The pork industry is looking to strengthen biosecuirty and national security through U.S. SHIP

The U.S. Swine Health Improvement Plan, also known as SHIP, is designed to protect the pork industry from foreign animal diseases.

Jason Probst, a National Pork Producers Council Delegate, has been involved in SHIP since its early stages and highlights its critical role in maintaining market stability.

According to Probst, “The U.S. SHIP idea started back in probably 2019-2020 by some of the vets in the industry. They were looking at the concern with foreign animal disease coming to the U.S., mainly African swine fever and classical swine fever. And so, there’s concern of if it came to the U.S., what would that do to our exports of product. Because if those foreign animal diseases are found in the U.S., that would immediately stop our exports of pork products, and so, in turn, approximately 25% of our production would stay domestically and would kind of potentially overburden our markets.”

He says that producers must follow specific biosecurity practices to get certified under SHIP. It will help producers prioritize product movement during a foreign animal disease outbreak.

Related Stories
Farm CPA Paul Neiffer explains the USDA’s Stage Two Supplemental Disaster Relief Program, including application details, deadlines, and guidance for rural producers.
CattleCon 2026 kicks off February 3 in Nashville. Kristin Torres with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association joined RFD-TV to share more about what’s ahead at this year’s event.
Mary-Thomas Hart, with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, discusses the latest WOTUS developments and their implications for agriculture.
Cattle and hog supplies continue to tighten while dairy output expands, creating a split outlook in which red-meat prices soften and milk values come under pressure from larger supplies.
With feed supplies running tight, producers can tap into some creative options, according to University of Pennsylvania Veterinarian and Professor Dr. Joe Bender.
Firm live cow prices and shifting dairy-side culling suggest cull cow values may stay stronger than usual this winter despite weaker cow beef cutout trends.

Agriculture Shows
Hosted by Pam Minick, “The American Rancher” focuses on the people and places that make ranching an American lifestyle. This half-hour magazine format series features livestock producers and their ranches, animals, and ranching practices.
For the latest information on how to take your operation from good to great, tune into Ag PhD. The program includes a wide range of agronomic information from how to maximize your fertilizer program & tiling to stopping those yield-robbing insects and crop diseases and more.
RFD-TV is always creating new ways for rural America to educate and to be educated. RURAL AMERICA LIVE, the network’s longest-running self-produced program, is certainly no exception.