Sign Up for the Pork Crisis Alert

April 24, 2019 — 

The best time to prepare for a crisis is before it happens. With foreign animal disease pressure mounting, it's a good time to make sure you are signed up for the Pork Crisis Alert, a text news service that will immediately deliver essential information to U.S. pork producers in the event of a major, industry-wide emergency. Producers can sign up for these alerts in less than 20 seconds. Simply text 'PorkCrisis' to 97296 and answer the resulting question confirming your intent to sign up. [Source: Farm Journal's Pork 18 April 2019 by Jennifer Shike]

"Pork producers know that the best time to prepare for a crisis is before it happens," says Cindy Cunningham, vice president of communications at the National Pork Board. "That could mean being as detailed as building your own Farm-level Crisis Plan for a natural disaster or a foreign animal disease; or simply staying abreast of the current issues that could disrupt your normal day."

The Pork Text Alerts provide pork producers with immediate notification when an intense crisis situation in the industry occurs, such as the confirmation of a foreign animal disease.

"If a crisis were to happen, the text message would direct you to pork.org for more details and what you should consider for your farm," she says. "The Pork Checkoff is committed to only use the text alert system for serious threats, and not to use it for general communication of programs."

The system is easy to use and most are familiar with it as being similar to their school's alert system, Cunningham adds. The only cost would be that from your phone provider/carrier as this is provided as a Pork Checkoff service.

Pork producers are not automatically registered; they must sign up for this service. She says you don't have to be a pork producer to sign up - anyone involved in the pork industry may register for the alerts.

"As we look at issues of concern in the pork industry today, clearly African swine fever is on the forefront of producers' minds. The Pork Text Alerts are just another tool in the pork industry to help producers prepare for this possible situation. In a crisis, the quicker producers can get information, the better they will be able to respond," Cunningham says.

This service is tested annually by the National Pork Board. The next test is expected to take place on April 24, so now is a great time to sign up, she adds.