PIG TALESThe Official Publication of the Kansas Pork Industry

Issue 5 2009

PQA Plus Site Status Rebate Program Begins

KPA Getting the Word Out on Pork

N O B O D Y C A R E S M O R E .The commitment by America’s pork producers to quality, safety and responsibility goes back decades. From ethical principles to industry-leading education, we have a track record of responsible practices and continuous improvement.

We’re proud to say that today, more than ever, our production practices are focused on food safety, responsibility — from the environment to animal care — and the quality of life in our communities.

Every day, here in Kansas, and on farms across the country, pork producers continue to demonstrate our dedication to the care and concern that is our legacy.

KPAKPAFunded by Kansas Pork Producers and their Pork

Checkoff Program© 2009 We Care Initiative

Pig Tales 3

The Official Publication of the

Kansas Pork Industry

Pig Tales is the official publication of the Kansas Pork Association and the Kansas Pork Producers Council. The publisher cannot guarantee the correctness of all information or absence of errors and omissions, nor be liable for content of advertisements. We reserve the right to edit or refuse all materials.

The KPA does not guarantee or endorse the performance of any products or services advertised within the publication.

All Pig Tales inquires should be directed to the editors at: Kansas Pork Association, 2601 Farm Bureau Road, Manhattan, KS 66502, Phone 785-776-0442, Fax 785-776-9897, E-mail: kpa@kspork.org, Web site: www.kspork.org

President-CeO Tim Stroda

direCtOr Of industry relatiOns

Jodi Termine

2009 KPa BOard Of direCtOrsChairman: Ron Suther – Blaine

Kent Condray – CliftonJim Crane-- Liberal

Thomas Frederick – HugotonJennifer Gerety-- SenecaAlan Haverkamp – BernJerry Morris-- Sedgwick

Pete Sherlock – Washington Michael Springer – Sycamore

Jim Nelssen – Kansas State University

2009 KPPC BOard Of direCtOrsChairman: Michael Springer- Sycamore

Kent Condray – CliftonAlan Haverkamp – Bern

Pete Sherlock- WashingtonRon Suther – Blaine

C O N T E N T S4 PrESidENT’S COlumN Protecting Your Employees and Your Business

5 PQA PluSSite Status Rebate Program

6 EmmiTT’S PArTy ZONEPork Promotion with Emmitt Smith

7 NATiONAl EAT TOgEThEr WEEkPork Producers Encourage Family Meals

8 gETTiNg ThE WOrd OuTKansas Pork Association Promotions

12 k-STATE CONNECTiONK-State Swine Day and Youth Sweepstakes

14 NATiONAl POrk BOArd ANd POrk ChECkOff National Updates

15 rECiPE White Chili

On the COveR

PIG TALES

Mini Pork Meat Loaves1 pound ground pork1 14-oz jar pasta sauce1 1/2 cups Italian cheese blend, shredded1 1/2 cups bread crumbs1 egg1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, salt-free blend1/2 teaspoon salt2 Roma tomatoes, thinly slicedCombine ground pork, 3/4 cup of pasta sauce,

1 cup of cheese, bread crumbs, egg, seasoning and salt.

Shape mixture into 4 oval-shaped loaves (about 6 inches in length) and place on a foil lined bak-ing sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Top each loaf with some of the remaining pasta sauce, remainder of the cheese and fresh tomato slices.

Bake in 425 degrees F oven for 15 minutes or until cooked through to a final internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Garnish with basil leaves any remaining sauce. Serves 4

Pig Tales • 4

President’s Column by Tim Stroda

As I’m writing this, the news of a swine herd with the novel H1N1 virus is hot off the press. It appears this herd was infected by employees at the farm. As a quick reminder, I want to share the highlights of the National Pork Board’s Novel H1N1 Biosecurity Recommendations for Producers.

This document can be found at www.pork.org

Consider the following:

1. Develop and implement an enhanced biosecurity protocol for workers, service personnel and all other people and equipment entering your facility.

