Navigating the winding backroads of North Carolina with my friend and longtime pork producer Jan Archer, I was hit with an unmistakable wave of déjà vu.
My mind drifted back to my very first solo story trip as a college intern for the Angus Journal. I drove a tiny rental car through the hills of Bradfordsville, Ky., to interview Dennis and Emily Gibson.
Dennis had woken up one morning to his worst nightmare realized: He was completely blind.
As I sat at their kitchen table with my notebook in hand, I was in awe of their grace and strength. Emily had stepped up to become her husband’s eyes on the farm. I shed a few tears with them as they shared the hardest season of their lives.
That trip changed me forever. It taught me not only that I wanted to be a storyteller, but that holding someone’s story is a sacred trust.
When Grit Beats the Odds
Staring out the window in North Carolina, Jan pulled me back to the present with a candid observation about our own industry.
“The pork production business in North Carolina is a terrible business model,” Jan said. “We don’t have enough grain, we don’t have huge farms, and we don’t have big plots of land. We have one packer and are bordered by the ocean on one side.”
On paper, it’s completely illogical for North Carolina to rank No. 2 or No. 3 in U.S. pork production.
“The thing that made it happen was the people,” Jan explained. “People who were entrepreneurial, people who had vision, and people who were willing to work really hard. Against all odds, North Carolina is a pork powerhouse. The reason? The people.”
I couldn’t agree more. In agriculture, spreadsheets and market conditions only tell part of the story. The other part is defined by the grit, humor and relentless determination of the men and women who do the work.
There’s no question our industry faces steep headwinds in the year ahead. Our in-depth 2027 pork outlook coverage has not been sunshine and roses. But I believe there is reason for optimism—carried by people like Phillip Steber, who manages barns with patience, steady leadership and laughter.
The forecasts may look daunting, but as long as this industry is powered by people like Steber, I’ll bet on pork every single time.
