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 Mission:
"The Iowa Pork Producers Association mission is to provide leadership in areas related to the industry in order to enhance Iowa pork producers' opportunity, profit, success and stewardship."
 History
The IPPA organization was originally known as the Iowa Swine Growers Association, with meetings dating back to the early 1930's. The ISGA began meeting regularly to find solutions for management problems, disease control and how to improve the hog through genetics, breeding and nutrition.
 By the early 1960's, pork production evolved into an industry where more producers raised hogs only for market, while breeding stock producers became more specialized. Producers also began to recognize the growing number of factors that were impacting the profitability of the operations. A small group of producers was determined to push pork's message of a delicious, versatile product beyond the farm.
  As the excitement caught on, county groups were formed, meetings held, and in April 1968, the Iowa Pork Producers Association was formed.
What is the IPPA today?
The IPPA serves as a unified voice for Iowa's pork producers. The IPPA is a grassroots organization that consists of over 80 structured county associations across the state, with over 5000 affiliated and associate members. Every producer, regardless of size, has a voice in the IPPA through a county-elected delegate system.
  County pork producer organizations
Local pork producers join forces at the county level and fund the organization through a membership fee, which also provides them with membership to the IPPA and to the National Pork Producers Council.
County organizations support their local communities in a variety of ways, including classroom visits, grilling events, sponsoring local programs and partnerships with retailers and restaurants to promote pork and pork products. County organizations also play an important role in representing their local pork producers to key elected officials and opinion leaders in their community.
 During the annual meeting in January, county delegates have the opportunity to identify their own priorities by developing and changing policy on behalf of Iowa's pork producers.
IPPA Leadership
The IPPA Board of Directors oversees leadership and direction for all IPPA Pork Checkoff Programs, public policy and general direction. The board consists of producers in the following positions:
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President |
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President-elect |
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Past president |
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Eight district directors |
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Four region directors |
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One allied director |
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One Iowa Purebred Swine Council representative |
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One National Pork Board representative |
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One National Pork Producers Council representative |
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Each November, all members vote by ballots for the candidate of their choice in their own district. A three-member nominating committee selects director candidates.
The Pork Checkoff in Iowa
The present checkoff rate is .40 percent of the market value of each hog, or 40 cents per $100 of value. Iowa, the largest pork producing state in the nation, with over 25 million hogs produced annually, contributes 25 percent of the nation's pork supply. As expected, Iowa generates about one-fourth of all checkoff revenue in the United States.
The IPPA receives 16.5 percent of all checkoff money collected on sales of hogs in the state. The other 83.5 percent of the funds are invested in national programs developed by the National Pork Board.
How are Pork Checkoff programs planned by the IPPA?
New programs are developed by county delegates during the IPPA Annual Meeting or by the board of directors. An official IPPA committee oversees each program.
Currently, the IPPA has 14 working committees that bring together almost 200 producers, allied industry associates, specialists and experts to discuss and improve the areas of promotion, research, producer education and consumer information.
 IPPA Checkoff Expenses
| 19% |
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Research |
| 40% |
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Consumer Information and Promotion |
| 4% |
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Foreign Market Development |
| 37% |
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Production Technology and Producer Education |
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| * Percentages based on Pork Checkoff 2003 allocation |
 The IPPA and Public Policy
The IPPA serves as the voice of Iowa pork producers on the state and national level. The IPPA plays an active role in the rule making process for livestock environmental regulations, air and water quality issues and numerous advocacy efforts.
 How are policy decisions made by the IPPA?
Public policy decisions are made by the delegate body during the IPPA Annual Meeting, by the IPPA Public Policy Committee and the IPPA Board of Directors.
Congress prohibits the use of checkoff funds for legislative issues. Therefore, government affairs programs are funded primarily in three ways:
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IPPA Membership dues |
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Producer Consent Program |
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Revenue generated from the Iowa Pork Tent at the Iowa State Fair and Iowa Pork Congress. |
IPPA Membership dues vary by county and usually range from $25 to $45 annually. Producers and allied businesses join their county pork producer organization, which guarantees them membership with the IPPA and the National Pork Producers Council.
The Producer Consent Program is a voluntary funding program to support public policy and advocacy programs in Iowa and on a national level. The assessment is 10 cents per $100 of value.
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