Sara Nichols passed out the remainder of her certificates of gratitude from the installation night. All Rotary volunteer hours are now being recorded and a sheet was passed around. Heidi mentioned that the second “homeless count” is taking place on July 25 from 10 pm to 3 am, talk to her if you can help.

Greg Sambs, from Fort Atkinson, spoke to the Rotary Club about the National Pork Board. Greg and his family have raised pork for many years and now he volunteers his time to educate the public about the pork industry. Historically, pigs were raised outside and had a higher fat content, farmers raised some of everything, including pigs. Today, pigs are raised inside, they are leaner and production is much more specialized. Pork is 75% leaner now than it was in the 1950’s. In the 1970’s fat was linked to poor diet so everyone tried to reduce their fat consumption. Today farmers do selective breeding, feeding processes are improved, pigs are healthier and this has doubled meat production. The United States is the world’s largest exporter of pork. It is done more efficiently, using 41% less water and reducing the carbon footprint by 35%. It takes an average of six months to raise a pig from birth to market and their weight is around 300 pounds. Many jobs are dependent on this industry that had $6.4 million in exports in 2017. There are 400,000 pigs slaughtered per day in this country, 40% of our hams are exported. Trade policies and tariffs will have an impact on farmers and others in the pork industry.