Taking over as president of the organization is Sam Carney, a producer from Adair, Iowa. Doug Wolf, owner of Wolf L & G Farms LLC in Lancaster, Wisconsin, was elevated to president-elect; R.C. Hunt, a producer from Wilson, North Carolina, was elected to the vice president’s position.

Re-elected to the board for three-year terms in the producer category were Mr Hunt; Larry Liepold from Okabena, Minnesota; and Randy Spronk from Edgerton, Minnesota. Dr Ron Prestidge, DVM, from South Carolina was elected to a three-year term. Al Deutsch, with AP Division of Grain Systems Inc., was elected as NPPC’s allied industry representative.

"We have excellent leadership in Sam, Doug and R.C. and quality, dedicated industry representatives in the new board members who were elected,“ said NPPC CEO Neil Dierks. “I know that all of them will work diligently and tirelessly on behalf of America’s pork producers.“

In addition to the newly elected and re-elected officers and board members, continuing as NPPC directors are: Gary Asay, from Osco, Illonois; Robert Dykhuis from Holland, Michigan; Howard Hill from Cambridge, Iowa; Mark Legan, from Coatesville, Indiana; and Bill Luckey, from Columbus, Nebraska. Todd Neff, with Tyson Fresh Meats, remains as the representative on NPPC’s Packer-Processor Industry Council. Don Butler, a pork producer from Clinton, North Carolina, and director of government relations and public affairs for Murphy-Brown LLC – the livestock production subsidiary of Smithfield Foods – will serve on the board as immediate past president.

Producers Phil Borgic from Illinois and Ray Summerlin from North Carolina were elected for one-year terms to NPPC’s Nominating Committee, which reviews the credentials of candidates for the organisation’s board of directors.

NPPC Inducts Two Into Hall of Fame

Agriculture economist Glenn Grimes, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, and former Iowa state senator and “Master Pork Producer“ John Soorholtz were inducted into the NPPC Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions to the pork industry.

Professor Grimes was honored for pioneering pork industry economic outlooks, the pork demand index and practical application of gilt data. In 1983, he began a 20-year consulting relationship with NPPC. Grimes, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agriculture economics from the University of Missouri, worked for the school for more than 58 years. He has been honored by many state and national organizations for his impact on the industry, providing expertise to dozens of pork-industry and agricultural partners.

Mr Soorholtz was part of the so-called Moline 90 group, which provided resources to hire the first full-time executive secretary for NPPC. He also was behind the “Nickels for Profit“ programme – a forerunner to the pork checkoff – that was piloted in Iowa and Illinois and focused on promoting pork while educating consumers. Mr Soorholtz served as president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association in the ‘70s, and in 1983 he was elected to the Iowa Senate.

“Glenn Grimes and John Soorholtz are two of the giants of the US pork industry,“ said Mr Carney. “Their contributions to the industry have been invaluable.“