Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 1/12/15


The National Pork Board has named Smithfield Farmland executive Chris Hodges as its new chief executive officer, effective Feb. 16. Hodges leaves his current role as senior vice president - business development of Smithfield Farmland to take the position.  
Hodges brings to the Pork Checkoff decades of in-depth knowledge and innovation in marketing pork to key U.S. food retailers and into international markets. Much of his fresh pork marketing experience includes direct producer outreach and involvement related to adopting on-farm practices specifically designed to improve overall meat quality.

He told Meatingplace in an interview that his three top priorities at the Pork Board will be:
• Increasing pork exports, as domestic production is expanding
• Collaborating with packers and producers on the common industry audit process which aligns many diverse practices into a common protocol. The process has already been agreed among packers, producers, foodservice and retailers and has a strong focus on animal welfare. 
• Addressing what has been learned from the porcine epidemic diarrhea (PEDV) outbreak, including data collected through the swine information center. 

"For the past 30 years, Chris has dedicated his career to the pork industry, building and leading teams to meet the emerging demands for protein in both the U.S. and international market place," said Dale Norton, president of the National Pork Board and a pork producer from Bronson, Mich. "He knows this industry so well and, over the years, has given back through volunteering his time and expertise in several areas." 

Hodges, raised in Laurens, Iowa, is a graduate of Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, with a focus in international relations. He also has a masters of arts in international affairs from Columbia University. Upon obtaining his graduate degree, Hodges was a project manager at the U.S Department of Agriculture, assigned to the U.S. Agency for International Development where he managed extension projects in international grain markets. He later earned a doctorate in agricultural and applied economics from the University of Minnesota.
As he steps into this new position, Hodges will retire as a board member of the National Pork Producers Council. He served as chairman of its Packer Processor Industry Council since 2013.
The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public.

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