• Do not allow people exhibiting flu-like symptoms to enter your facility, ask them to report recent con-tact with others who have developed signs of illness.• If people who have developed illness, or those that report contact with others who have developed illness, are essential to the operation and must enter the facilities, require their use of properly fitted, valveless N95 respirators, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) while on the farm and limit their contact with the animals. • Implement a shower-in, shower-out policy where possible for all people entering the facility. If not possible, require that all people entering the facil-ity wash their hands and arms with warm water and soap before entering the facility. • Require the use of farm-specific clothing and foot-wear for all people entering the facility. •Encourage all people to wash their hands and arms frequently while on-farm, including before and after handling pigs, before eating, or smoking or touching their faces, mouths, eyes or noses. • Encourage all people to use hand sanitizer follow-ing hand-washing.

2. Establish, implement and enforce strict sick leave policies for workers who have developed influenza-like symptoms, such as a fever, cough, body aches and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.

• Prevent workers who have been diagnosed with or are exhibiting these symptoms from entering swine facilities for at least seven days after they begin signs of respiratory illness, even mild ones, or until

symptom free for 24 hours.• Recommend that workers with respiratory illness follow CDC recommendations about seeking medi-cal care. http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/general_info.htm• Encourage workers to report if members of their household have developed influenza-like symptoms or have been diagnosed with influenza. Consider restricting the contact that these workers have with the animals for seven days.

3. Follow industry-accepted biosecurity practices, including:

• Require basic hygiene practices.• Properly adjust and maintain ventilation. Venti-lation systems in production facilities should be designed to minimize re-circulation of air inside animal housing facilities. This is important to reduce the exposure of pigs to viruses from other pigs and to reduce their exposure to human influenza viruses.• Provide workers with personal protective equip-ment and training. Provide basic personal protective equipment (PPE) to the people working in barns. Information on appropriate PPE use can be accessed at http://www.pork.org/workersafety/).• Recommend that all workers are vaccinated against the seasonal influenza virus. The vaccine is produced on a yearly basis and contains only hu-man, not swine, strains of influenza viruses. Vac-cination of swine farm workers will help to prevent human infections from seasonal human influenza strains. Current seasonal influenza vaccination will not protect against the novel H1N1 human outbreak strain. However, vaccination of farm workers will reduce the amounts of viruses they shed if infected during seasonal human influenza outbreaks and will limit the potential for human influenza virus infec-tion of pigs.• Review herd health programs with your veterinar-ian to ensure they are up to date and effective for conditions on your farm• In consultation with your veterinarian and as ap-propriate for your operation control pig exposure to people who have had contact with other swine.

Protecting Your employees and Your Business

Pig Tales 5

The Kansas Pork Association and the National Pork Board are encouraging all producers to become PQA Plus certified and achieve PQA Plus Site Status. The purpose of this program is to encourage producers to be proactive in providing the best possible care for their animals and show commitment to the ethical principles of pork production as outlined in the We Care responsible pork initiative. Hav-ing a PQA Plus advisor review your operation can both improve the well-being and productivity of animals in your care by noting changes or additions that may not otherwise be noticed.

The Kansas Pork Association is offering a $100 rebate to Kansas Pork Producers completing a PQA Plus Site Assesment prior to December 31, 2009. The funding is available on a first-come-first-serve basis. The program began August 1, 2009.

The following requirements and stipulations apply:

• Producer must have all site status paperwork completed.• Producer must postmark the rebate form before December 31, 2009.• Rebate amount may not equal more than the total assessment cost.• Rebates available on a first-come, first-served basis only as funds are available.

Please do not delay!

Please contact Tim Stroda at kpa@kspork.org or (785) 776-0442with questions or to see if funds are still available.

PQA PLUS SITE STATUS REBATE PROGRAM

Please work with your PQA Plus advisor to complete the form below.Then, detach and mail to the address on the form.

