ANNAPOLIS, MD — Crosby Marketing Communications has won a seven-figure USDA contract to help prevent the introduction and spread of African Swine Fever in the US.

Crosby won the one-year, $2.9 million contract in a competitive pitch. The remit is a new one for the agriculture department, whose goal is to protect the US pork industry from the deadly disease.


The campaign will educate the nation’s commercial pork producers, large animal veterinarians, and pig owners about ASF, which has already caused the loss of half the world’s swine population.

Crosby will deploy an integrated national campaign to educate target audiences about the imminent danger of ASF, including strategic planning, creative development, media relations, social media outreach, partnerships, and digital communications. The campaign will communicate how to protect pigs, spot ASF symptoms, and report signs of the disease.

Crosby also will support a nationwide crisis communications effort by USDA if the virus is detected in the US.

The highly contagious disease has never been detected in the US but has recently been confirmed in countries as close as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. If discovered here, it could decimate the pork industry and farming communities, costing the industry as much as $8 billion in just one year.