DES MOINES, Iowa – More than 50 pork producers plan to meet in Des Moines Sept. 7-8 to draft a 2012 budget for the National Pork Board that is expected to keep a major focus on getting consumers to eat more pork.

Members of the Plan of Work Task Force will continue their planning and budgeting process to meet previously stated goals, which include:

• Refresh and reposition US pork’s image to increase domestic and international consumer demand.
• Protect the rights and ability of US farmers to produce pork in a socially-responsible and cost-competitive manner.
• Pursue strategies to enable US pork producers to remain highly competitive, long term, on a global basis.

The board has established a budget target of $69.3 million based on revenue projections from the Pork Checkoff in 2012. The board expects to spend $69.9 million in 2011.

“Despite continuing high operating costs, this year has been a very good one for hog prices,” said Everett Forkner, president of the National Pork Board. “We expect prices to remain strong in 2012, which means we will have a strong revenue stream coming in through the Pork Checkoff.

Consumer perspectives of pork and pork production continue to be a central focus of the new budget. The board in 2011 committed additional resources to improve the perception of pork. The Pork Be Inspired campaign that was launched in April featured the first national television advertising of pork in more than five years, as well as a significant print and online advertising.