An open book – that’s how Ohio Pork Council president Nathan Schroeder defines himself. The leader of one of the most active state pork organizations in the country, he believes strongly in the power of communication.
“They are getting a leader who likes to communicate,” says Schroeder, a 46-year-old pig farmer from Leipsic, Ohio. “I like to share what we are doing because I’m very proud of what we are doing. I think communication is important. Being able to share what you are doing in an open and honest fashion is key.”
He also says he’s willing to take some risks and is not scared to jump into something new with both feet – whether it works out or not. Schroeder says there are several initiatives in Ohio that have him feeling optimistic about the future.
“We started a young leadership program in Ohio. I’m very proud of that one,” he says. “I attended the national Pork Leadership Institute a few years back, and thought is a really good program. It opened my eyes to a lot of things and how things are done. We decided we wanted to do a similar program in our state.”
Getting new leaders started in the industry is very important to the Ohio Pork Council, Schroeder explains. His best advice? Show up and get involved.
“The young leaders we have are interested in being active in our industry,” he says. “They have ambition for it, want to see it grow and want to see it do good. We are really proud of the safe, quality pork we produce for our consumers. It’s neat to see the younger generations want to grow, do the right things and ultimately, do it better.”
Schroeder shares his perspective in a Q&A with Farm Journal’s PORK:
Q. Describe your hog operation.
A. My brother Kyle, my friend Luke, and I are contract growers. We have two finishing barns and a trucking company in Putnam County, Ohio.
Q. What industry challenge is forefront on your mind?
A. Trade. There are a lot of headlines about the tariffs being put into place and what’s going to happen.
Q. As a producer, what keeps you up at night?
A. Herd health is always on my mind. We try to be so cautious about what we track into our barns. Education is key and learning how to best implement biosecurity for your barns.
Q. If you had a few minutes to sit down with a fellow producer, how would you encourage them?
A. We’ve had some tight markets. We’ve seen things like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) come and come back again, so I appreciate the optimism of pork producers. I always like to talk to them about ways we can help tell consumers about what we do in the barns and help promote new ways to help sell our products. The more we tell our story and how we do things, the better we are viewed in everyone’s eyes. Any chance you get, tell what you do.
Q. Describe your family.
A. My wife Mariah and I have been married for 18 years. We have a daughter, Courtney, and a son, Evan. Courtney is in college in business marketing, working toward her certificate for her mortician’s license. Evan is a sophomore in high school and wants to come back to the farm.
Q. What do you like to do for fun?
A. Fishing. We have a little place on Lake Erie where I like to fish for perch.
Q. What’s one thing people may not know about you?
A. My deep faith. I was born and raised Catholic. Without the faith we have, I don’t know if we would be here today.
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