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 Sample
Web article: Posted to National Pork Board’s Web
site, Pork.org
Purpose: educate the
client’s target audience, promote the
accomplishments of the Pork Checkoff, help
client expand its “digital footprint” online
Wall Street Welcomes The Other White
Meat® Tour
Pork blazed a tantalizing trail through New York
City this summer when nearly 3,000 employees,
traders and staff of the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) enjoyed an incredible lunch of pulled
pork on a homemade bun, coleslaw and homemade
potato chips, courtesy of The Other White Meat®
Tour ’09.
“We were invited by the NYSE, and the event was
a complete success,” says Howard Greenblatt,
national foodservice marketing manager for the
Pork Checkoff, who notes that the pork promotion
was endorsed by Smithfield Meats. “People
swarmed the streets and the lines were long,
even though we handed out the pork sandwiches as
fast as we could.”
As The Other White Meat Tour crew served the
meal, Dr. BBQ, Ray Lampe, conducted live cooking
demonstrations on-stage, showing the audience
how to prepare spice rubs for different cuts of
pork. The entire event was broadcast live on the
12-foot by 12-foot Jumbotron on Wall Street.
“This was a lot of fun, and it offered a great
opportunity to educate lots of people about pork
and let them know that pork tenderloin is as
lean as a skinless chicken breast,” says Lampe,
a well-known cookbook author who teaches
barbeque cooking classes across the country and
writes the “Ask Dr. BBQ” column for Fiery Foods
and BBQ Magazine. “It’s always a pleasure to
work with the Pork Checkoff, because they put on
first-class events.”
The barbeque bash attracted plenty of national
media attention, adds Greenblatt, who notes that
Nation’s Restaurant News, Food Arts and other
leading publications covered the event. “Ray
Lampe was a big hit, the rain held off and the
NYSE’s director of marketing told me they
haven’t had a response like this in five years.
The event was everything we wanted it to be, and
it offered a wonderful way to promote pork.”
The pork party continues at the Big
Apple BBQ
Following the Wall Street lunch, The Other White
Meat Tour remained in New York City for the Big
Apple BBQ in mid-June.
“The Big Apple BBQ is such a pork-centered
event, and it was awesome to hand out the most
pork samples of any place we’ve been,” says
Traci Rodemeyer, manager of pork information for
the Pork Checkoff.
Momentum continues to build for the 2009 tour,
which kicked off in Scottsdale, Ariz., in May
and is allowing America’s pork producers give
back to local communities. When consumers in 12
select cities enter the Pork's No. 1 Fan
contest, 10 pounds of pork will be given to feed
those in need through local food bank. At the
recent City Stages World Classic in Birmingham,
Ala., the Pork Checkoff donated 380 pounds of
pork. The event was covered by all the major
networks, including NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX.
Join the tour
To add to the fun, Pork Checkoff is inviting
consumers nationwide to share why they are the
“Next Pork Personality.” Through August 31,
passionate pork fans everywhere can submit a
video on TheOtherWhiteMeat.com to spotlight
their best tip for grilling pork.
The three finalists whose creativity and
enthusiasm for pork comes through loud and clear
will be selected for a live finale grill-off in
New York City. Each will prepare a pork recipe
that showcases their tip for Guy Fieri and a
panel of judges. The winner of the “Next Pork
Personality” will receive $5,000, a Char-Broil®
grill and grilling accessories.
To join the tour online, log onto
www.TheOtherWhiteMeat.com and click on the
“Follow Us on the Road” link to find grilling
recipes from tour spokesperson and celebrity
chef Guy Fieri, the tour schedule, photos and
videos from recent events, information on the
“Next Pork Personality” contest, and more.
Sample Web article: Posted to Coalition to
Support Iowa’s Farmers’ Web Site
Purpose: educate the
client’s target audience, including farm and
non-farm residents; highlight the contributions
that agriculture makes in Iowa, help client
expand its “digital footprint” online
Young Farmer Talks Turkey in Cherokee
County
By Darcy Maulsby
If a wise man creates more opportunities than he
finds, then Rod Parker’s willingness to invest
in five turkey barns is creating new options in
agriculture not only for this young Cherokee
County farmer, but for his younger brothers, as
well.
