Research doesn’t start with a proposal. It starts with a producer need. 

Behind every Pork Checkoff-funded research project is a process designed to connect the challenges producers face on the farm with the researchers who can help solve them. 

That process was on full display this summer when the National Pork Board (NPB) brought researchers, producers, veterinarians, allied industry representatives and other partners together for the National Swine Health Strategy Research Summit in Des Moines last month. 

The Research Summit was designed to look beyond individual projects. Participants shared current and planned research across National Swine Health Strategy (NSHS) priorities, identified opportunities to collaborate, and examined how individual efforts fit together to advance measurable improvements in swine health. 

For Todd Wiley, a pork producer and member of NPB’s Swine Health Advisory Committee, seeing that bigger picture changed the way he viewed Checkoff-funded research. 

“I knew the Pork Checkoff invested in research, but until the Research Summit, I don’t think I understood everything that happens before a project ever gets funded or how intentionally the pieces fit together. It starts with what producers are telling us they need, then brings the right people around the table to identify the gaps, ask the right questions and determine where research can make a difference. Seeing that whole process gave me a much better appreciation for how our Checkoff dollars are being put to work.”

Todd Wiley, pork producer

Connecting Industry Needs with Research

NPB research takes shape in more than one way. 

In some cases, producer and industry input helps identify a specific challenge or knowledge gap that NPB needs researchers to address. In others, researchers bring forward ideas based on emerging science, new technologies or opportunities they believe could benefit pork producers. 

Both pathways create opportunities to connect promising science with industry needs. 

The NSHS is one example of the first approach. NPB used an industry-wide survey and a producer-led advisory group to identify goals and priorities for improving the health of the U.S. swine herd. Those priorities include eliminating porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), reducing the spread of disease, strengthening foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness, and early detection and monitoring of emerging diseases. 

From there, the Swine Disease Research task force, made up of producers, veterinarians and subject-matter experts, identifies specific knowledge gaps that stand between the industry and those goals. Those gaps can then become the basis for research requests for proposals, or RFPs. 

RFPs allow NPB to go to the research community with a defined need:  

  • Here is a problem producers are facing.  
  • Here is what we still need to understand.  
  • Help us find an answer. 

But that’s not the only way an idea reaches NPB. 

Researchers can also submit research ideas to NPB outside of a specific RFP. Those ideas can be considered by the appropriate NPB team to determine whether they align with producer needs, strategic priorities and opportunities for Checkoff investment. 

That flexibility matters. NPB can direct research toward known gaps while also leaving the door open for an innovative idea or emerging area of science that the industry may not have specifically asked for yet. 

From an Idea to a Research Investment 

Whether an opportunity begins with a targeted RFP or an idea brought forward by a researcher, funding decisions require another layer of evaluation. 

For the current NSHS research call, for example, researchers must identify the specific priority their work addresses and specifically outline how the proposed study will benefit pork producers. That producer-impact requirement keeps an important question at the center of the process: If this research succeeds, what will it mean on the farm? 

Projects are evaluated by pork producers, veterinarians, allied industry representatives and subject matter experts for scientific rigor as well as their approach to desired outcomes, application to pork production and potential industry impact. 

That review can get remarkably practical. In NPB’s current review process, proposals are considered not only for whether they fit an RFP priority, but also for their objectives, expected impact to producers, study design, budget and the questions reviewers believe need to be addressed before an investment moves forward. 

In other words, a good research question is only part of the equation. Reviewers must also consider whether the proposed work can deliver a useful answer, whether the approach makes sense and whether the potential benefit warrants the investment of producer Checkoff dollars. 

The goal isn’t simply to fund more research. It’s to make research investments that can make a difference.

Turning Checkoff Dollars into Answers 

A single research project can answer an important question. But major challenges like PRRSV elimination aren’t solved by a single study or institution. 

Recent Checkoff investments illustrate a more coordinated, yet holistic approach. This spring, the Swine Disease Research task force selected projects to address specific knowledge gaps related to PRRSV and PEDV elimination. Rather than seeking a single silver bullet, those investments address different barriers that stand between producers and successful disease elimination. 

The true value of meaningful research comes when science creates information, tools or practices producers can use to make better decisions on the farm.