Pork producers look at developing own processing plants

The National Pork Producers Council is considering opening its own chain ofpork processing plants to help producers get a better share of the market.Council President John McNutt raises hogs near Iowa City.In addition to several pork processing plants, McNutt says the DesMoines-based N-P-P-C might even develop its own brand of pork, though hesays the ideas are still being considered by the Council leaders.Iowa is the number-one pork producing state in the nation, though NorthCarolina is very close behind. McNutt says the processing plants would-quote- “need to go where the hogs are” but that doesn’t guarantee any ofthe perhaps three factories would be located in the Hawkeye State.McNutt says the move by the N-P-P-C toward creating producer owned &operated plants would “reposition producers in a value chain so that theyhave a good future.”