For America’s pork producers, the challenge is no longer simply raising a safe, nutritious and high-quality product. It is making sure consumers recognize the value of that product — and making strategic investments today that will strengthen the pork industry for years to come.
That is the focus of the National Pork Board as it charts its next chapter, according to Indiana pork producer and National Pork Board Director Alayne Johnson.
The fifth-generation Whitley County farmer, who co-owns Shady Grove Farms near Columbia City with her husband and family, has begun another three-year term on the 15-member board. Her perspective comes directly from the farm, but her work now places her at the center of national discussions about pork demand, research, producer needs and the future of the U.S. pork industry.
Johnson, who was a recent guest on the AgBioscience Podcast presented by AgriNovus Indiana, says the board has taken a deliberate approach to determining where producer-funded Pork Checkoff dollars can make the greatest difference.
“So, we’re very, very strategic about whittling those down to things that we could actually make an impact on and things that we believe will impact us the most.”
That strategic approach has led the National Pork Board to concentrate on three broad priorities: increasing the long-term value and demand for pork, strengthening the industry’s resilience and relationships, and improving the lives of both pigs and the people who care for them.
“Those things that we identified were obviously driving the long-term value and demand for pork, strengthening our industry and creating more resilience by creating better relationships and ease of information with our state partners, and then obviously improving the lives of our pigs and our people.”
For producers, those priorities reach far beyond advertising.
They touch nearly every part of the pork supply chain — from understanding what motivates consumers to buy pork, to investing in animal health and human nutrition research, to improving industry communication and preparing producers for challenges that could threaten their farms.
Following the consumer
One of the biggest questions facing the pork industry is deceptively simple: What does today’s consumer actually want?
The answer, Johnson says, is more complicated than demographic labels might suggest.
Recent National Pork Board research shows consumers cannot simply be divided into neat categories such as Baby Boomers, Millennials or Gen Z.
“And what we found was really cool… consumers, they’re a strange breed because they’re not monolithic. You can’t divide them just by generations… but one thing, a couple things kind of float to the top: taste and flavor, convenience, and nutrition.”
Those findings are important because pork is competing for space on an increasingly crowded dinner table.
Consumers have more protein choices than ever, and food decisions are influenced by everything from price and convenience to nutrition, flavor, sustainability and perceptions about how food is produced.
The National Pork Board’s research agenda is designed to help producers and the broader industry better understand those shifting priorities.
That includes work involving consumer behavior, human nutrition, animal health and environmental sustainability — research intended to translate what happens in laboratories, barns and consumer households into practical strategies that can ultimately strengthen demand for pork.
For Johnson, the message from consumers is encouraging.
Pork has an important story to tell.
“We’re pork producers and we have a lot to be proud of, and we should be very, very proud that we are raising a nutritious protein that so many people can identify with.”
That confidence is central to the National Pork Board’s effort to keep pork relevant as consumers rethink how they eat.
The organization has been working to modernize pork’s image and build demand, including its “Taste What Pork Can Do” campaign. At the same time, the industry continues to look beyond U.S. borders for opportunities to expand demand.
Roughly 30% of U.S. pork production is exported, making international markets a critical piece of the economic picture for producers.
For individual farmers, that global demand can have a very real impact on the value of every hog leaving the farm.
Research with a purpose
The Pork Checkoff gives the industry something individual producers could never accomplish on their own: the ability to pool resources and tackle large-scale challenges through coordinated research, promotion and education.
That makes choosing the right priorities especially important.
Johnson says the board is asking where investments can deliver the greatest return for producers — whether that means strengthening domestic demand, opening new international opportunities, improving animal health or helping the industry become more resilient.
The next wave of research could prove particularly important as pork producers confront a rapidly changing agricultural landscape.
Animal disease remains one of the industry’s greatest threats. Nutrition research is becoming increasingly important as consumers place greater emphasis on protein and healthy eating. Sustainability expectations continue to evolve. And technology, changing demographics and global competition are reshaping how food is produced and marketed.
The goal is to make sure the checkoff is positioned ahead of those changes rather than reacting to them after they occur.
That producer-driven approach is at the heart of the National Pork Board’s mission.
“The checkoff was built by producers for producers, so their experiences and ideas are critical to keep us moving forward,” National Pork Board CEO David Newman said. “The checkoff exists to tackle big challenges that producers can’t solve entirely on their own, like disease elimination and increasing U.S. pork consumption.”
For Johnson, serving on the board is an extension of the same philosophy that has guided her involvement in agriculture at the local and state levels: show up, listen to producers and help build a stronger industry.
Bringing the national conversation home
Johnson’s national role is shaped by her experience in Indiana.
She serves on the Indiana Pork Board of Directors, participates in pork promotion efforts and is active in agricultural leadership in Whitley County. Those experiences have given her a close-up view of the conversations producers must have with consumers in their own communities.
Josh Trenary, executive director of Indiana Pork, says that perspective is valuable at the national level.
“Alayne brings a perspective to the National Pork Board that we want the organization to have — that of a livestock farmer with a tremendous amount of local engagement experience on behalf of the pork industry,” Trenary said. “Having learned to communicate about the industry in those settings helps Alayne inform the National Pork Board on how it can support all producers in having similar conversations in their communities.”
That connection between national strategy and local agriculture may be one of the board’s most important assets.
The issues facing pork producers can seem enormous — global trade, disease, consumer perceptions, sustainability, nutrition and market competition.
But ultimately, the checkoff’s success is measured on farms.
It comes down to whether consumers choose pork.
Whether international customers continue buying U.S. pork.
Whether research helps producers raise healthier pigs more efficiently.
And whether the next generation sees a viable future in the business.
Building a future for pork producers
Johnson’s return to the National Pork Board comes at a pivotal time for the industry.
Producers continue to navigate volatile input costs, changing markets and evolving consumer expectations. At the same time, pork has opportunities in areas ranging from high-protein diets to new product development and expanding global demand.
The challenge is turning those opportunities into sustained value for producers.
That is why Johnson says the board must remain disciplined about where it directs checkoff investments.
The objective isn’t to chase every new trend.
It is to identify the areas where producers can make a meaningful difference — and then put the industry’s collective resources behind them.
For Johnson, the stakes are personal.
This isn’t simply about an agricultural commodity. It is about farm families, livestock and a way of life that has been passed from one generation to the next.
Her own family’s fifth-generation farm is a reminder of what is ultimately at stake.
The National Pork Board can conduct the research, build consumer campaigns, strengthen partnerships and identify emerging opportunities.
But the end goal is much simpler: create an environment where America’s pork producers can continue raising pigs, feeding consumers and passing their farms on to the next generation.
“There’s more work to be done,” Johnson said when she sought another term on the board. “When I had the opportunity to throw my name back in the ring, I was really excited to be able to do that and continue the good work that’s being done.”
For America’s pork producers, that work is about more than today’s market.
It is about making sure pork has a place at tomorrow’s dinner table — and making sure there are American farm families there to produce it.
