Pass the Pork Tour Recap: From Farm to Plate

You may have noticed that a few weeks ago I went on another pork tour. This time it was with the National Pork Board in Minnesota. I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to learn more about the local farmers in my area!

Thanks to the National Pork Board, the National Pork Producers Council, & the Minnesota Pork Board for hosting the Pass the Pork Tour and for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own!

The trip was filled with lots of food, information, and conversation. There is so much involved in the process of getting healthy, safe meat to your table, and the farmers I met on this trip were open and transparent about how they go about raising pigs so that we can be confident in the food we are feeding our families.

A majority of our time was spent with Steve and Mary Langhorst of Wakefield Pork Incorporated. They opened their barns to us to let us see everything that goes into raising pigs. No door was closed to our prying eyes. Before even entering the barn, we learned how seriously they take the health of their pigs. From birth to market, a lot of different steps need to be taken in order to ensure a pig’s health. Due to biosecurity issues, we had to shower and change into new clothes so we could see the pigs. This keeps any diseases outside from being carried in and making the pigs sick.

The pig barns are also kept clean, and they are temperature controlled to give the pigs the best possible environment for them to be healthy and comfortable (alarms even sound when the temperature gets too hot or too cold).

Since we had so many opportunities to talk with the farmers directly, it didn’t take long to see how passionate they were about their farms and pigs. They talked openly about issues regarding the safety of their pigs, their health practices, their feed, the environment in which they’re raised, and overall how much they care about doing what’s right for their pigs.

Another aspect of the pork industry that they touched on is that each farm is a mini farming eco-system. Farmers raise crops and feed their pigs, the pigs produce waste that turns into fertilizer, the fertilizer goes on the crops, and the crops feed the pigs. They are both sustainable and efficient!

Our trip was capped off with a fabrication demonstration at Kitchen in the Market. After the demonstration, we got to cook with the different cuts of meat. The result was lots of great food for lunch!

After already having been on a pork tour and talking with those farmers about their passion for their work, it was great to see that the passion seemed to be shared with the farmers in Minnesota. Farmers genuinely want to do what is right for their families, their animals, and the environment, and they work seven days a week to make sure they are doing just that!

If you have questions of your own, don’t be afraid to ask farmers in your area! Or, contact the National Pork Board. There are people there who will be more than happy to answer all of your questions!