Tri-State Neighbor: South Dakota Farm Newspaper

Pork producers, Curt and Diane Johnson and their sons, Clayton, 15, Donavon, 11, and Carlton, 15, believe in promoting their industry. The family, who farms near Jasper, Minn., participates in the Pipestone County Pork Producers grilling group that prepares pork for more than 15 events each year. Tri-State Neighbor photo by Lura Roti

Pork producers, Curt and Diane Johnson, realize the best way to the consumers' heart is through their stomach.

As members of the Pipestone County Pork Producers Curt, Diane and their three sons - Clayton, 15, Carlton, 15, and Donavon, 11, are actively involved in a grilling program that tempts consumers' taste buds while providing them with valuable information on the pork industry.

“It gives us the opportunity to promote our product and get out, meet people and educate the consumer on what we do for a living - how we raise our pigs and our manure management and environmental practices,” said Curt Johnson, he and Diane have a wean-to-finish hog farm near Jasper, Minn.

Their grilling group of about 10 pork producers and their families, grills up various pork recipes at more than 15 county and state events each year.

Events like the Pipestone County Fair, Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited banquets, customer appreciation lunches and tailgate parties at Vikings and Gopher football games, give these pork producers the opportunity to educate consumers on “the other white meat.”

“It is important to get different recipes out to the public,” Diane said. “The product has changed a lot over the years. It is less fatty - the way Grandma used to cook it isn't the way it should be cooked now because it is so lean.”

The group normally gets the pork donated and is paid to grill it up. They use the money they earn to support local 4-H and FFA groups and purchase giveaways.

A couple of farm kids, Curt and Diane both grew up on diversified Minnesota farms. Curt says growing up he was always most interested in raising pigs.

After graduating from Minnesota West in the mid-80s Curt started a 200-sow farrow-to-finish operation with Diane's dad, Gerrit Kuipers.

“I took an interest in swine production and after college the opportunities to be involved in the swine industry kept coming,” said Curt.

In 1994, he and Diane had the opportunity to purchase an operation near Jasper, Minn. At about the same time, they bought shares in Pipestone Systems, a farrowing barn, and became a wean-to-finish operation. Today they sell about 20,000 pigs a year.

“It is less labor-intensive,” said Diane, who worked in accounting for 15 years and now does the bookkeeping for their operation. “You still own shares in the sows, but you are not doing the intensive labor.”

The couple has one full-time and one part-time employee. During the summer their boys help out.

“They help out on the farm when they are not busy,” Diane said. “We try to explain the business aspects of everything that we do so they know where their food and paychecks come from.”

The same year that they bought their wean-to-finish operation, the Johnsons joined the Pipestone County Pork Producers.

“We wanted to make sure that we were doing the right things and getting the right information,” Diane said.

Curt adds that working together with other producers at events is a good opportunity for producers to share information.

“You can learn from each other - different ideas on management practices,” he said. “That is what we talk about when we are grilling.”

The couple served on the Pipestone County Pork Producer board for six years and currently serves on the Minnesota State Pork Board.

Like most pork producers, the Johnsons say that increased feed costs and lower market prices are two of many challenges that they face.

“The market has changed now so it's lower, not keeping up with the corn and soybean meal,” Curt said. “We need export demand to pick up.”

They feel their efforts as a family through the grilling program and other educational Pork Producers events help improve the public's perception of their industry - hopefully increasing consumer demand for pork.

Diane says that promoting the pork industry is also a good experience for their sons.

“It is good for them to talk to the public and give them information. They are less shy, at a J&L Harley event they walked around handing out samples.

“It's good for the public to realize that this is a family operation,” Diane said.

“Public perception is not always positive. If you hear anything negative it's often about the great big factory farms - that is not the majority of our operations. They are mostly family-owned and operated.”

The Johnsons were the Pipestone County Farm Family of the Year in 2005. View their favorite grilling recipes at www.tristateneighbor.com.