Operation Main Street Achieves Milestone

January 18, 2012 — 

American pork producers are celebrating a key milestone that is helping millions of consumers understand where their food comes from and is empowering leaders for modern agriculture. The National Pork Board's Operation Main Street (OMS) program achieved its 5,000 speech.

Arcola, Ill., pork producer Pat Titus delivered the 5,000 OMS speech to the Ambucs Club in Danville, Ill. "This program has allowed me to have a dialogue with consumers who rarely have any contact with agriculture," says Titus. "It's really up to us to tell our story and connect with consumers so they know we are committed to producing good, safe food, and to caring for our animals and the environment."

Through the Pork Checkoff funded community outreach program, more than 150,000 people have heard firsthand from OMS volunteer speakers how the pork industry is working to improve how food is raised and to provide consumers with healthy choices. Media coverage of their speeches has reached an estimated audience of more than 24 million.

Now in its seventh year, the OMS program has trained almost 950 volunteer speakers in more than 30 states. OMS speakers are reaching out to consumers, youth, and important opinion leaders such as dietitians who can also earn Continuing Professional Education credits for attending an OMS speech. And, the Pork Checkoff has developed partnerships with the National FFA Organization and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) to extend the OMS program's value beyond the pork industry.

Through the AASV partnership, OMS speakers are helping educate the next generation of animal health professionals by speaking to students at schools of veterinary medicine across the country. "Veterinarians are a trusted source of information among consumers, but very few veterinary students today have a background in pork production," said Dr. Gene Nemechek, a swine veterinarian with Pfizer Animal Health. "I want to show them how today's production practices ensure a safe, healthy food source."

AASV members interested in joining the OMS program can participate in a veterinary training session during the AASV Annual Meeting in Denver. Additional information is available at http://www.aasv.org/news/story.php?id=5357 or by contacting Dr. Amy Woods (amy.woods@animalhealthinternational.com).

Source: Pork Checkoff [Edited]