Travel the country. Meet farmers from other states. Develop your leadership skills. If those sound like goals you want to accomplish in 2022, then the Iowa Pork Leadership Academy (IPLA) may be for you.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) is now accepting applications for its 2022 IPLA class. Applications are due Nov. 30, 2021. 

IPLA was created to support Iowa’s pork producers who are committed to the pork industry. It provides them with the tools to succeed as leaders. These tools include:

The academy will meet four times in 2022, starting with an introductory session in February 2022, which culminates with the group’s graduation at the January 2023 Iowa Pork Congress.

IPLA is for men and women who want to contribute to a better future for Iowa’s pig farmers by connecting with their communities, and for supporting the long-term profitability of the pork industry in Iowa.

The online application and details about the program can be found here.

The current IPLA class will graduate at the 2022 IPPA annual meeting awards lunch on Jan. 25, 2022. Those members are: Adams County – Amanda Winslow, Prescott; Allamakee County – Rose Onsgard, Dorchester; Calhoun County – Lance Heuser, Manson; Clayton County – Ben Wikner, Farmersburg; Delaware County – Ben McDonald, Hopkinton; Jackson County – Austin Lane, Prescott.

Kossuth County – Cory Thilges, Lone Rock; Linn County – Doug Rice, Mount Vernon; Lyon County – Janae Metzger, Larchwood; Polk County – Garrett Gourley, Des Moines; Story County – Jake Sterle, Ames; Washington County – Matt Romoser, Keota; and Winneshiek County, Jessica Lensing.

Sterle’s spot in the class is made possible by the Al Christian Fellowship for a student attending Iowa State University.