A second generation Iowa pork producer, John McNutt, was elected the new president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) during the association's annual meeting in Nashville recently. McNutt's roots run deep into the organization's history. His father, Paul, led the Iowa delegation to what has become widely known as "the Moline meeting." It was at that May 1966 meeting that producer-pledges reinforced the voluntary fundraising concept that served as the precursor to the voluntary pork checkoff program.
"I'm an independent pork producer with a long history of pork production," states the new NPPC president proudly. "I still have pigs in a barn my great grandfather built."
McNutt produces 5,000 hogs annually from his farrow-to-finish operation near Iowa City. He also assists his wife, Dr. Ilene Lande, in a biological products company they founded. Elmira Biological produces custom antiserum for use in biomedical research.
McNutt has held leadership positions at all levels of the industry. Since 1994, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Additionally, he has served on numerous NPPC committees and task forces, including the Research Committee, Long-Range Strategic Planning Committee and the Networking Committee. Currently, McNutt chairs the NPPC's Science Committee and Budget Committee.
He is a graduate of Iowa State University in agriculture business and received his masters of business administration from the University of Iowa. McNutt is an Iowa Master Pork Producer and also received the first Brian Y. Davidson Fellowship from the Harvard Business School in 1995.
In an effort to prioritize the work of his coming term, McNutt says he will focus on opportunities that will allow pork producers to "thrive, not just survive."
To thrive, he believes, pork producers must first have an opportunity to compete on a level playing field. Next, the supply of pigs and pork must be in line with the demand. To accomplish these goals, he says, "Timely and accurate hogs and pigs inventories are just part of what we need to do to capture more information. We have to have more accurate market information that results in meaningful price discovery. We have to know what the marketing options are and have access to those options. We have to find a way to manage our packer capacity problems."
The new NPPC president-elect is Craig Jarolimek of Forest River, ND. He and his wife, Dawn, own and manage a 5,000-head finishing operation, and raise wheat, barley and sugar beats. A member of the NPPC Board of Directors since 1995, Jarolimek has served his state pork producer group in several elected positions, is a state Master Pork Producer and Pork All-American. He also serves on the NPPC Environment and Budget Committees and chairs the NPPC State and National Relations Committee.
The Jarolimeks have also been recognized as Jaycee Family of the Year and North Dakota's Outstanding Young Farmers.
And, newly elected NPPC vice president is Barb Campbell Determan of Early, IA. Determan and her husband, Steve, operate a 120-sow, farrow-to-finish operation that includes corn and soybean production. She has served on the NPPC Federation Council, the Demand Enhancement and Budget Committees, and the Long-Range Strategic Planning and Producer Communication Task Forces. A member of the NPPC Board of Directors since 1997, Determan chairs the Pork Safety Committee and the Diet/Health & Food Safety Policy Committee. She attended the University of Illinois, majoring in ag communications.
Other Election Results Five producers elected to three-year terms on the NPPC Board of Directors include: Steve Schmeichel, Hurley, SD; Don Herzog, Rapelje, MT; Jon Caspers, Swaledale, IA; Tom Pitstick, Fairborn, OH; and Whitley Stephenson, Smithfield, NC.
Rich Gallant, vice president of procurement and trading for Excel Corp., Wichita, KS; was elected to fill the Packer/Processor Industry Council's associate member seat on the Board, a two-year term.
Producers elected to the Pork Industry Nominating Committee responsible for selecting, interviewing and recommending candidates for national leadership positions, include: Rick Rehmeier, Augusta, MO, (producer-at-large seat); John Adams, Snow Hill, NC, (Federation Council seat); and Jim Quackenbush, Chokio, MN, (state president seat).
The National Pork Producer (Pork Act) Delegate Body also met during the National Pork Industry Forum in Nashville. The Pork Act Delegate Body serves three primary responsibilities: elect nominees to the National Pork Board for submission to the Secretary of Agriculture for his appointment, to set the checkoff rate, and to determine the amount of checkoff funds returned to the states.
Eight nominees are elected by the delegate body and ranked in priority order for the Secretary's consideration. He appoints five to the 15-member National Pork Board each year. Terms are three years.
The nominees, listed in priority order according to the votes cast by the delegate body, are: John Kellogg, Yorkville, IL, (incumbent); Sharon Oetting, Concordia, MO, (incumbent); Michael Bayes, Orient, OH; Deborah Johnson, Clinton, NC; Hugh Dorminy, Russellville, AR; Brad Thornton, Eagle, ID; Richard Alig, Okarche, OK; and Brett Rutledge, Yuma, CO.