Nicollet County pork farmer, Judy Bode,
featured in Farmers Feed Us campaign
The Minnesota Pork Board is among nine Minnesota agricultural groups working together on a statewide campaign to further educate consumers on how farmers raise the crops and livestock that reach grocery store shelves and meat cases.
Consumers are encouraged to visit the website, www.FarmersFeedUS.org, to enter an online sweepstakes featuring two grand prizes of free groceries for a year, each valued at $5,000. Upon visiting the site consumers enter the sweepstakes by first meeting a Minnesota farmer who will describe his or her farming operation and who will guide visitors through the contest registration process.
The Minnesota Pork Board’s featured farmer at FarmersFeedUS.org is Nicollet County pork producer Judy Bode of Courtland. Also showcased are Minnesota beef, chicken, corn, dairy, egg, soybean and turkey farmers. Throughout the 90-day sweepstakes, Bode and the other farmers will be seen in television advertising, on Facebook and Twitter, at the Minnesota State Fair and other consumer events.
Bode, her husband Reuben, and their son and daughter-in-law, Ryan and Missy, have a farrow-to-wean hog farm that employs seven and provides weaned pigs for finishing to 12 other families, including their daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Dan Fischer, and son and daughter-in-law, Craig and Lora. The Bode’s three children are fourth generation hog farmers.
Bode’s responsibilities on the farm are primarily in the farrowing barns where she takes care of sows and newborn pigs. She also works in other segments of the hog operation and assists with crop production. She grew up on a dairy farm, became a beautician after high school and returned to farming after marriage.
“I never seem to tire of watching the miracle of pigs being born,” Bode said.
Bode believes it’s important for those who work in agriculture to educate consumers on where their food originates and how farmers care for their livestock, farmland and communities.
“I believe that we all need to work together to help feed this world,” she said. “I love what I do in my little corner of God’s country and I try to do my best every day. Taking pride in our farm is what gives me the greatest satisfaction."
Other featured farmers and participating commodity groups are: • Brian Asmus, egg farmer, Winthrop Broiler & Egg Association of Minnesota • Shannon Kuball, dairy farmer, Waterville Midwest Dairy Association • Kent Meschke,farmer, Little Falls Minnesota Turkey Research & Promotion Council • Brian Schafer, beef cattle farmer, Goodhue Minnesota Beef Council • Greg Schwarz, corn farmer, Le Sueur Minnesota Corn Research & Promotion Council • Charity Vold, dairy farmer, Glenwood Minnesota Farm Bureau • Matt Widboom, soybean farmer, Worthington Minnesota Soybean Research & Promotion Council • Bill Wuertz, chicken farmer, Paynesville Broiler & Egg Association of Minnesota • Minnesota Department of Agriculture, staff time.
Minnesota
pork producing families look forward to seeing you at the
Minnesota State Fair
Pork recipes, pork cooking tips
and giveaways will be handed out by Minnesota’s pork
producing families eager to meet Minnesota State Fair visitors,
Aug. 26 through Labor Day.
Several Minnesota hog farmers will share their first-hand
farm experiences and swine knowledge, plus provide pork
fans with kitchen-related giveaways, and protective lip
balm and sun screen at two State Fair sites – the
Oink Booth, located in the Swine Barn, and the Pork Promotion
Booth, found in the Dairy Building.
At the Oink Booth, visitors can view a sow and litter of
piglets, find out what pigs eat, and discover how quickly
piglets grow into 270-pound hogs. Also, stop by the Oink
Booth for the perennial fair favorite, pig ears, sponsored
by Cub Foods, and Minnesota Pork: Good For Us All lip balm
and sun screen.
At the consumer-oriented Pork Promotion Booth, visitors
will discover how they can eat lean and healthy for less
by picking up appetizing pork recipes and practical pork
cooking tips, and by taking home kitchen related giveaway
items.
On Sept. 1, the spotlight shines on the Minnesota hog farmers’
$6 billion economic generation during Oink Day at the Christensen
Farms Stage, located next to the CHS Miracle of Birth and
at the Farmers Feed Us exhibit in the Agriculture/Horticulture
Building.
At the stage, join Minnesota Pork Ambassadors, story tellers
and professional educators Susan Anderson and JoAnn Buggy,
and Farmer Nelson and Perfect the Piglet for special events
and family-friendly games such as Pigtionary, The Pig is
Right and Corn Hole Pork Trivia
At the Farmers Feed Us exhibit,
learn about swine care and hog production from pork producer
Judy Bode of Courtland. Bode is one of nine Minnesota farmers
featured in the Farmers Feed Us campaign, an online sweepstakes
that culminates in a drawing for two, $5,000 grocery prizes.
David Berning of St. Michael will serve as the new Minnesota Pork Ambassador. Judges selected Berning from a field of 15 county pork ambassadors last week during competition held in conjunction with the agricultural event, Farmfest. Berning, the son of Mark and Julie Berning, represented the Wright County Pork Producers Association.
Berning will be attending South Dakota State University, Brookings, where he will major in an agriculturally related field. As Minnesota Pork Ambassador, he will receive a $1,500 scholarship from the Minnesota Pork Board.
First runner-up was Mower County Pork Ambassador James Roe of LeRoy, the son of Rick and Jean Roe, and second runner-up was Fillmore County Pork Ambassador Aaron Gillespie of Fountain, the son of Jeff and Jackie Gillespie. Roe, a diversified agricultural major at South Central College, Mankato, will receive a $750 scholarship, and Gillespie, an agribusiness and agronomy student at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls, will receive a $500 scholarship.
Martin County Pork Ambassador Caleb Krusemark of Trimont, the son of Brad and Rochelle Krusemark, received $250 for his winning essay, Mater’s Scoop, Pitch and Plow to the Plate Award. Krusemark’s essay described how consumers and hog farmers benefit from pork promotional and educational work. The county pork ambassador candidates also recognized
Krusemark for his amiable, helpful and friendly personality.
Berning, Roe and Gillespie will represent the state’s 4,400 pork producing families at various functions throughout their term as pork ambassadors, including consumer and producer educational events, and promotional activities that encourage pork consumption and public understanding of swine production. They will also have opportunities to enhance their understanding of the U.S. pork industry and to expand their leadership and communication skills.
The Minnesota Pork Ambassador program, funded through the Pork Checkoff and sponsored by the Minnesota Pork Board, strives to develop young pork industry leaders.
County pork ambassadors who also took part in the competition
were:
Blue Earth County Pork Ambassador, Ryan Strobel, son of
Greg and Robin Strobel of Pemberton East Central Pork Ambassador
(Counties of Pine, Isanti and Kanabec), Kristi Stoltz, daughter
of Steven and Lynn Stoltz of Isanti Fillmore County Pork
Ambassador, Morgan Mensink, daughter of David and Tracie
Mensink of Preston Le Sueur County Pork Ambassador, Leah
Sample, daughter of Mark and Teresa Sample of Le Sueur
Martin County Pork Ambassadors, Nancy Faber and Mary Faber,
the daughters of David and Dana Faber of Sherburn Olmsted
County Pork Ambassador, Kevin Welter, son of Randy and Myrna
Welter of Stewartville Pipestone County Pork Ambassador,
Clayton Johnson, son of Curt and Diane Johnson of Jasper
Renville County Pork Ambassador, Anna Marxen, daughter of
Paul and Teresa Marxen of Bird Island Scott County Pork
Ambassador, Matthew Hanson, son of Allen and Theresa Hanson
of Jordan Watonwan County Pork Ambassador, Shelby Peterson,
daughter of Rakki and Diane Peterson of Butterfield.
