the pork industry

Efficiency, Mass Production, Assembly Line, these are key terms in regards to the development of of the American Free Market that we know today. Following World War II, the 1950's and 1960's saw America's economy expand to unprecedented heights thanks to new modes of economic thought. The cattle industry, especially for the swine, was no exception. Enter Dr. Glenn Grimes from the University of Missouri. In 1958 the biggest development in the production of pork was the move from small farms producing swine, to large mass production techniques more in line with the factories of the day. The problem was with the unsanitary nature of the swine. The first attempts to organize the swine in pens of 500 failed and they were forced to "spread out the hogs and keep them in small groups. The first large operations were pasture operations and we rotated them for sanitation."

In 1954 the National Swine Growers Council was formed. It is pivotal to understand the inception of the NSGC because through its system of "check offs" its member were able to form into a powerful lobbying group. The "Pork Checkoff" is a communal system found on a group of Hog producers donating a portion of their earnings into a common trust. This trust would grow into the National Pork Board. The pinnacle of the Swine Industry would be the pass of the Pork Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information Act of 1985, you may be more familiar with its popular ad campaign "Pork, the other white meat".

Prior to the growth NSGC and the NPB, the cattle industry had held the reigns in terms of top consumption by Americans. The growth of the Meat industry began with investors purchasing farmland for cattle grazing. The "feedlots" from 1940's and on took the cattle industry by storm. From 1940 - 1969 the number of cattle nearly doubled from 60,818 to over 106,000/head. The number of farms actually producing cattle dropped from 4.85 million farms with cattle in 1940 to a mere 1.7 million farms with cattle. The growth of the Interstate Highway System and refrigerated trucks further streamlined the process. Packing houses were formed adjacent to the feedlots. Compounds where pigs, chickens, and cows could be systematically produced, slaughtered, processed, and shipped to the grocer became the main staple of the Meat industry.

status check - 1 - May 4th 2009

On Monday May 27th, 2009 the World Health Organization raised the global threat level of the current strain of Influenza virus to one notch below a full blown pandemic. The current threat level remains at 5. A threat level of 4 or 5 means that the virus is capable of spreading at an alarming rate. If the level were to reach 6 then the WHO will issue a call for "governments to set trade, travel and other restrictions aimed at limiting the disease's spread". On Wednesday May 29th, 2009 the first death from the current strain of Swine Flu occurred when a 23 month-old Mexican boy died in the U.S. while on vacation. The first official U.S. death was confirmed on Tuesday May 5, 2009 with the passing of a young teacher in Southern Texas. The woman, who was pregnant, had gone to see a physician on April 14 and was admitted to the hospital on April 19th. Between April 19th and May 5th when she died she gave birth to her child.


As of May 5th 38 states have reported over 400 cases of the current Swine Flu outbreak. World wide, 21 countries have reported 1490 cases of the outbreak. Mexico has the most as of now with 822 confirmed cases and 29 deaths, while Canada has the third most cases behind the U.S. with 140 confirmed cases and no deaths. It is interesting to note that North America has seen the most cases so far of the outbreak. Spain and the United Kingdom have reported 57 and 27 confirmed cases respectively; while 16 other countries from Europe, Asia, and Latin America have reported between 1 and 9 cases. China has confirmed cases but has not released any numbers, while Russia and Brazil have not confirmed or released any data.


The WHO has issued an advisory for individuals to take some precautions in preventing the spread of the current Swine Flu. The use of masks has been strongly suggested. In addition, people should also remember that "Clean hands protect against infection". The site also notes that pork not cooked or handled properly may transmit Influenza, the WHO say that "The influenza A(H1N1) virus is killed by cooking temperatures of 160°F/70°C".

what is influenza

disease (dĭ-zēz´) a definite pathological process having a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. It may affect the whole body or any of its parts, and its etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown

virus (vi´rәs) any member of a unique class of infectious agents, originally distinguished by their smallness because they could pass through fine ceramic filters that blocked all cells, as well as by their inability to replicate unless they were inside a living host cell receiving its assistance. Because these properties are shared by certain bacteria (such as the rickettsiae and chlamydiae), viruses are now characterized by their simple organization and their unique mode of replication. A virus consists of genetic material, which may be either DNA or RNA, and it is surrounded by a protein coat, and in some cases by a membranous envelope. Unlike cellular organisms, viruses do not contain all the biochemical mechanisms for their own replication; they replicate by using the biochemical mechanisms of a host cell to synthesize and assemble their separate components.

It is important to fully understand the dynamics of the Influenza strain. It manifests itself upon this earth in five distinct forms and we will thank the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses for our next bit of information.The actual number of classified strains of Influenza virus are in the hundreds. Each strain can be traced back to the location of the outbreak and what type of animal that it originated in. The first three may be found to directly infect humans:

+Influenza virus (A)- also known as the "Avian Flu", this is the most common of the Influenza strain. The Spanish Flu, historically, has been the best example of the type A class, it officially lasted from 1918 to 1920. The Avian Flu can actually be traced back to 1878 when a "fowl plague" swept through Italy. The two most active strains are the H5N1 and the H3N2. H5N1 has been the most prevalent since the 1990's, it was traced to chickens in southern China. The H5N1 strain has been the potent strain until the emergence of the H3N2 strain The H3N2 is the first one to show resistance to the two most common antiviral drugs Amantadine and Rimantadine. H3N2 showed a dramatic increase in measured resistance to antivirus drugs from 1% in 1994 to 12% in 2003 to 91% in 2005. Researchers are concerned that the H5N1 and the H3N2 could mutate or at least pass its resistance to the anti-viruses.

+Influenza (B)- type (A) is the fastest replicating form of the Influenza Virus, type (B) is the second fastest form. It is unique to humans and seals.

+Influenza (C)- type (B) is the slowest of the viruses to replicate. Type (B) is found only in humans and pigs. It is important to note that the "Swine Flu" that we know is a deviation of the Influenza type (A) virus, not type (C).

There are two sub categories of the Influenza virus.

+ISA or Infectious Salmon Anemia- Fish have DNA in their red blood cells. The presence of DNA allows for the Influenza virus to attack and cause a form of anemia in the fish.

Thogotovirus- Influenza in this form is found in ticks. Thogotovirus can be transmitted to humans and really any vertebrate species. In humans the symptoms are feverish and can even cause encephalitis.