Which stories caught the most attention in 2024? Here’s a look back at the top 10 stories on PorkBusiness.com in 2024.
1. Louisiana Kids Discover a New Path in Life Through Showpigs
To most, it looked like a bunch of run-down pig pens. But Nick Adams fell in love with the worn-out facilities at Franklin High School. Although he knew it was going to take a lot of work, all he could see was opportunity when he said yes to becoming the new FFA adviser in Franklin, La.
“When I came here, nothing was how it needed to be facility-wise,” Adams says. “We’ve made such a big transition over the years, in facilities alone, whether it was getting them cleaned up or getting new things built.”
Shortly after he started at Franklin, he invited some colleagues to visit. As they walked around and came upon the pig pens, he laughed and told them, “These things will never be full.”
Little did he know they’d soon be overflowing. Adams didn’t grow up showing livestock. He competed in FFA career and leadership development events. However, one of Adams’ good friends thought he should fill up those pens, so he donated three pigs to the program to get them started. Three pigs became seven. Seven became 18, and the rest is history. Read more.
2. Don’t Say the S-Word
I wanted to be defensive. I wanted people to understand why it’s important and why it matters. I wanted to find a way to explain “our side of the story.” Read more.
3. How an Iowa Family is Passing on the Farm from One Generation to the Next
Before he went to kindergarten, Joel Huber was already the topic of conversation among farmers in Wellman, Iowa. Read more.
4. Winter Storm Survival: A Nightmare for Livestock Producers in Western Illinois
Despite nearly 24 inches of snow, below-zero temperatures and raging winds that some people are affectionately calling “Death Storm #2,” Illinois livestock producers are finding ways to overcome the horrific conditions. Read more.
5. You Can Go Now
In the list of the hardest things you’ll do in life, sending your firstborn to college may be toward the top. Read more.
6. A Heart for Lexi: 4-Her Sells Market Lamb for Over $27,000 to Help Friend in Need
In December 2023, 11-year-old Lexi Anderson’s life turned upside down when doctors diagnosed her with restrictive cardiomyopathy and placed her on a heart transplant list. Read more.
7. 5 Options to Consider During Farmland Transitions
Transitions are hard. It doesn’t matter what the transition involves, the nature of moving from one thing to the next is complicated. Farmland may be one of the toughest, says Steve Bohr of Farm Financial Strategies in Lisbon, Iowa. Read more.
8. How a Group of Veterinarians Helped Save a Rural Iowa Community
Fifteen years ago, Audubon, Iowa, was the typical picture of rural decline. Disheveled downtown buildings and vacant storefronts signaled the death of small businesses and a sense of community. Then, a small group of people decided to change that. Read more.
9. Snout-to-Tail Strategy Sells More Pork in Chicago Grocery Chain
When you walk into a Tony’s Fresh Market store in the Chicagoland area, you’ll quickly discover it’s not a typical grocery store. To say they use everything except the oink might sound cliché, but at Tony’s, it’s true. Read more.
10. Barn Hero Summer Doty: Prioritizing Pig Care
Summer Doty hasn’t saved anyone from a burning building or led an army into battle. She hasn’t jumped into the path of an oncoming train. Still, the work she does at Islercrest Farms is proof not all heroes wear capes. Read more.
