As an Iowa pork producer, Trish Cook is quick to realize she is fortunate to have many opportunities to talk with her peers at events and meetings nearby. But for Cook, the current president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, one of the reasons she looks forward to attending the National Pork Industry Forum each year is to grow her circle even wider.
“What’s great about Forum is we have pork producers from across the country all here in one place,” Cook says. “Although our farms don’t look exactly the same, we have a lot of the same common interests.”
She believes it’s critically important that everyone from across the country has input into what the national organizations do with producer dollars. It gives producers the opportunity to visit directly with organization leaders to share their thoughts and concerns to make the industry better.
“It’s really easy to want to stay amongst the people that you know at these events, and coming from Iowa, we have the most delegates here so almost everywhere you turn, there’s somebody from my state. But it’s really awesome to get other perspectives.”
She says networking has helped her better understand the different parts of the industry that she may not be involved in, or methods of production that her farm doesn’t do.
During the 2023 National Pork Industry Forum in Orlando, Cook met a couple from the state of Maine and says it was a highlight of her week to visit with them about their farming operation.
“I enjoyed getting to chat about what their farm is like and how they’re facing challenges every day with different rules and regulations in their state than what we deal with in Iowa,” she says. “They’re finding agritourism to be really popular in their area. They’re not unique in doing that in their state, but it was so exciting for me to talk with them and hear the passion.”
Now she’s following them on Facebook and says she looks forward to growing their friendship.
The National Pork Industry Forum is just one way that producers can grow their network and get more engaged in the industry. Cook says the key is to find ways to get involved.
“We don’t all do things in exactly the same way, but we all have the same passion,” Cook says. “We’re all following the We Care principles and we all really love what we do, or we wouldn’t be doing it.”
Upcoming events you may want to attend:
Plan Now to Celebrate a Milestone Anniversary at 2023 World Pork Expo
Save the Date for Iowa Swine Day
