Farm Progress

Community outreach is one tenet of the We Care principles practiced by U.S. pork producers.

Kevin Schulz, Editor

February 28, 2018

2 Min Read
Pork Board members served breakfast at Hope Faith Ministries in Kansas City, Mo., before Pork Forum.National Pork Board

We Care principles established by the National Pork Board and the National Pork Producers Council in 2008 make clear the industry’s values in food safety, animal well-being, worker safety, community outreach and protection of both the environment and public health.

This is more than a nice-looking lapel pin, as pig farmers day-in and day-out practice the art of top-notched animal care and worker safety.

This Tuesday morning the NPB executive board enacted the community outreach component as they gathered for the annual Pork Industry Forum in Kansas City, Mo.

That morning, board members took time to give back to and provide for those less fortunate by serving breakfast to about 250 people at the Hope Faith Ministries in downtown Kansas City, a place where the homeless and low-income can be assured of getting a good meal. Serving breakfast is part of the Pork Checkoff’s #HamsAcrossAmerica program. Smithfield Foods donated bacon and pork sausage for the breakfast.

“It’s a real eye-opener,” says Heather Hill, NPB member from Greenfield, Ind., “seeing that there is such a need. … for some of these people this may be the only meal that they get for the day.”

Though the group was representing the NPB and the U.S. pork industry as a whole, their mission was not to sell the pork message. “We were just there to give these people a good meal,” she says.

Giving back is nothing new for Hill, as she and her husband have volunteered in the past with various outreach programs through the American Farm Bureau, helping in shelters and food pantries in Indianapolis, as well as her home area. Hill served as Indiana Pork Producers Association president for two years.

From volunteering at community events to providing pork to a local fundraiser, pig farmers define themselves as being good neighbors. #HamsAcrossAmerica is a program to share the stories of how pig farmers have paid it forward with product donations throughout the year.

“This reminds us how lucky we are and all that we take for granted,” Hill says.

About the Author(s)

Kevin Schulz

Editor, The Farmer

Kevin Schulz joined The Farmer as editor in January of 2023, after spending two years as senior staff writer for Dakota Farmer and Nebraska Farmer magazines. Prior to joining these two magazines, he spent six years in a similar capacity with National Hog Farmer. Prior to joining National Hog Farmer, Schulz spent a long career as the editor of The Land magazine, an agricultural-rural life publication based in Mankato, Minn.

During his tenure at The Land, the publication grew from covering 55 Minnesota counties to encompassing the entire state, as well as 30 counties in northern Iowa. Covering all facets of Minnesota and Iowa agriculture, Schulz was able to stay close to his roots as a southern Minnesota farm boy raised on a corn, soybean and hog finishing farm.

One particular area where he stayed close to his roots is working with the FFA organization.

Covering the FFA programs stayed near and dear to his heart, and he has been recognized for such coverage over the years. He has received the Minnesota FFA Communicator of the Year award, was honored with the Minnesota Honorary FFA Degree in 2014 and inducted into the Minnesota FFA Hall of Fame in 2018.

Schulz attended South Dakota State University, majoring in agricultural journalism. He was also a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and now belongs to its alumni organization.

His family continues to live on a southern Minnesota farm near where he grew up. He and his wife, Carol, have raised two daughters: Kristi, a 2014 University of Minnesota graduate who is married to Eric Van Otterloo and teaches at Mankato (Minn.) East High School, and Haley, a 2018 graduate of University of Wisconsin-River Falls. She is married to John Peake and teaches in Hayward, Wis. 

When not covering the agriculture industry on behalf of The Farmer's readers, Schulz enjoys spending time traveling with family, making it a quest to reach all 50 states — 47 so far — and three countries. He also enjoys reading, music, photography, playing basketball, and enjoying nature and campfires with friends and family.

[email protected]

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