Modern Mythbuster: Eric Stonestreet Sets Out to Bust Pig Farming Myths
Who would you hire to tell pork’s story – a Kansas State farm boy who grew up raising and showing pigs or an Emmy-winning actor in Los Angeles?
Enter in Eric Stonestreet. He’s best known for his role as Cameron in Modern Family, but his childhood friends will always remember him as the pig farmer. For this beloved actor, raising and showing pigs in 4-H taught him at a young age there’s more to living than just taking care of yourself.
“Pig farming definitely shaped who I became as a person. No other friend of mine had chores to do before and after school. Nobody else was burning feed sacks on the weekend or fixing fence,” Stonestreet says. “As I grew up and gained perspective, I realized taking care of those animals and spending time on the farm with my dad were the things that helped me become the good man I hope I turned out to be.”
His farm was the popular place to hang out. Not only did the Stonestreets have a freezer full of pork, but everyone wanted to help with pig chores. During this time, he realized there was a bit of a disconnect among his friends about how that pork got in the freezer.
Eric Stonestreet showing one of his Duroc pigs at the county fair.
Fast forward to 2021. Stonestreet says that same disconnect holds true in his life today as an actor in Los Angeles.
“I think a portion of our society thinks pork chops come from the grocery store,” he says. “While some people generally understand the process, there are many who don’t realize what it takes to produce food.”
Stonestreet wants to help set the record straight. He’s taking on a new role in 2021 in a Pork Checkoff-funded effort to help bust modern pig farming myths.
Why Pig Farming?
After an 11-year season with Modern Family, Stonestreet is looking forward to taking on a few projects that simply bring him joy because of their missions.
“When this opportunity came along, it was too good to pass up given my interest and appreciation for pigs,” Stonestreet says. “I think it’s important to share how much pig farmers respect the animals they raise and at the same time recognize there’s a necessity to feed a growing world population. There’s nothing better to feed it with than pork.”
It doesn't take long to realize his light-hearted character and authenticity make him a perfect person to credibly bring farming to consumers, explains National Pork Board CEO Bill Even.
“We want to bring someone to the table who can help us tell our Real Pork story, someone with roots in agriculture and a connection with urban consumers,” Even says.
Stonestreet will bust six modern pig farming myths through a series of social media and digital campaigns, including the myth that pig farming is dirty.
“That is one of the things that drives me nuts,” Stonestreet says. “Pigs are so clean and smart. I want people to know the truth about raising pigs."
A Priority Shift
With fewer Americans involved in agriculture today, the National Pork Board is shifting its priorities from not only promoting pork but also telling the story of pork production.
“If we can enter into conversation with the consumer who loves our product, it allows us to then move into the second part of the conversation about how pigs are raised,” Even says. “We believe Eric can serve as a bridge to help demystify pork production.”
We will be uniting together June 7-13 for PORK Week across all of our Farm Journal platforms to elevate the important role the pork industry plays in feeding the world. Share your stories and post photos on social media using #PORKWeek21 to help us honor the pork industry. From “AgDay TV” to “AgriTalk” to “U.S. Farm Report” to PorkBusiness.com and everything in between, tune in and join us as we acknowledge the most noble profession there is: feeding people.
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