There's still no confirmed case of swine flu in South Dakota, but even if the virus never enters the state, some are concerned it will take a toll on the economy.

American farmers cash-in on exporting pork products to the tune of $5 billion each year.  But as other portions of the world start to worry about swine flu, some are imposing restrictions on pork and that could come back to bite local producers in the pocket book.

South Dakota pork producers rely heavily on exports. In fact, it accounts for up to 18 percent of their market. But with worldwide swine flu worries, the price of pork is plummeting and some countries are placing restrictions on North American pork.

"Things are dropping, again on the scare of the exports. Russia is kind of a tough customer. They're always looking for a way out of export markets and so on," Steve Rommereim said.

Rommereim is a pork producer with 5,000 hogs at his Alcester farm. He's concerned people might miss the point that you can't catch swine flu from meat and cut pork from their diets.

"Enjoy pork. It's what I make my living off from and there is no threat at this point in time from a meat product that comes from pork," said Rommereim.

Rommereim adds that pork producers are working harder than ever to ensure the food they produce is safe. But even something like this, which has nothing to do with food, can be catastrophic to the industry.

"And honestly, I think the only way you could contract it is if somebody with swine flu sneezed on your pork chop," Rommereim said. 

This does serve as a reminder on how to cook pork products. It's recommended to heat pork to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees. That will kill any bacteria present, but again, the swine flu cannot be passed through meat.