What Drives You Every Day in the Pork Industry?
It's not about the money. It’s not about the fame. And as the song by Adam Sanders continues, “And believe me, it ain’t ever been easy to play this game.”
Probably no truer words could be said about what it means to be in the pork industry. But there is no question that the people of the pork industry are more invested than ever in the purpose behind what they do. As the obstacles become more challenging, one thing is true. You’ve got to love it to stay in it.
We asked some of the members of the 2022 Pork Leadership Institute class why they do what they do. And some of their answers may surprise you.
“I really enjoy not only working with pigs, but also with people. In my position I have the opportunity to train and talk with employees, and at the same time I get the opportunity to work with pigs directly. I enjoy that opportunity to work with both sides.” - Alex Villalobos, The Maschhoffs senior production manager in Oklahoma
“I do what I do because of my clients. I have learned a lot from them and want to be the best resource possible for them because this is their livelihood. Anything that I can do to make that better, make their pigs healthier and help them make the highest quality product possible is why I do what I do.” - Lauren Nagel, DVM, AMVC in Indiana
“Being raised on a farm, I got to see a lot of different things growing up. Today I get to work on the farm with my family – my parents, my sister and my wife, who didn’t grow up on a farm. I’ve had vast opportunities to experience growth in the industry as I’ve seen in the last 30 years play out in my life at home. That family legacy drives me.” -Phil Hord, director of sow production/research and innovation at Hord Family Farms in Ohio
“I didn’t grow up in swine, but I grew up on a small hobby farm in a small rural community where many bigger families couldn’t afford to feed their kids. Part of my upbringing was giving back to the community the beef that we raised. I saw firsthand what it meant to be food insecure. That’s what drove me to go into agriculture. It’s such an exciting time to be a part of agriculture. Sustainability is a huge topic. There are a lot of things we are doing globally to sell our product and open up more export markets and show that pork is a valuable protein. To me, being able to be a part of that story and help communicate that story to a wider, diverse audience is what gets me up every day.” - Ali Kraber, director of public affairs at Iowa Select Farms in Iowa
“I am dedicated to caring for our pigs, ensuring they are healthy every single day. Our pigs are extremely important to myself and the company for which I work. It’s of our utmost interest to make sure our pigs are well taken care of the entirety of their lifetime, until we utilize them for a nutritious protein source to feed our neighbors.” - Jon Tangen, veterinarian with The Hanor Company in Oklahoma
“The reason I get up and do the job I do every day outside of a making a living for it is feeding the world. Someone has to be a farmer and feed everyone in the world. Nothing else functions without farming.”-Jarred Lorenz, general manager of H&H Farms in southwest Michigan
“Family legacy. I grew up working on the farm. I stepped away for a while and now am back in. I get the opportunity to help feed the pigs that feed the world and that’s a great job.”-Jill Brokaw, third-generation pig farmer at Biddle Farm Inc. in Illinois
“I love what I do because I love educating people. I see so much misinformation among the general public. That’s our opportunity as producers to speak out and advocate for our industry and try to clear up some of those misconceptions. What also drives me is our responsibility to our livestock. As farmers, I believe it’s our obligation to treat our animals with the highest level of care and welfare. Contrary to what some non-farming groups would have you believe, it’s never of benefit to the farmer to provide substandard care. ”
-Heidi Flory, a Pennsylvania pork producer and advocate for modern agriculture
Now it's your turn. Why do you do what you do in the pork industry? We’d love to hear from you at jshike@farmjournal.com.
For more information about PLI and to express interest in attending the program, contact your state pork association executive or NPPC’s Janine Van Vark, at vanvarkj@nppc.org.
Read about the 2021 class in this exclusive Farm Journal's PORK story:
How a Grocery Store and a Packing Plant Opened Two Pig Farmers’ Perspectives
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