Name of producer: ___________________________________________Farm name: ________________________________________________Organization (if contract grower): ________________________________Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Premise ID# or PQA Plus number ________________________________Phone: _____________________________________________________E-mail:______________________________________________________

FOR ADVISOR USE ONLYDate of assessment: ____/____/______ Total assessment cost: $__________PQA Plus Advisor (Print) ______________________________ (signature) _____________________PQA Plus Advisor phone: ____________________

Please return form and a copy of PQA Plus site

assesment certificate to:Kansas Pork Assocition

PQA Plus Rebate Program2601 Farm Bureau Road

Manhattan, KS 66502

Pig Tales • 6

Are you ready for some football and tailgating with pork? Emmitt Smith, professional football’s all-time leading rusher, Pro Football Hall of Fame nominee and “Dancing with the Stars” champion, is teaming up with America’s pork producers to share his love of tailgating and grilling with fans nationwide and pork is the menu MVP.

Teaming up with America’s pork producers to share his love of tailgating and grilling with fans nationwide---Emmitt hit the media hard and claimed pork as the menu MVP.

Pork scored big as football legend Emmitt Smith and his wife Pat kicked-off the tailgating season with

a national satellite media tour. The pork-passionate couple did 25 interviews with media across the US following with six high-profile national appearances including Good Morning America, Wendy Williams and ESPN and Sirius Radio, Emmitt has scored 16.6 million consumer impressions

for pork so far. promoting pork on the grill and the Pork Checkoff sponsored “Great Pork Recipe Playoffs” recipe contest on TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.

The “Great Pork Recipe Playoffs” recipe contest will search for the best tailgate recipes that incorporate regional flavors and pork as the star. From Sept. 2 until Nov. 16, consumers can submit their favorite regionally-inspired pork recipe on TheOtherWhiteMeat.com. Eight regional finalists will be selected and America will visit the site and vote from Dec. 1 until the 25 to choose the grand prize winner. The winner will win a tailgate party with Emmitt in Miami and tickets for the big game.

Emmitt is also featured in a new recipe brochure with ribs, chops, brats and pork steaks as well as in retail point-of-sale materials for retail promotions across the country this season. Emmitt and Pat will also demonstrate their two recipes for videos that will be showcased on TheOtherWhiteMeat.com.

Starting with a satellite media tour that generated 22 interviews to date (with more to come) and Emmitt’s presence is also promoting pork at the meat case with retail promotion point-of sale signage and a new recipe brochure and online at TheOtherWhiteMeat.com where he is driving traffic as part of a national recipe contest and its grand prize.

Emmitt Smith and wife Pat promote the pork party zone during a TV shoot.

Pig Tales 7

America’s pork producers have officially been encouraging fami-lies to enjoy meals together for the last 14 years. Whether it’s dinner, breakfast, lunch or a weekend brunch, National Eat Together Week encourages families to eat together WHENEVER they can find the time.

This year, America’s pork producers helped those in need to share a meal during the National Eat Together Week. To help get the word out and offer pork mealtime solutions, the National Pork Board enlisted all-American supermodel and celebrity mom Niki Taylor. Niki hosted a satellite media tour on September 22 to millions of Americans, with an additional 29 interviews across the country, pro-moting pork and pork recipes. Plus, she invited others to join America’s

pork producers in helping those in need enjoy a meal, too.

The new program encouraged consumers to “click for a cause” and it began Sunday, Sept. 20 and lasted through Friday September 26. For every recipe printed or shared America’s pork producers

donated five pounds of pork to a food bank in need.

Thanks to consumers across the country, America’s pork producers are proud to have donated 10,000 pounds of pork to families in need that is equivalent to about 50,000 meals!

Pig Tales • 8

Getting the Word Out

Cooking with fall classics aren’t complete unless a good pork recipe is included! That is why the Kansas Pork Association joined over 250 attendees of the Taste of Home Cooking School in El Dorado and over 300 attendees in Clay Center to teach consumers how versa-tile, delicious and nutritious pork is.

The KPA’s booths included freshly diced and sea-soned pork loin samples, a plated taco dinner, recipes and good selection of pork rub for consumers to con-sider the next time they create their fall pork classics for the family.

The Clay Center booth had a few special additions. Marion and Laura Condray of Condray Farms, Inc. and KC Pork Inc.were front and center handing out pork samples and edcating consumers on porks versatility.

“Its really great when we get to have our producers out talking with consumers” said Jodi Termine, KPA staff.

