It’s not every day you find a policy leader in the heart of the pork industry who got his start in the shadow of the nation’s capital. Harrison Furlow’s journey from the Washington D.C. metro area to the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) is a testament to what happens when curiosity meets a “Shark Tank” level of determination.
Growing up in an urban sprawl, Furlow’s path to livestock wasn’t traditional. To give their family a taste of rural life, his parents purchased a small acreage with a peculiar catch: the property came with five alpacas they were required to raise.
The alpacas didn’t scare him off. A few years later, he made a “Shark Tank-style” presentation to his parents to secure his first 4-H project animals: dairy goats. From there, he moved to cattle, and finally, to the species that would define his career: pigs.
“I owe my parents a great deal for getting me started and supporting me all the way through my early ag endeavors,” he says. “I attribute most of my stockmanship skills to the early mentoring I got from local farmers, 4-H leaders and producers who would adopt me on the evenings and weekends, taking me to bull sales, livestock shows and judging competitions.”
Growing up in the D.C. metro area, the local consumer asked for niche-marketed or outdoor-raised meat products, Furlow says. In addition to showing pigs, he also gained experience raising niche pork breeds such as mulefoot and guinea hogs.
Washington Roots, Iowa Boots
To truly understand the industry, Furlow knew he had to see it at scale. He moved to Iowa to study animal science at Iowa State University and eventually became the second participant in the Pork Industry Immersion Program. This program provides a three-part rotational program with experiences at the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and a state pork association.
His time with NPPC was particularly formative. Moving to D.C. just days after President Donald Trump’s second term inauguration, Furlow was tasked with tracking the impact of executive orders on the agricultural sector.
“This allowed me to sharpen what I’m passionate about — policy research and advocacy — but it also gave me the space to ‘nerd out’ and examine both the specific micro-level and macro-level broad impacts of President Trump’s use of executive authority and what it meant to producers.”
Just before he was to move on to the third phase of his program with Minnesota Pork Board, Furlow applied for and was named the public policy director at the Iowa Pork Producers Association.
The Most Credible Voice in the Room
Although he was looking forward to going to Minnesota to learn from its leaders, Furlow says this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up to pursue his passion for impacting policy in the pork industry.
The most powerful tool in his arsenal at the Iowa Pork Producers Association is the producer, he points out.
“Our country’s leaders want to speak with people who have credibility, and there’s no one more credible or passionate than a hog farmer,” he says. “I spend a lot of time calling and meeting with producers to get their expertise on issues, because at the end of the day, it’s not only their voice, but it’s their passion and expertise, that drives the successes we have as an industry.”
If he had one message for decision makers, it would be to ask a simple question: “Have you met a pork producer?”
Furlow believes that for policy to be effective, it must be understood at the “slat level,” where regulation meets the reality of daily farm life.
“People who work in policy should have an understanding of that which they advocate for or defend,” he adds.
Proactive Resilience
In an industry facing market disruptions, changing consumer trends and health challenges, Furlow’s focus is on “proactive resilience.”
“The two questions that keep me up at night are ‘How do we remain a resilient industry?’ and ‘How are we being proactive to sustain and pass on pork operations from one generation to the next?’” he says.
He admits he’s had some turbulence in life and the professional sphere where he’s had to recalibrate.
“Sometimes I’ve had to look at myself in the mirror and just grow up a little bit,” Furlow says. “But at the end of the day, the guiding light from a philosophical perspective that has gotten me through these things has been chasing my passions.”
He encourages others to let go of the stuff in life that brings them down or distracts them from their core interests.
“If you’re able to chase what you’re really passionate about, you’re never going to be alone and you’re never going to miss that North Star,” Furlow adds. “I’m grateful to the pork industry and the great group of people who’ve embraced me and given me the space to grow, develop and transition to this next chapter of my life.”
You can listen to more of Furlow’s story on The PORK Podcast on YouTube or follow The PORK Podcast anywhere podcasts are found.
