On Tuesday, board members and other leaders from the Oklahoma Pork Council enjoyed a special opportunity to meet with the new National Pork Board (NPB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. David Newman when he took part in Oklahoma State University (OSU) Dean of Agriculture Jayson Lusk's "Dean's Dialogue" speaker series.

Our board members and around 50 other guests enjoyed hearing Dr. Newman's interesting perspective as a pork producer turned NPB board member turned NPB CEO as he was interviewed by Dean Lusk about his background, his current role, and his advice to others connected to pork production. Dr. Newman discussed the Pork Checkoff's vital role for industry research, education, and promotion and his plans for the $90 million budget and 90-person staff that he oversees.

From animal health challenges like Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) and Pseudorabies Virus (PRV) to changing consumer trends, Dr. Newman proved to be a wealth of first-hand knowledge about the challenges our industry faces. He repeatedly shared he believes pork producers have an incredible opportunity right now to prosper, and that NPB can assist this growth by prioritizing data-driven support in pork quality, animal health, and strengthened relationships.

Both in the Dean's Dialogue presentation and a special meeting with Oklahoma Pork's board members, Dr. Newman shared his support for integrating increased technology into our industry through Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and the unique opportunity pork can have as an affordable, lean protein in the current U.S. health culture. He spoke candidly with our board about a variety of issues, and thanks to playful prodding from Kylee Deniz we even have Dr. Newman on video agreeing his favorite state pork association is right here in Oklahoma!