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National Pork Board looking to “reinvent” checkoff program

Bill Even, CEO of the National Pork Board says changes in the pork industry such as labor shortages and rapid advancements in technology for both producers and consumers are pushing them to update their programs.

“We’ve been operating now for about 20 years on the same business model. I think its time the pork industry steps back and says ‘If I were going to start with a blank piece of paper, what would I want my checkoff to do for me today?”

Even tells Brownfield they have formed a 20- person blue ribbon task force that will gather new ideas for the checkoff from producers, retailers and consumers.

“From there, we are going to step back and say let’s redesign this organization and make sure it’s agile, it’s nimble, it’s relevant and it’s aggressive for producers.”

Brownfield interviewed Even at the Illinois Pork Expo in Springfield.