Indiana pork production will take center stage Wednesday at the Breakfast Optimist Club meeting.
Jim Erickson, of TDM Farms, will address the group at 7 a.m. at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, 1400 E. Smith St., Warsaw.
Titled "The Pork Industry: More Than Just the Other White Meat," Erickson's speech will showcase the industry's rural economic impact and ongoing programs to enhance the nutritional quality of pork, to protect the environment and to treat livestock humanely. Due to new technologies and management systems, U.S. pork producers have trimmed pork's fat content 31 percent since 1983, according to the National Pork Speakers Bureau.
"Like other industries facing strong competitive pressures," Erickson said, "we're working to constantly improve our ability to provide tasty, affordable and nutritious pork products in a responsible manner."
Erickson is one of 68,000 pork producers in the United States and one of more than 3,000 pork producers in Indiana. He said Indiana's swine industry contributes more than $3 billion to the state's economy and contributes more than $465 million in local, rural economies.
For more information, contact Lisa Shellenberger, National Pork Speaker's Bureau, at 800-711-0747, Ext. 261.
