programs in more than 80 countries around the world.  These efforts include promotions with retailers and restaurants, seminars for the trade, consumer education, trade servicing, and providing the U.S. government and industry with the market intelligence necessary to secure, maintain and develop fair and reasonable access to international markets.

The lingering global economic crisis is expected to provide continuing challenges for the U.S. pork industry, but Caspers noted that USMEF is exploring opportunities in a number of markets to help sustain pork exports during difficult times.  Those efforts include such diverse activities as butcher certification training seminars in Mexico, barbecue competitions for food industry media in Russia to raise the visibility of U.S. pork and focused campaigns to capitalize on opportunities in niche markets that are outperforming the rest of the industry, such as the convenience store market in Japan.

Caspers was joined at the Pork Forum by USMEF Secretary/Treasurer Danita Rodibaugh and executive committee members Wayne Peugh and Jill Appell, as well as John Hinners, USMEF’s assistant vice president of industry relations.

The National Pork Forum houses the annual business meetings of the delegates to the National Pork Act, who make "advisements" to the National Pork Board concerning policy direction, and delegates to the board of directors of National Pork Producers Council, who establish policy for the board.

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.

USMEF Chairman Caspers Addresses Pork Forum

USMEF Chairman Jon Caspers provided participants in last week’s Pork Industry Forum in Dallas with an overview of the international market for U.S. pork, the activities that USMEF conducts in those markets, and an outlook for the coming year.

“This audience understands the significant role that exports play in the pork industry,” said Caspers, who operates a nursery-to-finish swine operation near Swaledale, Iowa.  “The U.S. pork industry enjoyed record success in 2008, exporting one in four pigs at the same time as we face decreased domestic demand.”

Caspers explained the importance of the Pork Checkoff to USMEF programs, enabling USMEF to leverage funds received from the USDA and membership dues to develop and implement a variety of programs in more than 80 countries around the world.  These efforts include promotions with retailers and restaurants, seminars for the trade, consumer education, trade servicing, and providing the U.S. government and industry with the market intelligence necessary to secure, maintain and develop fair and reasonable access to international markets.

The lingering global economic crisis is expected to provide continuing challenges for the U.S. pork industry, but Caspers noted that USMEF is exploring opportunities in a number of markets to help sustain pork exports during difficult times.  Those efforts include such diverse activities as butcher certification training seminars in Mexico, barbecue competitions for food industry media in Russia to raise the visibility of U.S. pork and focused campaigns to capitalize on opportunities in niche markets that are outperforming the rest of the industry, such as the convenience store market in Japan.

Caspers was joined at the Pork Forum by USMEF Secretary/Treasurer Danita Rodibaugh and executive committee members Wayne Peugh and Jill Appell, as well as John Hinners, USMEF’s assistant vice president of industry relations.

The National Pork Forum houses the annual business meetings of the delegates to the National Pork Act, who make "advisements" to the National Pork Board concerning policy direction, and delegates to the board of directors of National Pork Producers Council, who establish policy for the board.

# # #

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry and is funded by USDA, exporting companies, and the beef, pork, corn and soybean checkoff programs.