To learn more about Taste of Home Cooking Schools check out their website at http://www.tasteofhome.com/Cooking-Schools/About-the-Taste-of-Home-Cooking-School

Jodi Termine, KPA staff, places some fresh pork loin samples out for eager pork eaters.

The KPA booth at the Taste of Home Cooking Schook in Clay Center, KS.

Ohio’s VictoryOhio State Executive Dick Isler passes along

his thanks to everyone who supported Ohio’s Issue 2. It was approved by Ohio voters re-cently with a 64 percent yes vote. Isler notes that the pork industry across the United States set the pace for support and challenged many other groups to get on board. “This was truly a team effort and all of Ohio agriculture will ben-efit,” Isler said. Jen Greiner, NPPC’s director of science and technology was quoted in an interview last week saying Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois could be the next states facing challenges on animal care practices.

The KPA contributed to the Ohio Campaign to pass Issue 2.

Pig Tales 9

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Operation Main Street with a Kansas twist

The KPA hasn’t wasted any opportunity to educate consumers on pork production in the last few months!. Operation Main Street presentations were given at three Rotary meet-ings and a Frontier Farm Credit Industry Day. The meetings were a huge success and many consumers were amazed to hear about the changes the industry within the pork indus-try.

Operation Main Street speakers have a very positive impact by telling the industry’s story of innovation, quality and environmental stewardship. Presentations focus on how pork has been transformed over the last 15 years to be both tasty and even more nutritious. Also highlighted within the presentation are current production methods within a facility, feeds and feed-ing, antibiotic usage and environmental stewardship. Finally, many consumers are surprised to learn how much the swine industry offers the rural economy and contributes to our exports.

To learn more about Operation Main Street visit the National Pork Board’s Operation Main Street web page at http://www.pork.org/Producers/OMS.aspx or contact the KPA office.

Over 100 Rotarians gather at Washburn Univeristy to listen as questions are answered about the pork industry.

Getting the Word Out

10,000 tweets and Counting: Call it h1n1

Pork producers, friends of agri-culture and others recently turned to Twitter, a social media tool, to help spread the message to drop the reference to “swine flu” and correctly call it H1N1.

Chris Chinn, a pork producer from Clarence, Mo., was very active in the campaign. She authored a blog post that was posted on the Voice of Agriculture website, sponsored by the American Farm Bureau, that served as the foundation for the campaign. She also took an active role in tweeting.

Other notable items from the campaign include: - over 2,700 hits to Chinn’s blog post- over 410 hits to Chinn’s YouTube video and- Over 210 fans on the #Oink fan page at Facebook.

Pig Tales • 10

K Getting the Word Out

KC Pork, Inc. and Condray Farms, Inc. Summer Party

The smell of pulled pork sandwiches, delicious baked beans, potato salad and delightful desserts filled the Faith United Church of Clifton, KS on the evening of Friday, August 28th.

The dinner was hosted by the Condray family to show appreciation for the family and friends of KC Pork, Inc. and Condray Farms, Inc. The event fed about 125 people, which was a bit smaller crowd than normal due to school sessions and sports beginning.

“The yearly gathering began as a way to say “thank you” to family and friends that helped us during Mar-ians’ broken arm a few years ago. After that, we just kept doing the gathering for fun. It is a great way to get our community together and enjoy pork!” stated Kent Condray of KC Pork, Inc. and Condray Farms, Inc.

The pork dishes were served from 6:00 to 7:30 and free pork recipes and pork information sheets were used as centerpieces for the dinner tables.

Are you reaching out to the community? Let us hear about it! Contact the office and let us know about your event or send a quick event summary and pictures to jodit@kspork.org.

Guests at the summer party enjoy pulled pork sandwiches, side and delicious desserts.

The Condray Family from left to right: Marion, Kent, Sarah and Laura Condray.

the Other White Meat Sorts OutSuccess at the nemaha County Fair

Haverkamp Feed Services of Seneca didn’t hesitate at the chance to get pork promoted at the Nemaha County Fair. When asked about sort-ing boards, they contacted the KPA and assisted in creating 2 sorting boards that were given as prizes at the fair. The boards proudly displayed the “Pork: The Other White Meat Logo” and the Haverkamp Feed Services name.

