Ron Plain Wins Coveted Industry Honor at 2023 Pork Forum

Mar 13, 2023

Hailed the “smartest man in the room” by many pork producers, Ron Plain has spent his career focused on his passion for education and his passion for the pork industry. On March 9, the National Pork Board recognized Plain, professor emeritus and extension economist in Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Missouri- Columbia, with its Distinguished Service Award at the 2023 Pork Forum.

Plain spent a semester in college as a nuclear engineering major, but changed trajectories when he realized the lack of available career opportunities. He changed majors and enrolled in agricultural education at the University of Missouri. After receiving his degree, he taught ag for three years before returning to the classroom as a student. He completed a Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University and moved back to Missouri to join the University of Missouri faculty.

For the next 35 years, Plain gave more than 2,100 presentations to farm audiences across the country, living out the land-grant mission and helping producers understand the economic forces related to their pork production business.

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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.