NZ Pork Buyers Impressed with US Industry
US - USMEF hosted a group of five pork buyers from New Zealand last week for an up-close view of US production and processing practices.
21 April 2010
3 minute read
New Zealand has emerged as a promising market for US pork, with exports setting a record in 2009 of just over 16 million pounds valued at $17.2 million.
The team began its US tour in Iowa when they visited the JBS pork plant in Marshalltown and the Des Moines headquarters of Townsend Engineering, a leading manufacturer of sausage-making equipment. This was followed by a tour of the Pine Ridge Farms pork processing plant in Des Moines and the Grimes headquarters of Midwest Premier Foods.
The group’s first stop in Nebraska was a tour of the Farmland pork plant in Crete. Then they completed a three-day “Pork 101” educational seminar at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The course included an overview of US pork production, sessions focused on hog selection, pricing, carcass evaluation and grading, and hands-on exercises in pork cutting and sausage making. The team also met Thursday with Larry Sitzman, executive director of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association (NPPA) and Dr Donald Levis of the University of Nebraska for a discussion of Nebraska’s pork industry and its important role in the state’s economy.
Brian Tilbrook is operations manager for Leonard’s Superior Smallgoods, a New Zealand-based processor of bacon, ham and sausage products that utilizes US pork. Mr Tilbrook came away very impressed not only with the scale of the US industry, but also with the quality of US hogs and the professionalism of everyone he encountered during his visit:
You can listen to New Zealand-based pork buyer, Brian Tilbrook's, discussion on the US industry by clicking here.
