Pork Checkoff Honors Dr. James McKean with Distinguished Service Award

The Pork Checkoff will honor Dr. James McKean of Ames, Iowa as the winner of its Distinguished Service Award.  McKean is a University Professor at Iowa State University, an Extension veterinarian focusing on swine and the associate director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center. He will be recognized at the National Pork Industry Forum in St. Louis, Mo., March 6-8, 2008. The Distinguished Service Award is given annually to recognize the lifelong contribution to the pork industry of an outstanding leader.

"Jim is an exceptional player in the pork industry," said Lynn Harrison, a pork producer from Elk Mound, Wis., and National Pork Board president.  "He is a person that is dedicated to the industry as a whole, dedicated to the local producers and dedicated to the local community.  He has participated in several of the National Pork Board programs that have been developed and he really has helped advance the industry."

Disease control and eradication became not only areas of interest, but areas of intensive work for McKean.  He authored peer reviewed articles on subjects ranging from mycoplasmal pneumonia, to coronavirus antibodies, to campylobacter enterocolitis and salmonella infections.  He also was a pivotal player in the eradication of pseudorabies in Iowa and the United States. 

"Jim certainly has a passion for the industry but the thing that's also very evident whenever Jim is in a meeting is that there is a level of passion for the producer and for the farm and for the veterinarian that works on the farm," said Paul Sundberg, vice president of science and technology for the Pork Checkoff.  "All of those things work together and he always brings to the table the perspective of whether it will work for all producers, locally and then what affect will it have on the entire industry."

The National Pork Board has responsibility for Checkoff-funded research, promotion and consumer information projects and for communicating with pork producers and the public. Through a legislative national Pork Checkoff, pork producers invest $0.40 for each $100 value of hogs sold. The Pork Checkoff funds national and state programs in advertising, consumer information, retail and foodservice marketing, export market promotion, production improvement, technology, swine health, pork safety and environmental management. For information on Checkoff-funded programs, pork producers can call the Pork Checkoff Service Center at (800) 456-PORK or check the Internet at www.pork.org.

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