Food for thought: Telling pork’s story

Kevin.Schulz, senior content specialist

October 24, 2017

3 Min Read
Food for thought: Telling pork’s story
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One scan through a night of sitcoms on TV lends credence to the belief that there are no original thoughts anymore; everyone just makes adaptations of Shakespeare’s works. That may be true, but it’s also been said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery.

With that in mind, rather than me once again telling you how wonderful October is because it’s dedicated to the greatest animal protein known to man, I decided to tap into some more notable bloggers who do this throughout the entire year.

Lauren Schwab, Somerville, Ohio, hog farmer, uses her Farm Girl With Curls website and blog to share her stories of farming and country music.

This month she decided to go straight for the gut, as she shares recipes based on an experience she had on the Kentucky Bourbon Tour. “I think the more recipes we can promote the better when it comes to promoting pork,” Schwab wrote in an email. “Bourbon seems to be a trend now in cooking so I’d like to share something that may excite people to try pork in a different way.”

Mixed in with a little bourbon history, Schwab offers a double-shot of pork recipes — Crock Pot Apple Bourbon Smokies and Bone in Pork Roast with Jim Beam Apple Bourbon Glaze — that are sure to satisfy the discriminating tongue looking for a little adventure.

Larry Sailer advocates for agriculture from his Iowa Falls, Iowa, hog farm. He actually is just getting back into the blogging world, recommitting himself to his agriculture and swine industry advocacy.

He has established a website for his “Musings of a Pig Farmer” blog. He had been a guest blogger on a Latham Seeds site, but now he has created his own home where he will share “my own thoughts and ideas. I like to delve into how I farm, and why I do what I do. But I will also dive into controversial, political and social issues. Probably many other things that may interest me.”

His debut blog on his new site coincided with the World Food Prize activities taking place in Des Moines. Thus he discussed the Iowa Hunger Summit, which he attended.

Sailer has a lot of irons in the fire that kindle his advocacy nature. “As you can maybe tell, I’m excited about sharing the farm story. Everywhere I speak, I always talk pigs and bacon! It’s just what I do!” he says in a Facebook direct message.

Reader involvement is always tantalizing, and Wanda Patsche has made it her passion to engage readers. Patsche, from Welcome, Minn., advocates for agriculture and the swine industry through her Minnesota Farm Living blog website. As an indication of her hot-button topics, Patsche lists her “best blog posts” under the categories: GMOs, Animal Welfare/Pigs/Pork, Factory Farming, Government Overreach, Big Ag, Agvocacy and Family and/or Rural Life.

Even though she is busy with harvest, which she also blogs about, Patsche still promotes pork, especially through October. “I try to focus on pork during the month of October through my various social media platforms. Even though I don’t normally focus on food, I will share posts on cooking/grilling pork dish recipes during the month. Also, I will be posting pork-related memes and resharing pork-related blogs throughout the month. Lastly, later in the month, I will have a giveaway contest on my Facebook page where the winner will receive some Martin County Magic Seasoning,” she wrote in an email. (Martin County, Minn., Pork Producers sell [or give away] various sizes of Martin County Magic “Pork seasonings that bring out the best in pork chops and loins.”)

As National Hog Farmer Editor Cheryl Day implored, we need more people stepping up to tell pork’s story. We need to tell the pork industry story, not only in October but all year long. The consuming public wants to know where their food originates, and it is better if they hear directly from those who produce it.

About the Author

Kevin.Schulz

senior content specialist, National Hog Farmer

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