America’s National Pork Board launches new promotional activities

On the sustainability front, the NPB has been chosen to lead 1 of 70 selected projects under the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) ‘Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities’ programme.

The NPB’s ‘Advancing U.S. Pork Sustainability and Market Value Proposal’ will ‘increase the sustainability of US pork products by advancing climate-smart agriculture practices within the feed supply, thereby maintaining market demand and price premiums in a rapidly-evolving consumer world. The geography of focus – Minnesota, Iowa and Missouri – encapsulates a concentration of pork facilities supported by local grain production, representing a key region of the overall supply chain.”

Other partners on the $ 20,000,000 USD project include Nestle, Sustainable Environmental Consultants, Ducks Unlimited and Farm Credit Council. The NBP also offers its producers the opportunity to have an on-farm sustainability report completed. An example of a finished report can be found here.

More funding

On September 14, the USDA announced that funding for the ‘Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities’ programme would triple to almost $ 3 billion USD, due to applicant demand. The programme is part of a broader effort by the US federal government ‘to decarbonise the US economy within decades and make the US a leader in the fight against global climate change’.

The USDA anticipates that these 70 projects will result in more than 50.000 farms reached, encompassing over 20-25 million acres of farmland engaged in climate-smart production practices such as cover crops, no-till and nutrient management. Among other impacts, it iexpected that the program will result in more than 50 million metric tons of sequestered carbon dioxide equivalent.

Celebrity promotion of pig farming sustainability

NPB is also partnering with US country music superstar Luke Bryan to highlight the sustainability and other modern aspects of US pig farming. Bryan says on the NPB website that “pig farmers are dedicated to people, pigs and the planet, and that means contributing to local communities, making sure their animals are well cared for and focusing on the environment for the next generation.”

5-star hotel

Besides having Bryan as a cheerleader, this campaign centers around a video that metaphorically compares a modern pig farm to a 5-star hotel. “The focus group participants [in the video] think they are providing feedback on a state-of-the-art hotel that includes strict cleaning protocols, well-balanced diets recommended by trained experts and reusing and recycling initiatives to use less land, water and energy,” states the NPB. “At the end of the conversation, participants realise that the discussion was not about a 5-star hotel, but rather the real story of what happens every day on a modern pig farm.”

Marketing pork as a meal ingredient

The NPB has also launched a new pork marketing campaign targeting Hispanic Americans. A US Hispanic celebrity couple, Jorge Bernal and Karla Birbragher, are spearheading the rollout of ‘Ponle Pork,’ which will promote new ways to cook and serve pork. NPB’s research shows that taste remains the top driver of pork purchases among Hispanics. However, they often see pork as only a meal centerpiece and not an ingredient for other dishes. For example, consumers can use a ground pork and quinoa mixture to stuff bell peppers and cook them on a grill. This recipe and many others are available on the NPB’s new ‘Pork Es Sabor’ Spanish-language pork recipe site.