Putting a face to our ag products

Giving back to a community is very important for a number of different reasons. One of the great things about agriculture is the people in it are some of the best you will find anywhere, not only from a kind, ethical, and moral perspective but also very generous with their time and effort, which Kevin Rasmussen says is important. The past Iowa Pork Producers Association President says when volunteering it’s also a chance to visit with the customers of our end products and supporters of our operations which means it’s a chance to talk about farming with consumers.

“Talk to people that are once removed from the farm, and they have ideas and perceptions of what it used to be like,” Rasmussen said. “And they really like to touch base with a producer to understand what new and modern pork production sounds like and looks like.”

He says it’s very important to be that link to modern agriculture – in his case pork production, where real pork, the industry’s trust, and image brand, represents real farmers.

“It’s about putting the real face, about putting real people with a real product,” Rasmussen said. “They need to understand this is not a corporate world that’s raising these pigs. It takes people. It takes human bodies to take care of live animals. You can’t do it with machines. You have to give the personal touch, and it’s fun to tell our stories.”

He adds every farmer has a volunteer opportunity and is encouraged to connect with their local, state, or national organizations to identify how their leadership and volunteerism can make a difference in their communities and the industry. Plus giving back can be very rewarding, and many organizations greatly need help.