Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced appointment of five pork producers to the 15-member National Pork Board. Appointees serve three-year terms effective July 1. The five were chosen from eight producers nominated and ranked by the National Pork Act Delegate Body during its annual meeting in March.
Appointed are:
- Everett L. Forkner, Richards, MO, second term.
- Julie A. Maschhoff, Carlyle, IL, first term.
- Derrick D. Sleezer, Cherokee, IA, first term.
- Wathina M. Luthi, Gage, OK, first term.
- Steven R. Wuergler, Drain, OR, first term.
Forkner was recently elected vice president of the National Pork Board. He is the owner and president of Forkner Farms, Inc., which consists of 500 purebred sows and markets 8,000 hogs per year.
Maschhoff, along with her husband, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, own The Maschhoffs LLC and serves as vice president of communications. The Maschhoffs is a farrow-to-finish operation with 130,000 sows and markets 2.8 million hogs per year.
Derrick Sleezer is a manager and employee of Sleezer, Inc., a farrow-to-finish, farrow-to-wean and farrow-to-feeder pig operation that has 700 sows and markets 15,000 hogs annually.
Wathina Luthi is co-owner of Luthi Farms LLC, a farrow-to-wean operation that features 4,800 sows and markets 100,000 hogs a year.
Steven Wuergler, along with his wife and two daughters, owns a farrow-to-finish operation with 18 sows that markets 100-150 hogs annually and is a seedstock producer with 40 acres.
