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How the pork checkoff benefits farmers

A past president of the National Pork Board says the checkoff is focused on developing new markets both domestically and internationally.

Jan Archer says value chain partnerships could help improve demand.

“The checkoff has relied a lot on international markets to buoy the money that our producers are making,” she says. “It’s really important that we focus on that domestic consumption as well, so we can diversify our market.”

She tells Brownfield growing export markets is crucial for U.S. pork producers.

“We work with our partners like the U.S. Meat Export Federation, NPC, the USDA, to help increase the value of that carcass internationally,” she says. “Safety, quality, sustainability. All of those are the really big selling points of US pork.”

China, Japan, and Mexico are the largest importers of U.S. pork.

AUDIO: Jan Archer