Iowa’s pork producers and the 2017 Iowa Pork Youth Leadership Team contestants will be out in force on Jan. 25 distributing discount "Dine on Us" coupons in downtown Des Moines.

The special promotion was started in 2015 during the Iowa Pork Congress and works to involve Des Moines-area restaurants that normally serve pork entrees or that are willing to put pork on the menu for the promotion.

Consumers will receive $5 "Dine on Us" discount coupons and can use them to reduce the cost of a pork meal at any of the participating restaurants into February.

The promotion, which replaced the winter pork picnic, was created to entice people to enjoy a pork meal as well as to put a face on pork production.

There’s no cost to restaurants to participate. IPPA only requests that the restaurants feature pork and showcase pork and the pork industry with promotion signage and table tents. The IPPA reimburses the restaurants for all redeemed coupons.

Eighteen restaurants participated in 2015 and more than 800 coupons were redeemed. Similar restaurant participation and coupon redemption were reported in 2016.