The National Pork Board has recently unveiled two new websites. After input from users and various stakeholders, a decision was made to separate pork production information from consumer-focused information. Porkcheckoff.org will be the go-to online hub for producers to access certifications, training resources, finding tools for their farms, and paying their Checkoff assessment. Although existing links will be redirected for a time, everyone should update their bookmarks to porkcheckoff.org. Meanwhile, consumer-focused pork information will be hosted at pork.org. The new look and feel of the site should allow consumers easy access to all things pork. This includes cuts, cooking methods, health and nutrition information, recipes, and more. The Learning Management System, (lms.pork.org), which is the comprehensive certification site, is not affected at this time.

PQA Plus v5 – coming June 2022

Program revision work is well underway for the next version of PQA Plus! Subject matter experts will review the handbook content and revise and update as appropriate. Guided by the PQA Plus Task Force, and input from trainers and advisors, additional enhancements will be made to training materials. The format introduced with v4 will remain, that being, training resources geared for new or renewal certifications. Additional modules are in development to enlarge the library of training materials. Training for PQA Plus Trainers will occur in February and March of 2022. Trainers can then plan to train PQA Plus Advisors beginning next March and through the following spring and summer months.

Humane Animal Handling modules available

The Humane Animal Handling online training module series describe the correct methods of handling pigs of all sizes. Real-life scenarios are used to guide the learner step-by-step through common problems that may arise in handling. This resource is available online, in both English and Spanish on the National Pork Board’s Learning Management System (LMS). Courses are accessed through self-enrollment and do require a user login for the LMS. The modules are also available in USB format by sending a request to info@pork.org.

AgView to be highlighted at World Pork Expo

AgView, the new software-based technology solution from the National Pork Board, will be featured at the Pork Checkoff booth in the Varied Industries Building at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines in June. Visitors will see how the tool will provide near real-time health and movement status to help the US pork industry to rapidly conduct contact-tracing to contain or regionalize a foreign animal disease outbreak such as African swine fever. Likewise, visitors will see how AgView can help facilitate pig movement among its users during such outbreaks to help achieve business continuity. For more information online, visit porkcheckoff.org/agview or go to agview.com.

Secure Pork Supply now includes resources for animals with outdoor access

The Secure Pork Supply (SPS) plan is a business continuity plan for pork producers in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak in the United States. Producers who raise pigs with outdoor access now have new resources available to help them develop site-specific biosecurity plans, which they need to participate in SPS. These resources include a checklist and enhanced biosecurity plan template. For more information, visit securepork.org.