Pig Tales 11

Getting the Word Out

Youth Pork Producers Work as Advocates in Scott County

The Scott County Fair had a few special participants a this years’ fair. Skyler and Emily Glenn of Scott County created and hosted their own booth that edu-cated youth and consumers on pork.

The display was titled “From the Pen to the Plate” and included information from the KPA such as recipes, a cuts chart and a grill. Other great ideas that Skyler and Emily had for the booth were including fresh retail cuts that were grilled and displayed com-plete with sides and drink.

“We really had a fun time making this booth. Thanks for all your help.” says Tyler in a follow up letter sent to the KPA after the event.

From left to right: Skyler and Emily Glenn.

KPA Joins with nPB, KvMA, KAhD and the KSU vet School to Get the Facts Out on h1n1

State fairgoers had a bit more than just fair food, cute animals and carnival rides at this years fair.

With the assistance of the National Pork Board, the KPA designed a new pork information flier. The flier was designed resembling a recent poster created to reinforce the “Pork is Safe” message and included quotes from Tom Vilsack, USDA Secretary; Janet Napolitano,,U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The flier also encourages consumers to visit FactsAboutPork.com for more information on H1N1.

To add a touch of Kansas, the KPA utilized the back of the piece for Kansas Porkology 101. Kansas Porkology 101 covered Kansas pork facts such as how Kansas pork producers feed the world, how pork operations support agricultural communities, animal care, pork nutrition facts and pork by-products.

The fliers were made available during the Kansas State Fair at the KAHD booth and KSU’s birthing center.

Contact the office for fliers to use at your business or to distribute them within your community.

Front of the new pork information flier. Back of the new pork information flier.

Pig Tales • 12

K-State Connection to the pork industry

Thursday, November 19, 2009KSU Alumni Center

K Swine Day- State

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m Technology Trade Show

MORNING PROGRAM – Master of Ceremonies Dr. Dave Nichols, Animal Sciences and Industry, KSU

9:45 a.m. Welcome Dr. Ken Odde, Department Head, Animal Sciences and Industry

10:00 a.m. Update on Current K-State Swine Research to Help Improve Net Return of a Swine Business K-State Swine Team will discuss practical application of the latest pro duction research and present breakthroughs in some novel new areas.

11:00 a.m. Impact of H1N1 Virus on the Global Swine Industry Expert Panel- Coordinated by Dr. Steve Henry, Abilene Animal Hospital; Dr. Ingrid Garrison State Public Health Veterinarian, KDHE; Liz Wag strom, Assistant Vice President, Science and Technology, National Pork Board

12:00 noon LUNCH with Trade Show

AFTERNOON PROGRAM - Master of Ceremonies Pat Murphy, Assistant Director of Extension

1:30 p.m. Update on Current K-State Swine Research to Help Improve Net Return of a Swine Business Continued by K-State Swine Team

2:00 p.m. What do Current Economic Signals Mean fro the Future of the Swine Industry? Kent Bang, Bank of the West, Omaha, Nebraska

3:30 p.m. Reception with K-State Ice Cream Stay around to visit with your fellow pork producers and enjoy some K- State hospitality.

Pre-registation $15 per participant by November 10, 2008; $25 per participant at the door. No charge for students if pre-registered.

Parking will be in the new parking garage located east of the Alumni Center.

Join us for

Pig Tales 13

K-State Connection to the pork industry

Kansas 4-H members from across the state competed in the 2009 Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes held at Kansas State University August 22-23. The Kansas Pork Association was a sponsor for the initial Sweepstakes event which included four competitions: Livestock Judging, Meats Judging, Livestock Skillathon, and Live-stock Quiz Bowl.

