Leopold Center initiative spurs pork marketing discussion

By Rich Pirog
Marketing and food systems initiative

The potential for Iowa-grown products "...Family farmers are a respected symbol. Most people are two generations removed from a farm and they love to hear farm stories. Here's a marketing relationship that makes the farmer an integral part of the product." -- Amy Barr, communications consultant from Colorado, addressing the pork niche marketing conference in September

Iowa has been a leader in alternative swine management systems such as hoop house structures. It also has been the focal point for raising pork for specialty markets such as Niman Ranch and Organic Valley.

Combine this leadership with the growing interest by consumers in where their food comes from and how it is raised, and you can understand why it was an easy choice for the Leopold Center's new marketing initiative to first focus on pork marketing. The Center's marketing approach starts and ends with telling a unique story to the consumer about the farm and farmer, and that producer's environmental stewardship and animal husbandry practices.

In September, more than 130 farmers, entrepreneurs, educators, researchers and business representatives gathered in Ames to explore the opportunities for telling their own stories. With support from ISU Extension, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the Iowa Pork Producers Association, the Leopold Center and the Iowa Pork Industry Center coordinated the conference, "Niche and value added marketing: What's in it for me?"

Sessions focused on various aspects of niche marketing of pork, including certification and animal welfare issues, business planning, and examples of pork value chains. A value chain represents all aspects that move a product from the farm to the consumer. The conference also featured value chains in poultry and produce that might serve as models for existing or emerging pork value chains.

On the following day, more than 30 pork producers, processors, distributors, retailers, agency representatives and ISU faculty rolled up their sleeves and went to work. The goal of the workshop was to determine key challenges in Iowa for specialty pork value chain and direct marketing enterprises. Also attending the session, organized by the Leopold Center and Practical Farmers of Iowa, were educators and representatives from commodity organizations, nonprofit and government agencies that could support producers and other direct market groups that would be part of the supply network.

Top items on their task list are:

• technical assistance for producers in modifying facilities to meet standards for alternative pork production systems,
• research to determine how many differentiated pork value chains (natural, organic, hoop-house raised) could be profitable in Iowa,
• research and technical assistance for carcass utilization, labeling, infrastructure and availability of feed, and
• additional research about herd health in alternative pork production systems.

They also discussed possible development of a new pork niche market trade association and ways to increase cooperation among groups. At a follow-up meeting in November, participants formed subcommittees to determine possible activities in the areas of credit and investment, business plans and feasibility studies, promotion and certification issues, and herd health issues.

The group agreed that cooperation would be their first order of business, and that a number of existing statewide efforts already are underway to develop differentiated pork value chains. But, as one participant put it, "We need a better screen to determine if farmers receive tangible benefits from participating in these value chains." Developing such a screen will be an important part of the Center's marketing initiative.

Conference handouts are available for $10 from Sherry Hoyer, Iowa Pork Industry Center, 109 Kildee, ISU, Ames, IA 50011-3150, (515) 294-4496.