The National Pork Board recently announced Kara Behlke, of St Louis, Missouri, as director of nutrition and dietetics. Originally from Benkelman, Nebraska, Behlke holds a BS degree in dietetics from the University of Nebraska and completed her dietetic internship at Yale Medical Center. She is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and a previous member of the Retail Dietitian Business Alliance Advisory Board and CEOs Against Cancer.

Behlke comes to the Pork Board from Schnuck Markets, a 112-store supermarket chain operating in five Midwestern states, where she was the director of health and wellness strategy. In this role, she was responsible for creating an enterprise-wide health and well-being strategy in support of the company’s mission for improving the quality of food in customers’ baskets. She has held a variety of positions related to both brand marketing and nutrition in the retail food and commodity spaces, having worked for Schnucks, Hy-Vee, and the New York Beef Industry Council.

You can contact Kara Behlke at kbehlke@pork.org.

Industry gains keen insights for African swine fever preparation during COVID-19 pandemic

No one wants to go through tough times, but sometimes there is a silver lining. In the case of COVID-19, that upside is what the US pork industry learned over the past months that can be applicable and useful in preparing for a foreign animal disease (FAD) such as African swine fever (ASF).

“This event taught us pretty clearly that the US pork industry was not prepared for a large depopulation and disposal event,” said Dr Dave Pyburn, chief veterinarian with the National Pork Board. “While the industry and government had plans on paper before COVID-19 temporarily shuttered many of our packing plants, it was the real-world need for immediate response that really gave us extremely valuable insights that we can use again if needed.”

Specifically, Pyburn points to several key findings during COVID-19 that could help mitigate the negative effects of an FAD if it should strike.

• The National Veterinary Stockpile must have the right items and the quantity needed.
• Industry and government must have a clear plan and follow it from the start.
• State veterinarians should help lead and work with industry and the US Department of Agriculture as the situation develops over time, including locating resources.
• Farmers and veterinarians often have the best solutions because they are in the barns and fields.
• Allied-industry partners (eg, renderers) should be called upon to assist as needed for specific issues.
• Industry associations should continue to collaborate, communicate, and work for producer-focused solutions.

While COVID-19 provided its share of real-world lessons and pivots, some core industry tasks have gone relatively smoothly. These areas would remain a top priority should the industry face ASF or another critical issue.

For more information, contact Dr Dave Pyburn at dpyburn@pork.org.

AgView platform development continues

The Pork Checkoff continues to build out capabilities for AgView, its online animal health database and dashboard platform designed to help producers, veterinarians, and state and federal animal health officials communicate and make real-time decisions.

“We’re excited to be drawing close to the launch of this user-friendly and valuable tool for sharing important animal health information to key collaborators,” said Dr Patrick Webb, director of swine health at the National Pork Board. “We have spent much of 2020 testing the software and look forward to showing the world in November.”

For more information, contact Dr Patrick Webb at pwebb@pork.org.

Pig farmers live out We Care during COVID-19

The National Pork Board started tracking how pig farmers were supporting their communities through COVID-19. As of late June, nearly 14.4 million pounds of pork had been donated across the country. These servings along with numerous donations of personal protective equipment to front-line workers and funds to local charities added up quickly.

“Because these generous contributions are done behind the scenes, when no one is watching, I wanted to take a moment to highlight a few examples,” said Dr Brett Kaysen, vice president of sustainability at the National Pork Board. He encourages everyone to visit porkcares.org to read more about these donations or to share more stories about how pig farmers are living out their We Care commitment.