I’ve never really been afraid of change. As a result, I have had the opportunity over the course of my career to help lead big, organizational change initiatives. Someone I admire a lot often says, “Change creates opportunity,” and I have taken this to heart. But at the same time, I recognize, not everyone feels this way. That is what makes studying the change curve and how people navigate it so fascinating.

In his new book about COVID-19, called "Pandemic, Inc.," business futurist Patrick Schwerdtfeger focuses on the opportunity in change. He focused much of his past work on disruptive innovation — both how to anticipate it and how to capitalize on it. He points out that, while the pandemic isn’t an example of disruptive innovation, it certainly is disruptive. And consequently, some businesses will be displaced entirely, replaced by those who take the opportunity to embrace new ways of thinking and operating.

When I look back at the recent hard work of the pork industry to serve our nation’s food supply while protecting the health and safety of our workers, I see resiliency and progress. With deep roots in agriculture and family, we know too well the essential role and responsibility we play in the lives of people every day. And although resilience will always serve us well, I would argue that incremental progress is no longer enough.

The pandemic has magnified agriculture’s value, but it also has also revealed opportunities to improve. Maybe we needed something significant to spark innovation in our industry?

Like it or not, compared to other areas of our economy, animal protein production has not innovated at the pace it needs to. Our supply chain is complex, labor intensive, specialized and requires workers — on the farm or in a packing plant — to operate in close quarters. Now, more than ever, we must accelerate our move toward automation and integrate advanced technology.

From blockchain pilots to increased automation adoption, recent developments show we are headed in the right direction. Data analytics and other emerging technologies like game-theory highlight further potential to improve visibility, safety and animal welfare throughout the supply chain. Technology also is helping us explore ways to improve on-package labeling through carbon-footprint tracking.

Pork has a unique role to play in the broader agricultural supply chain, and by holding true to our purpose, I believe we can not only weather our current challenges but lead the industry in creating a better food future.

This means that, as we look to technology to drive supply chain efficiencies, we can also work as partners to drive alignment on data governance and security to improve visibility and traceability. As we reconfigure our facilities to promote workplace safety, we can focus on workforce training to equip our packers and processors with the skills they need to operate the plants of tomorrow. And as we look to strengthen trust with consumers through new experiences, we can also raise awareness of the opportunities for engineers, scientists and developers to bring new ideas our field.

As the global pandemic accelerates transformation of society, our industry has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — and responsibility — to act. Let’s channel those experiences that held us through the acute onset of the COVID-19 crisis into rebuilding our long-term livelihoods and securing a bright future for generations to come.

COVID: The Disruptive Opportunity?

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