Both Sides of the Fork

Welcome back (we’ve made some changes)!

First off, we (my father and I) would like to apologize for not writing a single blog post for the past 15 months. In our defense, the family has been going through some significant changes. In those 15 months the three boys – myself, Ryan, and Trent – graduated from college, high school, and grade school, respectively. Kate married Adam, became a Howerzyl, and moved to Orange City, Iowa. Ryan and Trent changed schools with Ryan attending Trinity Christian College and Trent starting at Pella Christian. Meanwhile, I graduated from Dordt, moved to Des Moines, and started my professional career as an intern at the National Pork Board in their domestic marketing department. So needless to say, change is in the air!

Now I should probably explain how this blog is changing. We stopped turning out the blog due to Dad’s busyness with the farm and me no longer working there. I am now living in in downtown Des Moines; working as the marketing coordinator for the National Pork Board. Instead of working for my father directly, I am now working for all of America’s pork producers. And that leads to some fun stories about what is happening on this side of the fork (hence the blog’s name change).

So that’s what has inspired this shift. I want to utilize this blog to bring pork production full circle. Moving forward, all of my blogs will have a focus on what is happening in the food service and retail industries relating to pork. For example, last week I had the opportunity to attend the National BBQ Association Conference and sample some excellent pork! Personally, I was already planning on exploring and experiencing all aspects of these industries. After some further thought, my father and I determined that it makes sense to showcase them here. 

But wait! Does this mean we will no longer be getting stories from the farm? Absolutely not! Over dinner this past weekend Dad and I agreed to do a bi-weekly writing schedule. So every other week one of us will be writing a post. Dad will capture the happenings of the farm while I will be doing my thing. Sound cool? I hope so!

Why are we doing this? In short, because we think that is important to see the bigger picture of pork. If you’re a producer, then it is good to see where your product is going. If you’re a consumer, then it is important to understand what the producer is doing to ensure a quality product. It is my hope that you agree and are eager to see where this goes. So take a seat and dig on in as we show you both sides of the fork!

Cory VG