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Longing For A Pork Expo Blog

Chuck Zimmerman

World Pork ExpoI guess I just missed that there was a nice website for the World Pork Expo or I would have featured it before now. My fault. Better late than never.

I’d like to see a World Pork Expo blog though. How about a series of on-going “live” pictures and articles with audio that we can see and hear. A little streaming video? Just a thought.

I think the information available on the website is great and important but . . . like many groups today there’s a dependency on traditional media to get the message out. I encourage the Pork Checkoff to think outside the box and realize that the internet and some very inexpensive software now allow you to become “the media!”

Post your own stories, pictures, interviews. If you don’t have the staff, hire a blogging consultant to set it up and create the content for you. This way you can put your own spin on the information!!!

Speaking of information. Here’s some more from World Pork Expo.

Pork Checkoff news conference at WPX addressed many issues valuable to pork industry

Now that United States Supreme Court has overturned a lower-court ruling against the Pork Checkoff, the pork industry needs to come together and focus its attention and resources on improving the marketplace for pork, Dave Culbertson, a pork producer from Geneseo, Ill., and president of the National Pork Board said Thursday.

The Supreme Court ruling is good news for producers, Culbertson said, because it means the demand-building, research and education programs supported by the Checkoff will continue. “ But we still have a lot of work to do, and we are eager to continue building on the momentum we’ve established in the last several years.”

Culbertson and Steve Murphy, the chief executive officer of the National Pork Board, highlighted some of the recent accomplishments of the Pork Checkoff in the areas of promotion, research and consumer information during a news conference at World Pork Expo in Des Moines. Murphy said U.S. pork exports, which are supported by the Pork Checkoff, continue to be a huge success story for pork producers. “Exports grew by 27 percent in 2004 and are on pace in 2005 to eclipse that growth,” he said. “Net pork exports for January through March 2005 were 2.7 percent higher than the same period one year ago and are responsible for an estimated 14 percent increase in live hog prices for the first quarter of 2005.”

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