Mark Stewart, President & CEO AFA

This week’s Open Mic guest is Jen Sorenson, president-elect of the National Pork Producers Council. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic proved to be the latest challenge to the nation’s swine industry. Following a period of lost global markets due to trade conflicts, Sorenson says producers' profit hopes were crushed under the weight of lost domestic markets and reduced processing capacity because of COVID. While direct payments and other government assistance programs have helped, the Iowa hog farmer says many producers have been forced out of business and many more may be lost without additional government support. Sorenson hopes legislators will amend the CCC charter allowing compensation for euthanized and donated animals and bring reform to immigration laws. NPPC also supports aggressive trade negotiations to create additional global markets for U.S. pork.