Patio Pondering: Trust Me, I Work With Pigs!
This morning is bright and clear off the patio after the detritus of the weekend's massive snow has everything covered in a heavy blanket of snow. I am not venturing out on the patio this morning, staying in where the temperature is a comfortable 72 degrees and my coffee is hot and strong.
At the Iowa Pork Congress last week I had several conversations with friends and one of the topics we covered quite a bit was increasing demand and the new promotion campaign by the National Pork Board titled Taste What Pork Can Do. We had lots of discussions about whether the campaign is the right one, more discussion on how we had to expand demand beyond the 50 pounds or so per person where pork consumption has stagnated.
Many of us in animal agriculture are quick to blame checkoff organizations for missteps in promotional campaigns, but what have we done personally to actually promote pork outside our circle that already consumes pork?
That thought stuck with me as I drove back to northeast Indiana. What have I done to promote pork in my own life? Little did I know that I would have that opportunity when making a grocery run ahead of Winter Storm Fern.
This Saturday I made a trip to our local Meijer store to join the throngs of people stocking up on Winter Storm Essentials. As I pushed my cart with our own version of Bread, Milk, and Eggs I stopped at the pork display to see the offerings. I was happy to see empty shelf space - someone was buying pork.
While I stood there perusing the offering, a young, twenty-something couple was looking at pork. They finally grabbed two packages of breakfast chops (a horrible way to sell pork chops IMHO). When they were about to drop the packages in their cart I spoke up: "How do you plan to cook those?"
Mind you, I'm dressed in Carhartt head to toe, complete with blood, manure, and grease stains. I did not look like the Pork Promotions Lady. There was nothing appealing about my appearance to make me approachable until I said that I work with pig farmers.
The reply was simple: "In a pan."
"Put those back and grab some of those thicker pork chops over there. They will cook better and give you some leeway on doneness."
"Oh, cool."
"Do you have a meat thermometer?"
"Yes."
"Take the meat out of the pan when the middle is 145 degrees and you should have a great meal."
"Thanks, we never know what to get when we look at pork."
I turned as they left the meat case and finished my Winter Storm Preparations. It wasn't until I was driving home that I digested what had happened at the meat case at the Meijer Store on the northeast side of Fort Wayne: I had promoted pork.
In that moment, driving home through the snow, I realized I'd finally answered my own question. I've spent time critiquing checkoff campaigns and debating promotional strategies - and some of that criticism is valid. But Saturday at Meijer was more effective than any of those discussions. That couple was intimidated by the meat case, and someone needed to step up. This time it was me.
"We never know what to get when we look at pork." Those words should concern all of us. Consumers want to buy what we produce, but they're afraid of screwing it up. The National Pork Board can run campaigns, but they can't be there in every grocery aisle. We can. Every person in this industry who truly knows their product has the power to change that narrative.
So here's what I'm asking: What have you done this week to promote your product? Not at a conference. Not in a policy meeting. In real life, with real people who don't already buy what you're selling. And if the answer is "nothing," what's stopping you? It took me ninety seconds. One conversation. That's all.