Welcome to the Barn
Dear IPPA member

Welcome back to Barn Talk Bulletin- Volume 6.
Industry News
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Explore Virus Transmission's Social Factors
Illinois Pork provided funding support for study completed at Rantoul Foods

A team of scientists at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are working with clinicians and community researchers to create better accessibility to Covid-19 testing in Rantoul, IL.

The team consists of microbiology professor Rachel Whitaker and anthropology professors Jessica F. Brinkworth, Korinta Maldonado, Ellen Moodie and Gilberto Rosas – also is investigating the structural, economic and sociocultural factors that impact transmission and response to the disease among essential agricultural laborers in rural communities like Rantoul.

Rantoul Foods processing plant was a community hit hard by the virus last spring. While Rantoul was making changes to ensure employee well-being, a group of researchers at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology assembled to see whether experts at the university could help contain the spread.

James Lowe, a professor of veterinary clinical medicine and Helen Nguyen, a civil and environmental engineering professor collected 24 air samples and 140 surface samples in the plant over a seven week period. You may be surprised to find that there were no traces of the virus in those samples. So, was the disease being spread person to person at work or among other people in the community?

“Efforts to find out how the disease spreads within this community are pivotal,” said Lowe, a leading researcher on disease control and biosecurity in the meat industry. “These essential workers are valued and protected in the workplace. When they are unable to do their jobs, the entire food production pipeline, from farm to table, is disrupted.”
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Latest Updates
Coming Up
USDA to Enhance Weekly Pork Reports in 2021
Beginning Jan. 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will enhance its Livestock Mandatory Reporting (LMR) “National Weekly Comprehensive Pork Report” and "National Weekly Export Pork Sales Report" to provide additional market information for pork carcasses and exported products. 
DOT EXTENDS HOURS OF SERVICE WAIVERS FOR LIVESTOCK, FEED
On Tuesday, the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) extended its COVID-19 emergency declaration for Hours of Service (HOS) waivers for the transportation of livestock and livestock feed through Feb. 28, 2021. HOS governs the amount of time commercial truckers can drive their loads and when they are required to rest between drives. The agency had previously extended the waivers through Dec. 31, 2020. NPPC thanks the administration and FMCSA for ensuring the continuity of the U.S pork supply chain as an essential element of the nation’s food delivery infrastructure. 
BONUS: The McRib is back!
For the first time since 2012, the McRib is back in all of McDonald’s 13,837 locations in the United States. The barbecue pork sandwich made its debut in the early 1980s and has appeared on the menu for the past 38 years — a record for an item offered for a limited time.
Last Chance for 2021 Pork Expo Catalog: Chop Talk Special Edition
In place of a tradeshow, IPPA will be developing an exclusive, 2021 Expo Catalog: Chop Talk Special Edition, that will be distributed to over 1,100 mailboxes across Illinois in late January.

If you are interested, please fill out the form and return to Eileen Urish no later than December 11, 2020. We will need artwork by December 31st. For questions email Eileen Urish eileen@ilpork.com.
Free Webinar Tuesday, Dec 8th: 
Vietnam and the Philippines Market Assessment
The National Pork Board will host a webinar to detail a new international market research study on the emerging markets of Vietnam and the Philippines. The study details the growing protein needs in these countries and how U.S. pork can position itself to meet the demand.
Speakers:
Norman Bessac, National Pork Board
Rupert Claxton, Gira
Erin Borror, U.S. Meat Export Federation
Joel Haggard, U.S. Meat Export Federation
Sabrina Yin, U.S. Meat Export Federation
When: Tuesday, Dec 8th at 10 am CST