Topic: Pork Production

The hosts thank a series of Associate Executive Producers and grant "Jobs Karma" to several listeners. Dvorak brings up a neglected news item regarding Hurricane Florence in North Carolina: the environmental impact of flooded "hog lagoons." He notes that North Carolina is a major pork producer and expresses concern over the massive amount of pig waste inundated by floodwaters.

An epidemic of African Swine Fever has decimated China's pig population, with estimates suggesting that production could be cut in half by the end of the year. This represents a loss of 300 to 350 million pigs, roughly a quarter of the world's pork supply. The virus is difficult to eradicate, and the collapse of small backyard farming operations in China is expected to have long-term impacts on global food prices.