May 2025

California State Fair Entries Open - Participate in CCPB Program

CPPA members exhibiting barrows at the 2025 California State Fair Swine Show have the opportunity to participate in our Certified California Bred Program! While completing your entries be sure to select "Yes" on the "CA Certified Bred" option and enter your California breeder name in the box. We look forward to featuring our qualifying barrow exhibitors and breeders from California in June at Cal Expo.

Renew CPPA Membership Ahead of California State Fair

Youth members planning to exhibit at the California State Fair and California Youth Ag Expo are encouraged to renew their CPPA membership to be eligible for awards under the Certified California Bred Program. Individuals needing to renew their membership are eligible to join online or by downloading the membership form and submitting payment via check. Membership option include the following:

Youth Membership: $10 | Individuals under age of 18 and interested in pork production
Collegiate Membership: $15 | College students age 18-25 interested in pork production
Producer Membership: $50 | Individuals 18 + actively engaged in pork production in California, including owners, operators, contract feeders, managers, and employees.
Producer Family Membership: $75 | Individuals actively engaged in pork production, including household family members (children eligible until age 18).
Associate Supporter Membership: $50 | Individuals 18+ who support pork production through advocacy, education, or work with allied businesses (e.g., ag instructors, consultants, veterinarians, product manufacturers).
Associate Family Membership: $75 | Associate supporters, including household family members (children eligible until age 18).

Should you have any questions or wish to confirm your membership please reach out to Mackenzie at membership@calpork.com.

Riley Piehl Named Agriscience Research - Integrated Systems Proficiency Champion for Swine Ultrasound Research

Junior Board Member Riley Piehl of the Santa Rosa FFA Chapter was named California's Agriscience Research - Integrated Systems Proficiency Champion at the 97th Annual State FFA Leadership Conference in Sacramento last month. Piehl's swine ultrasound research addressed a key challenge in swine production: ensuring accurate and consistent ultrasound results for early pregnancy detection. By comparing different types of transmission gels and media, her study aimed to identify cost-effective and efficient solutions that improve ultrasound clarity and reliability in real-world farm settings.

Her work was made possible through collaboration with Dr. Nell Moore, Small Town Genetics, and the UC Davis Swine Facility, where she conducted field trials and collected data over several months. The results of her project have the potential to benefit pork producers by enhancing reproductive efficiency and reducing diagnostic errors.

Congratulations to Riley for your achievements and best of luck as she works to compete for a National title.

Federal Policy Update:

Capital Updates from National Pork Producers Council

Stay up-to-date with the latest national policy news. Top headlines from the week ending May 9:

NPPC Participates in NAFB’s 2025 ‘Washington Watch’
Swine Vets Lobby Lawmakers on Pork Industry Issues
NPPC Seeks Input on Good Environmental Livestock Production Practices
USDA Releases LRP, LGM Handbook and Policy Changes

Read Capital Updates

State Policy Update:

Advocacy in Action from California Farm Bureau Federation

Learn about the news from Sacramento that can affect the pork industry and you. Top headlines from the May 5th issue:

Senate Labor Committee Rejects Ag Overtime Relief Bills Despite Broad Support
Assembly Agriculture Committee Advances AB1156 Despite Concerns Over Farmland Protections
Agricultural Vehicle Basic Inspection of Terminals Extensions

Read Advocacy in Action

California Pork in the Industry

Last month, California Pork participated in a Pork 101 presentation for Performance Food Group Northern California. Board members Russel McKeith and Shelby Sopocy were present to interact with the Performance Food Group sales team to provide the producers perspective and knowledge of pork production. Russell gave a "Pork 101" presentation to the sales team all about the production of pork and an overview of cuts. The event concluded with small group interactions with the sales team to get them comfortable when talking to their customers about the benefits of having pork on their restaurant menus and the value of consuming pork. We look forward to a part 2 of this project in August which consists of a full carcass fabrication.

Upcoming Events

2025 World Pork Expo

The world’s largest pork industry-specific trade show brings together pork producers and industry professionals from around the world for two days of education, innovation and networking.

June 4-5, 2025

Des Moines, Iowa

The Exposition

June 8 - 13

Indianapolis, Indiana

California State Fair Junior Livestock Show

July 11 - 13

Sacramento, California

California Youth Ag Expo

July 30 - August 3

Tulare, California