Preisler Wins Paulson-Whitmore Award, Reflects on 28-Year Pork Career

Mar 17, 2025

In 2022, Dave Preisler retired from a successful 28-year career leading the Minnesota Pork Producers Association and advancing Minnesota’s agricultural community. On March 13, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and National Pork Board awarded Preisler with the distinguished Paulson-Whitmore State Executive Award for his exceptional leadership and commitment to advancing the pork industry.

“Receiving this award is really humbling, especially as you look at the list of people who have received it before,” Preisler says. “That list is filled with people that I have looked up to over the years and considered many of them as my mentors. Again, I am incredibly thankful and can’t think of better people to work with and to work for.”

Growing up in northwestern Minnesota, Preisler’s passion was sparked early in life by educators and programs like FFA. He started his career as a high school agriculture teacher before transitioning to the University of Minnesota Extension, where he developed relationships that would shape his lifelong advocacy for farmers.

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Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.