“Well, this really sucks,” says Iowa Pork president

Tell it like it is. Mike Paustian, president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), and a pig farmer in Walcott, Iowa, said what every member was probably thinking.

“Well, this really sucks,” said Paustian in a letter to members this week. “We find ourselves in the middle of a storm of uncertainty and volatility in both the markets and our supply chain. I’m frustrated, as I’m sure you are, with the disruptions and price impacts that have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Paustian and others in southeast Iowa were directly impacted by the Columbus Junction closing last week, and northwest Iowa producers are now dealing with the effects of the Sioux Falls closing. Everyone else is being impacted by slowdowns at other plants. “The ripple effect these disruptions are having on the markets is hitting us all in the pocketbook,” says Paustian.

“As producers, we need to be ready to adapt to the situation and manage what we can,” he says. Here are resources:

1. IPPA and the Iowa Pork Industry Center have tools that will help you work through production issues on your farm. Please reach out to them.
2. IPPA is communicating with government officials at all levels to help them make informed decisions that minimize the impact on producers and the supply chain. 
3. The National Pork Producers Council is aggressively talking to federal agencies and politicians to let them know what the situation on the ground is. You can help move the government to make large pork purchases and equitable direct payments to producers at this time. Use these talking points to reach out to officials with whom you’ve developed relationships. Another resource is the Paycheck Protection Program. 
4. With many restaurants being closed, IPPA is working with the National Pork Board to keep product moving through those restaurants still serving meals for pickup. Over the Easter weekend, #EasterToGo promoted both restaurants and pork; an upcoming promotion will focus on bacon.
5. IPPA is providing ground pork to food banks across the state and several county associations are getting pork sticks to local schools for grab-and-go meals. 
6. The IPPA staff is working tirelessly on your behalf. They are the best in the business at what they do and haven’t missed a beat with everything that is going on. Give them a call or send them an e-mail. 

“Your IPPA board of directors is going to keep fighting on your behalf,” says Paustian. “Whether your operation is big or small, breed-to-wean, farrow-to-finish, contract grower, or allied industry, there is somebody on the board just like you who understands what you’re going through. We’ve been through tough times before, but that doesn’t ease the pain of the current situation. Together we will get through this and come out stronger on the other side.”