In the Livestock Judging contest, teams of four individuals evaluated eight classes of breeding and market beef, sheep, and swine. In addition, they presented four sets of oral reasons to explain their placing of the classes. The top five teams for Livestock Judging were:

1) Crawford County - Kassie Curran, Reagan Kays, Garrett Kays, and Trevor Scott; 2)River Valley District – Wyatt Decker, Cody Jensen, Brady Jensen, and Jacinda Dickinson; 3) Sunflower District – Garrett Reiss, Dakota Reiss, Cal-lahan Grund, and Grace Hammer; 4)Labette County – Kyla Woolfolk, Quinten Taylor, Jennifer Martin, and Katie Gilpin; 5) Riley County – Lindsay Bulk, Jacob Hagenmaier, Reid Shipman, and Pake Ebert.

The top five individuals placing in Livestock Judg-ing were: 1) Brady Jensen, River Valley District; 2) Dustin Aherin, Phillips-Rooks District; 3) Reed Gleason, Bourbon County; 4) Analena Simmons, Post Rock District; 5) Regan Kays, Crawford County.

For Meats Judging, 4-H members were challenged to identify retail cuts as well as judge classes of retail cuts, wholesale or primal cuts, and carcasses. They also answered questions about the classes and gave oral reasons explaining the class placings.

The top five teams were: 1) Crawford County – Regan Kays, Garrett Kays, Kassie Curran, and Kee-lie Curran; 2) Montgomery County – Mary Reilly, Justin King, Joseph Johnston, and Mirnada Gordon; 3) Bourbon County – Katelyn Vincent, Drew George, Cole George, Seth Bartlett; 4) Scott County – Carl Minnix, Skylar Glenn, and Christopher Davis; and 5) Finney County – Kendal Clawson, Kurtis Clawson, and Katy Clawson.

The top five individuals were: 1) Regan Kays, Crawford County; 2) Kendal Clawson, Finney Coun-ty; 3) Kassie Curran, Crawford County; 4) Garrett

Kays, Crawford County; 5) Mary Reilly, Montgomery County.

The Livestock Skillathon tested animal science knowledge in a variety of different areas including feedstuffs, equipment identification, genetics, breed identification, and livestock anatomy.

The five teams coming out on top were: 1) Barton County, 2) River Valley District, 3) Crawford County, 4) Sunflower District, and 5) Neosho County.

The top five individuals were: 1) Ethan Frantz, Marion County; 2) Joelle Sylvester, Pottawatomie County; 3) Kassie Curran, Crawford County; 4) Kate-lyn Vincent, Bourbon County; 5) TJ Minihan, Potta-watomie County.

Challenging the 4-H member’s range of knowledge over beef, sheep, swine, and meat goats was the Live-stock Quiz Bowl. Team members completed a written exam which then placed teams in a bracket to compete head to head in the buzzer rounds.

The results for the Livestock Quiz Bowl were: 1) River Valley District, 2) Pottawatomie County, 3) Sun-flower District, 4) Crawford County, and 5) Bourbon County.

The event was coordinated by the K-State Youth Livestock Program located in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry. For more information about future programs visit www.YouthLivestock.ksu.edu <http://www.YouthLivestock.ksu.edu> or contact Sharon Breiner, Youth Livestock Program Coordinator at sbreiner @ksu.edu or (785) 532-1264.

KPA Supports Kansas 4-h Livestock Sweepstakes

Pig Tales • 14

The National Pork Board has responsibility for research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with

pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in

advertising, consumer information, retail and food service marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, education and technology, and swine health, pork quality and safety.

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) conducts public policy outreach on behalf of its 44 affiliated state association members enhancing

opportunities for the success of U.S. pork producers and other industry stakeholders by establishing the U.S. pork industry as a consistent and responsible supplier of high quality pork to the domestic and world market.

The NPPC is primarily funded through the Strategic Investment Program, a voluntary producer

investment of $.10 per $100 of value that funds state and national public policy and regulatory programs on behalf of the U.S. pork producers.

