SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Increasing animal health security and enhancing the state’s livestock labor sector are among the top priorities of the Illinois Pork Producers Association (IPPA), which held its 2022 annual meeting just prior to the Illinois Pork Expo on February 22. During the meeting IPPA Executive Director Jennifer Tirey told voting delegates, gallery members and industry representatives that IPPA’s 2022 priorities also include increasing membership, promoting pork consumption and advocating for producers’ freedom to operate. 

Tirey began by urging producers to complete Secure Pork Supply plans for their operations if they had not done so already. “If you don’t have one, contact us. We’re helping you to get those developed through the University of Illinois and a service called RABapp. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) just signed a contract with RABapp so they can access your information quickly in the event of an FAD (foreign animal disease) in order to react faster. If you don’t have your Secure Pork Supply done and entered, the Department of Agriculture can’t help you with your animals faster,” said Tirey. 

In 2021 IPPA completed its first U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan, which had previously been utilized exclusively by the poultry industry. The association also led an effort to make funding available to hire more veterinarians for the state in 2021. “The (Illinois) Department of Agriculture is really understaffed, as you know. We are working with commodity groups that are putting funds in the (state) budget to hire at least three new veterinarians for the staff,” Tirey said.

To address the pandemic-related labor shortage that has not spared Illinois agriculture, IPPA plans to continue working to assist meat packing plants and their employees in providing a safer working atmosphere.

“I know everyone in this room has issues with labor, and they’re not going away anytime soon,” said Tirey. “We’re working to help make sure packing plants are staying online. We worked with a particular packer in Illinois that wanted to offer vaccine access on-site. We were able to make calls to (Illinois gov. JB Pritzker’s) administration and we got that done within a week and a half. They had a medical crew already on-site but couldn’t get through the red tape. IPPA was able to get that done for them.”

Maintaining producers’ freedom to operate without onerous restriction will continue to be near the top of the IPPA priority hierarchy. Tirey noted that IPPA recently hired a veteran statehouse lobbyist, Liz Brown-Reeves, to help carry the pig farmers’ agenda to Springfield. “We have to have relationships on both sides of the aisle, especially in Illinois. She will help us to do that so we can preserve LMFA (the Livestock Management Facility Act). We had a couple of (restrictive) bills in session (in 2021), and they’re still out there,” she said. 

Organic efforts will be made in the form of mailings and media advertising to help promote producers’ freedom to operate within the state. In addition, IPPA will continue to contribute to the National Pork Producers Council, which represents state affiliations by lobbying on their behalf in Washington, D.C., Tirey added. 

“We’re trying to be proactive and tell our story without feeling like we are pressuring or threatening,” Tirey said, adding that IPPA is also sponsoring a well water testing program to help assuage landowner concerns of groundwater contamination caused by hog farms, using checkoff dollars. 

Other 2022 IPPA goals: In order to increase pork consumption in Illinois, the association has entered into pork promotion agreements with major food retailers including Schnucks and Tony’s Fresh Market in Chicagoland. Thanks to past vigorous promotion, Illinois recorded the highest volume for ground pork sales in 2021, according to Tirey. The IPPA will also be working to increase their membership base, which dipped slightly to 1,454 last year.

Also, during the IPPA annual meeting, Thomas Titus of Elkhart was elected president. Titus, a graduate of NPPC’s Pork Leadership Institute and a participant in the NPPC Pork 2050 visioning group, will also remain focused upon IPPA initiatives as chairman of the Expo Committee and the Education and Youth and Marketing committees.

“The opportunities that this organization presents have always been something that I have looked forward to being a greater part of. IPPA has been an integral part of all sides of my family for decades and am honored to be able to carry on the ‘Generations of Commitment’ to the organization that has provided us so many opportunities,” Titus said.

IPPA delegates also welcomed the following officer team for the 2022 year: President-Elect: Chad Leman, Eureka; Vice President-Treasurer: Cheryl Walsh, Princeville; Secretary: Matt Frizzo, Gillespie.