When people across agriculture talk about Barb Determan, they don’t start by listing the legendary titles on her resume—even though those titles are historic. Instead, they tell you about how she makes them feel. She has a rare gift for identifying a spark in someone before they see it in themselves, quietly opening a door, stepping back and cheering them on while they find their voice.
Yet beneath that quiet demeanor is an iron-willed problem solver who has spent four decades steering the livestock industry through some of its most complex, high-stakes crises.
Through it all, Determan remains fiercely confident that the future of pork production is bright. Despite current health hurdles and tight margins, she believes the industry possesses an unmatched talent pool.
“The pork industry doesn’t sit around and let somebody else solve problems for us,” Determan says. “I think that’s one of the reasons I’m looking forward to being involved for years and years to come.”
She has never backed away from hard things. In fact, when her high school guidance counselor insisted women attending the University of Illinois had to major in home economics, Determan followed her instincts straight to the 4-H House. Surrounded by young women pursuing agricultural degrees, she promptly switched her major to ag.
Guided by mentors like Dr. Jim Evans, Determan discovered a passion for communications and sales. When an opportunity arose during her senior year, she packed her bags for Omaha, Neb., to join the American Shorthorn Association. From there, she worked for the American Hereford Association and Drovers Journal, expanding her perspective across livestock species.
In 1981, she met her husband, Steve, at the American Pork Congress. Six months later, they married and began building their future in northwest Iowa, raising crops, pigs and a family. When she took a sales role with the Upjohn Company, she was the only woman among 151 sales reps. Although corporate America wasn’t quite accustomed to that dynamic, Determan never saw herself as an anomaly.
“I grew up on a farm where everybody—women and men—were equal, and we all worked together,” Determan says.
The 1980s Farm Crisis & The 24-Hour Trial
After six months as a stay-at-home farm wife, Determan knew she had to get back to what she did best. In 1983, she launched her own animal health communications firm, Heartland Marketing Group.
It was the dawn of the 1980s Farm Crisis.
“It was a trying and challenging time,” Determan recalls. “But it also made me want to help companies that were helping farmers. It was a good push for me to get going.”
Raising her young sons, Andy and Dan, while building a business and keeping the farm afloat required relentless resilience.
“There was just so much going on that if I didn’t take a deep breath, none of it would have worked,” she says. “It became a mantra: ‘Okay, what can we do today? What’s going to solve this problem?’”
That mantra was tested to its limit on what Determan remembers as one of the most frightening days of her life: she was eight months pregnant with Dan, her toddler Andy was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, and the family’s agricultural lender closed its doors—all in the span of 24 hours.
“I brought Andy home from the doctor and was told we had 24 hours to see if we could get him to improve or they were going to admit him to the hospital,” she says. “All I could think was, ‘Man, if I can get through this.’”
The Determans’ faith got them through that terrible day.
“We turned to our faith a lot during that time,” she says. “It also made us stronger as a couple. We learned to bounce ideas off each other and that habit has stuck over the years.”
Surviving that trial forged a fundamental leadership principle: separate what you can control from what you cannot, and focus on today.
2001: Trial by Fire
Those hard-won lessons prepared Determan for 2001, when she was elected the second female president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC).
The organization was hit with four simultaneous crises that year: the contentious mandatory Checkoff separation agreement/lawsuit, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an unexpected CEO resignation, and a global animal health emergency.
With an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the UK, Determan and the NPPC board made the difficult decision to cancel the World Pork Expo, the organization’s primary fundraiser and marquee event, to protect the U.S. swine herd. She handled three straight days of worldwide press interviews following that announcement.
She credits her board of directors and state executives for standing firm together.
“Everybody brought their ideas to the group, and we worked toward a resolution,” she says. “We knew we couldn’t make everybody happy, but our mantra was always: Is this the best thing for the producers? Is this the best thing for our U.S. industry? We asked those questions constantly.”
The personal sacrifice was immense: Determan spent 285 nights on the road that year, relying on Steve to hold down the farm and family in Iowa.
“The hardest lesson was the time commitment,” she admits. “At that time, I don’t know that our industry fully realized what volunteer leaders and their families sacrificed. Learning that was tough, especially being a mom with three kids at home.”
Bridging the Boardroom with Slat-Level Wisdom
Determan broke barriers again in 2017 when she was elected president of the United States Animal Health Association (USAHA)—only the second non-veterinarian producer in the organization’s 130-plus-year history to hold the post.
“USAHA is where all of regulatory veterinarians of all species come together as well as industry and state animal health officials,” she says. “It is unlike any other organization I’ve been involved in, and I enjoy it personally because I learn so much.”
Navigating rooms full of regulatory officials, federal partners and state veterinarians only deepened her belief that complex problems require broad perspectives. But to Determan, the most critical voices aren’t always found in committee rooms.
“We have to listen to everybody at the slat level,” Determan emphasizes. “Whether we’re cleaning up diseases or tackling domestic pork demand, the person working in the barn sees things immediately. They have fabulous ideas. If we don’t listen to them, we miss the solution.”
Swine health leader Dr. Paul Sundberg notes that Determan’s true strength is facilitating that dialogue without ego.
“Barb doesn’t wear her knowledge on her sleeve,” Sundberg says, though he’s quick to point out she’s a pig farmer who knows her stuff. “Her greatest strength is her ability to provide input without being overbearing. She’ll sit, she’ll listen, and she’ll consider your point of view, and then she’ll speak. And then she’ll say, ‘Have you considered this, or have you considered that?’ And that makes everybody start thinking.”
From her perspective, that’s what leadership and making difficult decisions is about.
“Listening to all the experiences and ideas that people have just strengthens the final decision,” Determan adds. “Even if you don’t agree with that final decision, you know it’s gone through the right process, and it’s had the right people at the table.”
The Art of Leadership: “Leading From Behind”
NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys sees that same collaborative instinct in how Determan invests in people.
“Barb does an amazing job of identifying abilities in people, and sometimes without them even knowing it, she guides them into situations that help them grow into better leaders,” Humphreys says. “It’s not until later that you realize that Barb was empowering you.”
For Determan, investing in others isn’t a calculated leadership strategy—it’s simply where her heart is.
“The people part of our business is the best part,” Determan says. “I love being a pork producer and I love running my company, but the best part is absolutely the people. So many mentors invested in me early in my life, and having the opportunity to turn around and do that for the next generation is just a privilege. That’s what keeps you energized.”
Want to hear more of Barb Determan’s story?
Tune in to the latest episode of The PORK Podcast as host Jennifer Shike sits down with Barb Determan to discuss crisis management, slat-level problem solving and the art of leading from behind.
👉 Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or watch on Farm Journal’s YouTube channel.
