Ok, I must admit I love a yummy ham, pork chop or bacon! I just heard an update on the U. S. pork industry entitled The Pork Industry: More than Just the Other White Meat presented by Bill Fisher, manager of the University of Illinois Swine Farm. Bill volunteers with the National Pork Board speaker's bureau to discuss the state of the pork industry with U. S. consumers.

Just a few pork facts:

• Illinois pork producers contribute over $2 billion to the economy.
• Illinois pork producers provide over 8000 jobs.
• As Americans reduce fat in their diets, pork tenderloins are now as lean as skinless chicken breast.
• 6 major cuts of pork are 16% leaner and 27% lower in saturated fat than 15 years ago.
• Illinois is the #4 state for pork production with Iowa #1, North Carolina #2, and Minnesota #3.
• Pork producers must attend training and pass a test every three years since the passage of the Facilities Livestock Management Act in 1998.
• 31% of the pork industry personnel are college graduates compared with 22% of the general population.
• 26% of U.S. pork is exported.
• COOL legislation will identify where the meat is raised.
• Animal health is the #1 goal of pork producers.
• Pork producers follow recommended Best Management Practices.
• Pork producers must certify under the Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA+) program in order to market hogs today. The PQA plus program includes an on-farm audit of the welfare and conditions for the animals.
• Anyone transporting hogs to market must also be certified under the Trucker Quality Assurance program. These certifications are to establish guidelines for production and welfare of the animals we produce.
• In Illinois, hogs consume more than 94 million bushels of corn and 28 million bushels of soybeans per year.
• Recent economic studies have indicated that the rural economies are healthier in those counties that have a strong livestock production.

If you would like to schedule a Pork Board speaker for your group, contact Pam Hewitt at 800-711-0747 ext. 227 or pam@eidsonandpartners.com.

In a recent Weekly Outlook posting on www.farmdoc.uiuc.edu, Purdue Extension Economist Chris Hurt reviewed the recent USDA Hogs and Pigs Report. He said "U.S. producers are following through on their intentions to reduce the breeding herd and cut production for 2009. Current estimates of costs for 2009 are in the mid-$50s, resulting in modest profits. Beef consumption feels the impact of economic uncertainty more strongly than pork since pork is much lower priced. For 2008, retail beef prices have averaged $4.26 per pound and retail pork has averaged $2.90 per pound."

A healthy livestock industry is essential for cash grain farmers as livestock consume nearly half our corn and soybeans.