One area of focus for the National Pork Board’s new strategic plan is building trust with the consumer.
Indiana pork producer and National Pork Board director Heather Hill says that goes beyond just producing a product that consumers want. “But that we also answering their questions and making sure that our information is available,” she says. “We definitely live in a world where you can type one thing in on the computer and lots of information is available at your fingertips and it may or may not be true.”
She says pork producers can’t just focus on more urban areas – they also have to share their message at home. And sometimes those opportunities develop organically. “My son was at a travel football tournament this year and somehow we got on the topic that we raise pigs,” she says. “Then on the big screen, where they were watching game film, next thing I know we were showing a video of modern pork production and answering their questions. I think we have not be afraid to do those things because we have to tell our story every chance we get.”
Brownfield interviewed Hill at the 2020 National Pork Industry Forum in Kansas City, Missouri.
