Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig presented the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to Ernie and Paula Barnes during a ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the 2026 Iowa State Fair. The award recognized the Barnes family for their commitment to livestock care, service to Iowa agriculture and decades of leadership supporting the pork industry and the Iowa State Fair.
Ernie and Paula, along with their son, Josh, and daughter, Courtney, own a diversified farm near Earlham that includes commercial pigs, a cow-calf herd and soybean production. Josh and his wife, Collin, have three children, while Courtney and her husband, Tyler Anderson, have four children, making Ernie and Paula proud grandparents of seven. They previously raised show pigs for about a decade. Through their livestock operation, careers and volunteer service, the Barnes family has spent decades supporting Iowa agriculture and helping develop future generations of livestock producers and agricultural leaders.
“Ernie and Paula are familiar faces to generations of Iowa State Fair exhibitors, livestock families and pork producers because they have spent a lifetime showing up and serving others,” said Secretary Naig. “Their impact on Iowa agriculture reaches well beyond their own farm. They have been champions for our pork industry, mentors to countless young people and tireless supporters of the Iowa State Fair and the people who make it special. It is especially meaningful to present them with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award here at the Iowa State Fair, a place where they have invested so much of their time, energy and leadership over the years.”
Ernie’s career in the pork industry spans more than five decades. He worked with organizations including the National Swine Registry, National Pork Producers Council and National Pork Board, where he most recently served as Director of Producer and State Engagement before retiring in 2023. During his career, Ernie helped develop the first World Pork Expo in 1988, initiated the Pork Alliance Program and created the Pork Action Group. He also worked extensively with grassroots producer organizations, encouraged producer involvement in the Pork Checkoff, supported educational programs and mentored livestock exhibitors and young agricultural leaders.
Ernie’s contributions to the pork and livestock industries have earned numerous honors. He received the National Association of Swine Records Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, was named an Iowa Pork Producers Association Honorary Master Pork Producer in 2012 and received the Iowa Purebred Swine Council’s Master Seedstock Producer Award. He was also recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus by Mississippi State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The Iowa State Fair has been an especially important part of Ernie and Paula’s service to agriculture. Ernie has served for more than two decades as the Iowa State Fair Swine Superintendent, helping generations of exhibitors showcase their livestock while connecting fairgoers with Iowa’s pork industry. He is also a longtime supporter of the Iowa Foundation for Agricultural Advancement and has served in numerous roles associated with the Sale of Champions.
Paula has also devoted decades to making the Iowa State Fair a welcoming experience for fairgoers. She has served as the Fair’s Information Volunteer Superintendent since 2004, coordinating hundreds of volunteers who assist visitors throughout the grounds. Together, Ernie and Paula have been involved with the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation since its early years, and their children grew up participating in and serving the Fair.
Ernie continues to serve Iowa agriculture as a member of the Iowa Pork Producers Association Board of Directors and Iowa Purebred Swine Council. In 2025, he was appointed to a three-year term on Mississippi State University’s Animal Science Advisory Committee. A 1974 animal science graduate of Mississippi State University, Ernie has also judged more than 100 livestock contests during his career, reflecting his longstanding commitment to agricultural education and developing young people.
The Barnes family’s entrepreneurial spirit also extends beyond livestock. In 2012, Ernie and Paula established Barnes’ Place on their farm near Earlham, transforming a portion of the property into an event venue that hosts approximately 40 weddings and other gatherings each year. The family business provides another way for the Barnes family to welcome people to their farm and rural community.
The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is made possible through a partnership between the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers, The Big Show on WHO Radio, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Now in its 22nd year, the award recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment and their livestock while also being good neighbors and community leaders.
