NPB President Gene Noem shares his goals for 2022

IARN — Leaders from the National Pork Board are meeting with farmers this week at the 2022 Iowa Pork Congress to share their priorities for 2022.

Gene Noem, President of the National Pork Board, tells the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network that the top priority on their list for this year is to support a coordinated national strategy for foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness.

“Pork Board has established a contact tracing process called AgView,” said Noem. “It’s a piece of software that houses data. If you are a state animal health official, it’s our intention to get so much data on there from all of the producers in Iowa. In the case of a disaster, state animal health officials and the USDA have the ability to go to one spot and say ‘give us that data.’ They can do their work to make sure they get their hands around the disease.”

Noem says the National Pork Board’s four other priorities for the year are Expand on Real Pork Trust and Image Brand, Establish U.S. Pork as a Global Leader in Sustainable Ag, Continue Grassroots Engagement with the States, and Diversify the International Portfolio. He talks about the importance of communicating these priorities with farmers.

“That’s one of the toughest jobs,” Noem said. “When they entrust us with their checkoff money, they expect to hear back about how we are using it. Our state network is critical. State associations like the Iowa Pork Producers Association, the event today here in Des Moines and the annual meeting we also had in Des Moines is a way to communicate back to the farmer.”

Noem says the organization’s five goals for 2022 are based on strengthening collaboration with partners across the industry. Learn more by visiting porkcheckoff.org.

Noem’s full interview can be found at the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.

Pictured: National Pork Board President Gene Noem at the 2022 Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines. (Photo by Brent Barnett)