Hailed the “smartest man in the room” by many pork producers, Ron Plain has spent his career focused on his passion for education and his passion for the pork industry. On March 9, the National Pork Board recognized Plain, professor emeritus and extension economist in Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Missouri- Columbia, with its Distinguished Service Award at the 2023 Pork Forum.
Plain spent a semester in college as a nuclear engineering major, but changed trajectories when he realized the lack of available career opportunities. He changed majors and enrolled in agricultural education at the University of Missouri. After receiving his degree, he taught ag for three years before returning to the classroom as a student. He completed a Ph.D. in agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University and moved back to Missouri to join the University of Missouri faculty.
For the next 35 years, Plain gave more than 2,100 presentations to farm audiences across the country, living out the land-grant mission and helping producers understand the economic forces related to their pork production business.
He says his goal each time was to give producers a piece of advice or a bit of information that they could take home and use so they felt like it was time well spent. Colleagues praised his ability to communicate that knowledge so well.
Missouri Pork Association Executive Director Don Nikodim, who grew up with Plain and taught agricultural education with him, said Plain’s impact on the industry stems from his humility, genuineness and conviction.
“Ron was always smart,” Nikodim said. “He’s always willing to share his expertise and his knowledge base to help people be better at what they do. He helped people understand their pig farm is a business.”
Tim Safranski, a University of Missouri colleague, noted Plain’s breadth of knowledge and ability to communicate clearly is admired by colleagues and appreciated by producers.
“Ron was in his role to serve [and] I’ve found very few things that he has not thought about,” Safranski said.
Plain always manages to give credit back to the producers when they praise his contributions.
“They asked good questions,” he said. “The hog producers I got to talk to—they were good people doing important things.”
Editor’s Note: The Distinguished Service Award is selected by past presidents of the National Pork Board and recognizes individuals who have made invaluable contributions to the pork industry and have gone above and beyond what is expected of them.
