There’s a lot more to pigs than bacon and chops

What do pepperoni, concrete, bullets and heart valves have in common? Thanks to the research of Christien Meindertsma and her published work called “Pig 05049” I learned they are all made out of your ordinary every day pig parts. In fact, she found 185 non-pork products that pigs are involved in. If you’re like me I had no idea there could be so many pig parts in so many things.

Now granted, working for the Iowa Farm Bureau and visiting with pork farmers across the state I knew there were many uses. I was always surprised to find that in the pizza realm alone pigs are responsible for pepperoni, sausage, and ham. But Meindertsma’s research goes far beyond pizza and other meat products and traces uses in items like ammunition. I mean really, bullets, I would’ve never guessed that.

I came across a presentation that Meindertsma gave to the website TED recently while I was surfing the internet. To me the presentation drove home the importance of pork farmers here in the state and the hard work they do to feed the world and provide for the world even when they face criticism.

For Meindertsma the importance of pigs to the Netherland’s economy made it a no brainer to track down all the different economical, health and social benefits pigs bring to us. To do that she tracked one pig as it was transferred from the farm to the packing plant and then to all of the products it helped make.

Here’s a small list of some of the other products pigs literally have a part in: sandpaper, paint brushes, paint, beer, collagen, fine bone china, cheese cake, train brakes, bread dough, soap and body lotion. Their parts are also used to make many of the low fat health products we eat on a daily basis.

Learning about this research and visiting with pork farmers across the state I can’t help but take great pride in Iowa’s standing as the country’s largest pork producing state. I’ve visited hog barns across the state and talked with farmers to gain an understanding for the passion that they have in raising these animals. Research like this shows me that the farmers caring for these animals and the products they become are much more important to Iowa’s economy and the national economy than I could ever imagine. The roads we drive on, the plastics we use every day and the ammunition we use to protect our borders and citizens are all made from the pigs that are being raised just outside of the towns we live in.

Meindertsma commented to people attending a TED talk in the United Kingdom that she too was surprised to find so many uses and she had two primary observations about her findings.

“First, It’s odd that we don’t treat these animals like absolute kings and queens and the second is that we don’t have a clue what all these products that surround us are made of,” Meindertsma said with a smile. She went on to say that it was important to know what the raw materials that surround us are made up of so we can take better care of the livestock, the crops and the people that produce the products.

You can watch the presentation about her findings here:

Written by Joe Murphy
Joe is a photographer and writer for Iowa Farm Bureau.

Colin Johnson: The Power of “Connecting”

A clean-cut, lean and studious-looking young man crossed the stage and scanned the crowd of hundreds of strangers and judges with clip boards. Unlike the others who smoothed their suits and ties with a familiar ease, Colin Johnson would feel better to be behind the wheel of a tractor. But, remembering his late father’s years of leadership, generations of sweat and dirt, and all the Iowa farmers who are rooting for one of their own, he muttered a little prayer to himself: “Let God’s grace give me the words and peace in the moment, to remember what’s important and be able to display that on stage.” He took a deep breath, smiled and leaned into the microphone.

Johnson came out on top in a tough field of professional talkers: lawyers, agribusiness leaders, grain marketers and others to win the coveted American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Discussion Meet prize. The AFBF Discussion Meet is not a debate on ag knowledge, as much as a showcase of a Farm Bureau member’s ability to hold and guide a conversation.

With anti-ag activist agendas and regulation measures bearing down on agriculture, it’s never been more important for farmers to be a part of a bigger conversation than the one going on every morning at the corner Cafe or local farmer’s hangout. This conversation is going on now, globally, online, through social media and national media outlets.

The 34-year-old Agency farmer’s style is a welcome one in any public venue; he works to understand the people in a conversation. He listens.

Colin’s wife, Dawn, believed from the very beginning that Colin could win this whole thing because she knows how engaging he can be, even in the face of adversity or opposition. His conversation-starting acumen is how they met.

Colin was having breakfast in Ames with friends, when he heard the conversation in the booth behind him turn to vegetarianism. Being the son of a third-generation Iowa hog farmer, he turned to share a different perspective. While he didn’t change the mind of the vegetarian, he did change the mind of Dawn, who was impressed enough with the young man that she changed her mind about ‘never marrying a farmer’.

Colin’s winning discussion points covered the critical need for all farmers, to reach out and connect with consumers. Many of his fellow Discussion Meet candidates kept saying “We need to EDUCATE consumers about farming.” Colin sees it another way: farmers need to be the ones to reach out and find common ground among those who share our values.

“We have family in common,” he says. “I think of them when I raise pigs and grow corn and soybeans because I know it matters how farmers grow crops and raise animals. We’re talking about food we put on the table for our family and yours; we’re talking about land we all share and the watershed we all share.” Johnson says it’s important to remember the big picture isn’t about profit; it’s about character.

Johnson has come full circle. “I’ve been a longtime supporter of Farm Bureau and have learned a lot from them, but one of the reasons I belong to Farm Bureau is the strong moral, Christian foundation of the organization; we’re serving a higher purpose by remembering we’re all in this together.”

The Discussion Meet winner gets a Dodge pickup truck. With a growing family and more sweat equity than capital, it’s a welcome prize. “I’ll work with my wife to make sure we get one that will best suit the needs of our growing family. The color? Let’s just say it’ll be the color of dirt; it’ll get used!”

What’s next for Colin Johnson? He doesn’t have a quick answer, other than to continue to keep sharing what it means to be a farmer today. Let’s all keep the conversation going…

Written by Laurie Johns
Laurie Johns is Public Relations Manager for the Iowa Farm Bureau.