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October 2006 Issue
Pork brain drain
by Rick Pfortmiller
I recently spoke to a group of high school students – freshmen to incoming seniors – regarding opportunities in animal agriculture and the swine industry. Before I started my presentation, I took a quick audience survey. While more than half had participated in swine projects during the last few years, less than 15 percent were from what I would classify as a swine-production farm. When I asked how many of them planned to return to that family operation, very few hands shot up.
It’s concerning that few youth want to return to the farm or are considering careers in swine production. The industry has shrunk from 700,000 farms producing hogs in 1980 to just 70,000 farms in 2005, so naturally, fewer kids are coming from hog farms. Why the lack of motivation to return to pork production? Well, I have some ideas.
First, whether we admit it or not, the swine industry has never had the best image in agriculture. Second, I think every parent wants a better life for their child than they had, and the swine industry has had its share of hard times. The message to go to school, get good grades, go to college and get a job somewhere other than the family hog farm has been effective! Yet, if you asked any farm parents if they would raise their kid in any other environment, most would decline.
Why am I drawing attention to this? Food, specifically pork, is why. We need people to raise hogs and produce pork. No matter how much technology we interject into the business, it is still going to require people to complete the production process. If we don’t produce pork here, it will be imported like many other consumer products. More specifically related to the purebred swine-breeding business, who is going to do the genetic improvement and breed preservation for future generations if young people are not encouraged to return to the swine-breeding farms?
How do we stop this “brain drain” from the swine business? First, I think it has to start with the parents. The business model used in the past may have been successful then, but in today’s more complex marketplace, that model may not work to bring back another partner or transition the business. It may require expansion or exploration of value-added opportunities, like a breed-specific program, a packer’s specification-driven market, or even marketing your own product that may build upon the skills of your new family partner or valued employees.
What if you don’t have a son or daughter willing or able to come back, but you want your farm to continue? There are several resources available that can help identify potential partners. A helpful Web site is www.agriculture.com, sponsored by Successful Farming magazine. This site has links to organizations that can help with farm transitions.
For youth that find the swine business exciting and challenging, but don’t have a farm to return to, the programs I mentioned may help. Maybe you just want to test-drive a swine career. Internships with breeders that could lead to future employment are an option. Breeders need to seriously put together more of these opportunities. Perhaps NSR needs to play a facilitator role.
The industry abounds with opportunities. I know of three openings in the management and sales area for purebred swine breeders and there could be more. The industry needs people with livestock skills, knowledge of swine production, and the willingness to learn and grow. And, the pay is excellent!
I am bullish on the future of the pork industry. Pork is the No. 1 meat protein consumed in the world. The United States will continue to be a leader in pork production (if we have the people to do it). Consumers are demanding more information and control over the food they eat. Sophisticated shoppers demand a different kind of production mind-set, and new production talent can help meet those expectations. Working together, the industry can reverse the trend of exporting our most talented young people to other industries, but instead entrust them to produce the next package of pork chops.
