As a journalist, I find myself listening to a lot of speeches. And, to be honest, most of them are not very good. Either I have heard the speaker say the same thing a half dozen times before, or the speaker really has nothing interesting to say, or the speaker is such a poor communicator that I cannot tell what he/she is trying to say.

Every now and then, however, a speaker comes along that catches your attention; and, every once in a very long while, there is a speaker that really knocks your socks off. That was the case at the recent Ham Breakfast, sponsored by the Indiana Pork Producers, on opening day of the Indiana State Fair.

I have been attending the Ham Breakfast for over 20 years, so I was not expecting to be surprised. The governor spoke, the lt. governor spoke, the president of Purdue University spoke, the executive director of the Indiana Pork Producers spoke, and then Mike Lewis spoke. Lewis, the current president of the Pork Producers, began by apologizing for not being a good speaker. He admitted that he has been very uncomfortable giving speeches and participating in media interviews.

Even the person who introduced him said Lewis did not have a reputation for being a good communicator. Yet, what followed was some of the most effective communication I have ever heard from a farmer.

In a simple and humble style, Lewis described his pork operation and the passion he has for the industry. Not with polished eloquence or scientific research, but with real life experience born out of hard work and dedication, he told the story of his family and his farm. With simple understatement, he brought out concepts on which the politicians and potentates would later comment. In short, it was one of the best speeches on the pork industry I have ever heard. Let me share a few of his salient points.

He began by saying that CAFO (confined animal feeding operation) is not a four-letter word. He described how his hogs live just outside his back door. He explained that his family drinks from the same well that the hogs do. He described the care he takes in putting the nutrient output of his hogs back into the soil to grow more crops.

His personal testimony stands in stark contrast to those who charge that livestock operations are dirty, smelly and bad for the environment.

He explained how expansion of the pork industry in Indiana is needed. He said without expansion he would not have chosen to stay in farming full time. Mike represents the next generation of pork producers who want and need to operate in a growing and dynamic industry.

Without opportunity for growth, the Hoosier hog industry will disappear.

He concluded by saying, “Every pork chop tells a story; a story of a farm family experiencing good times and surviving bad times.” This is a powerful concept. If every consumer would stop and think about the farm family that produced the pork chop they were eating – a family that has struggled to survive financially during lean years and invested in their operation during good years – what a different outlook that consumer would have about the livestock industry.

I urge all farm families to take the example of Mike Lewis and develop your story in terms to which non farm folks can relate. Then, tell that story every chance you get.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments for Gary Truitt may write to him in care of this publication.