GREENVILLE, Ohio – The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and the National Pork Board (NPB) have kicked off the 2023 class of Pork Leadership Institute (PLI), a jointly funded and organized training curriculum designed to develop future leaders for the U.S pork industry.

The comprehensive, nine-month-long program consists of five learning sessions, running from February to November. Selected participants are educated on the legislative and regulatory processes, the importance of international trade, the roles of the national pork organizations and their state pork associations, and the issues facing producers. They also are trained to be spokespeople for the pork industry and grassroots activists able to disseminate pro-active, targeted messages about the industry.

The NPPC and the NPB staff work closely with state pork association executives and field representatives to identify key individuals across the country. Pork producers are nominated for PLI. Each year 15 to 20 producers are selected to participate in the program.

Aaron King is the lone Ohioan to participate in this year’s program. This year’s institute is made up of 19 individuals from 18 states. Along with swine, King raises corn and soybeans on his 250-acre farm in Greenville.

“I was first asked to be a part of the Ohio Pork Council board and then was encouraged to be part of the Pork Leadership Institute,” King said. “I’m still learning what it’s all about and I’ve discovered it’s a great way to get the message out about pork out to the people, to explain to them how we truly raise pork.”

The public’s perception of life on the farm, King said, isn’t an accurate one and he’s willing to be an ambassador for his industry and help get the facts straight.

“To me the biggest challenge is the small percentage of people who realize what it takes to put the food on the grocery shelf,” King said. “People don’t realize what it takes to make sure they have good, quality food on their table.”

While his dad was a dairy farmer, King and his three brothers took to raising hogs. In the 1990s, King and one brother operated a farrow-to-finish operation, before operating a wean-to-finish operation by 2015. Today, King is a director-at-large for the Ohio Pork Council.

“PLI is vital to the success of pork producers because it develops knowledgeable advocates for the pork industry and, most importantly, future industry leaders,” said NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys. “PLI graduates are able to tell the pork industry’s story from Main Street to the nation’s capital. It’s a great program that every pork producer should consider participating in.”

Other participants are Joe Grinstead (Lebanon, Ind.), Alvaro Franco (Audubon, Iowa), Ben Wikner (Farmersburg, Iowa), Mitch Witteveen (Hamilton, Mich.), Katie Brown (Morrisonville, Ill.), Dylan Carden (North Prince George, Va.), Chris Coner (Concord, N.C.), Andy Cook (Sleepy Eye, Minn.), Aubrey Doherty (Sheboygan Falls, Wis.),  Rogelio Mata (Corcoran, Calif.), Jason Moore (Suffolk, Va.), Shelby Padgett (Amarillo, Texas), Alina Porta (Mooreland, Okla.), Bill Prestage (Clinton, N.C.), Anthony Russo (Curryville, Mo.), Chad Stoterau (Sherman, S.D.) and Aimee Supp (Howells, Neb.).

Ten years ago, Courtney Knupp, of Iowa, traveled to Mexico as part of the PLI.

“PLI was great exposure to both the working of the Pork Checkoff and also the policy initiatives of MPPC,” Knupp said. “Getting to see and understand both organizations through different visits and meetings as well as our international experience have been foundational in my career journey.”

At that time, Knupp was working for Elanco as a senior marketing association for their swine business. Today, she serves as vice president of international market development for the National Pork Board. She credits where she is today to the exposure PLI provided about the workings of the pork industry, the importance of international marketing and market access.

For more information about PLI and to express interest in attending the program, contact your state pork association executive or NPPC’s Janine Van Vark at vanvarkj@nppc.org.