Pork Checkoff Recommends Producers and Workers Get Vaccinated for Seasonal and Novel 2009 H1N1 Flu

To achieve the best human and animal health pro-tection possible, the Pork Checkoff is advising produc-ers, farm personnel and others who have contact with pigs to get the regular seasonal flu vaccination as soon as possible. When available, this group also should get the novel H1N1 vaccination as well. Although this year is different with the addition of the novel H1N1 flu strain, the typical flu season starts in October and can last through May. Dr. Liz Wagstrom, assistant vice president of science and technology for the Pork Checkoff, said, “It’s more important than ever for pro-ducers and swine farm workers to reduce the risk of getting sick and bringing the flu to the farm or work-place by getting vaccinated.

Stay Safe When Pumping PitsRecent news reports of flash fires and explosions in

livestock buildings while liquid pit manure was being agitated and pumped reinforce the need for safety at all times when working on a swine farm.

Liquid manure in pits undergoes slow decomposi-tion, which creates several gases including methane and hydrogen sulfide, both of which are flammable. The rate of gas release from the manure can be dras-tically increased when the manure is stirred during pumping. This increase is especially true for hydrogen sulfide, which can have a lethal paralyzing effect in addition to being flammable, notes Shawn Shouse, an Iowa State University (ISU) Extension area agricul-tural engineer.

For tips and safety protocols, along with proper ventilation and agitation practices, can minimize the risk of flash fires and explosions during manure pump-ing see pork.org.

Lawmakers Ask USDA To Help Pork ProducersMembers of the U.S. Senate and House have urged

the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lend assistance to U.S. pork producers to help them out of a 2-year-old economic crisis.

In separate letters sent to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, 24 senators and 63 representatives asked that USDA take the following actions to provide “much-needed emergency relief” to the U.S. pork industry:

• Purchase $100 million of pork with funds from the Section 32 program, which uses customs receipts to buy non-price-supported commodities for federal food-assistance programs.

• Collaborate with other federal agencies to help address swine disease surveillance on farms, related diagnostic and vaccine development and swine indus-try support.

• Work with the U.S. Trade Representative to open export markets to U.S. pork, particularly China, which continues to impose non-science-based restrictions on U.S. pork since the outbreak of H1N1.

NPPC Supports New USDA Research AgencyThe National Pork Producers Council applauded the

launch of a new research and education arm within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which was created under the 2008 Farm Bill, will “advance knowledge for agriculture, the environ-ment, human health and well-being and communi-ties by supporting research, education and extension programs in the Land-Grant University System and other partner organizations.” NIFA replaced the former Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), which had been in existence since 1994. Among other areas the agency is expected to focus on are animal health and animal genomes.

Pig Tales 15

Reward

In response to a member request, the Kansas Pork Association Executive Board has initiated a reward program. The Board hopes this program can serve as a deterrent to crimes being committed on member’s operations.

A maximum of a $2,500 reward will be offered to individuals who provide information that leads to the arrest and conviction of persons stealing, killing or seriously injuring swine. The Association also offers a reward to individuals who provide information that leads to the arrest and conviction of persons vandalizing pork production facilities.

The reward also may apply to informants who assist in the arrest and conviction of persons stealing livestock equipment or pharmaceuticals. If you would like to know more about the program, please give the KPA office a call at 785-776-0442.

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See what’s cooking at the all new theotherwhitemeat.com!White Chili5 minutes prep, 20 minutes cook

Ingredients:1 pound ground pork1 medium onion, diced1 teaspoon ground cumin2 teaspoons chili powder1 16-oz. can white beans, drained1 14-oz. can corn, drained1 14 1/2-oz. can chicken broth1 4-oz. can diced green chilesCooking Directions IconCooking Directions:

In large saucepan, brown pork with onion, stir in cumin and chili powder; stir. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until heated through and flavors are blended.

Pig Tales • 16

Kansas Pork Association2601 Farm Bureau RoadManhattan, KS 66502

PIG TALESThe Official Publication of the Kansas Pork Industry

ADDReSS SeRvICe ReQUeSteD

Support the Association by becoming a member or advertising in Pig Tales!Become a member today! Visit our Web site, www.kpa.org or call the KPA office at (785) 776-0442 to get a membership or Industry Partner form. For advertising rates, sizes and deadlines, please contact the KPA office at (785) 776-0442 or E-mail kpa@kspork.org.

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Pig Tales • 18