“Not everyone is the given the chance to farm,
so I feel very fortunate,” said Parker, 27, who
noted that four generations of his family have
farmed the land in Iowa. “However, the fastest
way to take down the business is to draw too
many incomes off of one farm, so I was looking
for ways to diversify our operation.”
Turkeys seemed like a possibility, based on
Parker’s conversations with friends and
neighbors who raise the birds for Sara Lee
Foods, which recently expanded its processing
facilities in Storm Lake. Construction on
Parker’s five 650-foot-long barns, which hold up
to 12,000 birds each, began in the summer of
2008. During an October 2008 open house at
Parker’s Pilot Township farm, which was hosted
just days before the first group of
four-week-old tom turkeys arrived, many friends,
neighbors and local officials gathered to tour
the new barns and congratulate Parker.
“Livestock is an essential part of Iowa’s
economy,” said Mark Buschkamp, executive
director for Cherokee Area Economic Development.
“In Cherokee County, agriculture is economic
development. I know a turkey operation is big
investment and a long-term commitment, so it’s
great to see this.”
Building a future in farming
Farming has long been a way of life for the
Parker family, who has lived south of Cherokee
since 1948. Rod’s parents, Robert and Peggy,
raised their three sons and one daughter on the
farm where they still live and work, just half a
mile east of the new turkey barns. The Parkers’
farm includes a farrow-to-finish swine operation
with 60 sows, along with 400 acres of corn,
soybeans, alfalfa and oats. Rod joined the
family business full-time after completing his
farm management degree at Iowa Lakes Community
College in May of 2002.
“I always knew I wanted to farm since I was a
little kid,” said Parker, who now farms 160
acres of his own land.
The idea to diversify into the turkey business
took root two years ago, when Parker started
researching the possibilities. Parker considered
not only his own future, but ways to help his
brothers get involved in agriculture, including
Curtis, who will graduate in December 2008 from
Northwest Missouri State University with an
agronomy degree, and Ryan, a student at
Northwest Iowa Community College. Parker also
made personal visits to his neighbors to keep
them informed about his plans.
“It’s tough for young farmers to get started,”
acknowledged Robert Parker. “The turkeys offer a
way for Rod to stay on the farm and can help the
other boys get involved in the farm at some
point.”
Protecting the environment
Parker followed the proper protocols to
establish his turkey operation, from applying
for the required construction/design permits to
acquiring a stormwater discharge permit from the
Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Parker’s
barns also feature the latest technologies to
ensure the comfort of the birds, from the
feeding and watering systems to misters and fans
that help cool the birds in during hot weather.
The floors are covered with a bedding of wood
shavings and oat hulls, which provide a soft,
dry environment for the birds. A skimmer removes
the solids from the bedding, and in Parker’s
all-in, all-out production system, the litter
will be cleaned out after the birds are taken to
market. Parker plans to use as much of the
litter on his family’s cropland as possible to
save on fertilizer costs.
“I’m glad we hosted an open house at the barns,”
added Parker, who is a Golden Harvest seed
dealer and a board member of the Cherokee County
Pork Producers. “This gave the community a
first-hand look at the technology we use today
to provide humane care for the birds year-round
and produce the food that will end up in the
meat case. It also helped us educate the public
about the ways farmers protect the environment.”
Neighbor Mickey Conley, who lives a mile north
of the Parkers, said she admires what Rod Parker
is doing. “We’re all really tickled about his
new turkey operation. This is economic
development for Cherokee County, and we need
it.”
SIDEBAR:
Quick Facts about Iowa’s Turkey
Industry*
• Iowa ranks 9th in U.S. turkey production and
5th in turkey processing.
• Annually Iowa’s turkeys consume 10 million
bushels of corn and 110,000 tons of soybean
meal.
• Based on the cost for commercial fertilizer,
one turkey produces more than $1 worth of
Iowa-grown fertilizer.
• The economic value of Iowa turkey production
is more than $200 million.
*Information supplied by the Iowa Turkey
Federation.
Darcy
Maulsby | Darcy Maulsby & Co. | 1735 340th St. |
Lake City, IA 51449 515-971-4415 |
darcy@darcymaulsby.com
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