The Pig Farmers of Tomorrow award recognizes farm leaders, ages 18-29, who intend to make pig farming their life’s work and who are committed to raising pigs using the pork industry’s We Care ethical principles. National Pork Board announced that Kyle Coble from Minnesota, Logan Thornton from Idaho and Madison Schafer from Minnesota were given the inaugural award at the 2017 National Pork Industry in Atlanta.
“It is important for the Checkoff to recognize the future leaders of the pork industry,” said National Pork Board President Jan Archer, a pork producer from Goldsboro, North Carolina. “We are excited for these young farmers to share their unique stories with consumers.”
The winners will speak at Pork Checkoff events and provide content on #RealPigFarming, which is the pork industry’s social media program.
Coble is the senior manager of production strategies and a swine nutritionist with New Fashion Pork in Jackson, Minnesota. New Fashion Pork, a leading producer of high-quality pork, has farms in Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Wyoming and Wisconsin.
Schafer is the seventh-generation of her family to farm near Goodhue, Minnesota. The Schafers operate a 1,600-sow unit, a 600-sow unit and seven replacement gilt development barns.
Thornton runs Flying Pig Farm, a farrow-to-finish farm near Kuna, Idaho. Flying Pig Farm markets 3,000 pigs a year. The Thorntons have a farrowing and nursery barn, and use hoop barns to finish pigs and for sow gestation.