Bruce and Donna Amundson Larrabee, Cherokee County, IPPA District 1

The Amundsons have been in the pork production business for 30 years and manage an isowean-to-finish operation. The primary production operation is located on their home farm. They receive isowean pigs every eight weeks from a sow farm that they partially own. The pigs are nurseried and finished at the home operation. Feeder pigs also are purchased from another Iowa family and are finished by three local farm families. Bruce and Donna marketed 9,300 hogs on a grade and yield basis in 2005. The Amundsons are PQA- and TQA-certified. Their diversified operation also includes 450 acres of corn.

Bruce is a member and past president of the Cherokee County Pork Producers. He currently serves on the Cherokee Rural Water Board and is active in the Cherokee Soil Water Conservation District and several other organizations. Bruce also is a church elder. Donna is a 4-H club leader and will serve on the Extension Council this year. The Amundsons are members of the corn and soybean associations.

Bruce and Donna have raised three children.

Jim, Steve and Mike Bartling Ackley, Franklin County, IPPA District 3

The Bartling family raises hogs from farrow-to-finish. Jim and sons, Steve and Mike, are the sole owners and provide all of the labor. The operation produced 558 litters in 2005 with an average of 9.5 pigs weaned per litter. A total of 4,935 hogs were sent to market in 2005 on a grade and yield basis. The Bartlings are PQA-certified.

The facilities include a few hoop buildings, which are used for finishing market hogs. All of the feed is processed on the farm and the family applies manure with its own labor and equipment.

In addition to raising hogs, Jim, Steve and Mike farm 600 acres of corn and 200 acres of soybeans.

The Bartlings are members of the Franklin County Pork Producers and are active in their local church.

Kevin Decker Monticello, Jones County, IPPA District 4

A current member and past treasurer and president of the Jones County Pork Producers, Kevin has been raising hogs for 30 years. Up until mid-2006, he was a farrow-to-finish operator. Kevin produced 314 litters in 2005 and was producing more than 2,500 market hogs each year. Decker, who is PQA-certified, is now purchasing barrows at around 40 pounds from a Georgia seedstock firm for finishing and has converted his operation to a 650-head finishing system.

Decker farms 334 acres of corn and 117 acres of soybeans. He also has a 25-head cow-calf herd and maintains a 12-head ewe flock.

Despite the time demands of his farming and pork production enterprise, Kevin still finds time to be an elder at church, serve on the local high school booster club committee, coach girls' basketball and work as a volunteer for several Monticello Chamber of Commerce events.

Kevin and his wife, Karla, have three children: Jamie, 23; Emily, 21; and Kristan, 18.

Wendell and Helen Eley and Raymond and Tamara Eley Zearing, Story County, IPPA District 6

After receiving 15 gilts and two walk-in feeders as a wedding gift in 1954, Wendell and Helen have been producing pork for 52 years. From the modest beginning, the operation grew to the point the Eleys produced and sold 10,000 head of fat hogs a year. They used pasture farrowing in the summer and stall farrowing in the winter and at one time kept 95 stalls full. When hog prices dropped in the 90s, the Eleys reduced production and have never returned to the earlier levels.

The family farrow-to-finish operation is now run in conjunction with their son Raymond, who owns half of the hogs. Wendell and Helen still own the buildings. Of the pigs owned by Wendell and Helen, they farrowed 370 litters in 2005 and averaged seven to eight pigs weaned per litter. They sold 2,639 market hogs on a grade and yield basis, as well as direct to the packer, averaging a $3 bonus per hundred weight. The Eleys finished 2,289 feeder pigs in 2005. They retain all of their own replacement gilts and only buy boars.

The Eley farm also includes 480 acres of corn and 220 acres of soybeans.

These PQA-certified producers are members of the Story County Pork Producers and have worked at the Iowa Pork Tent. They're actively involved in their church and Wendell says he's done about everything except preach! Helen still works as a substitute teacher in the Colo-NESCO School District. Wendell is a member of the Iowa Co-op Board.

In addition to Raymond, Wendell and Helen also have four daughters, two of which are former pork queens.

James Hitchler LeMars, Plymouth County, IPPA District 1

The manager of a 1,250-head sow farrow-to-wean unit, Hitchler has worked in pork production for 22 years. The operation has four other employees.
In 2005, 2,867 litters were farrowed and an average of nine pigs were weaned per litter. Hogs are marketed directly to the packer.

James is a PQA-certified producer and has been a board member of the Plymouth County Pork Producers for 10 years. He has held the positions of grill chairman, membership chairman, treasurer, vice president and president.

Among his other activities, Hitchler has helped with grillings for his church and school, and helps with the school
scholarship program.

James' pork production career is supported by his wife, Kara.

Gary Meinders Buffalo Center, Kossuth County, IPPA District 2

This PQA-certified producer has raised hogs for 32 years and is the sole owner and operator of an all-in, all-out farrow-to-finish operation. He farrowed 100 litters in 2005 with 9.6 pigs weaned per litter on average. He sold 18 4-H pigs and 900 market hogs in 2005 on a grade and yield basis.

All sows are artificially bred to Yorkshire, Duroc or Hampshire boars. Meinders constructed a new farrowing house in 1997 after adding a finishing building in 1994.

In addition to the pork operation, Gary farms 700 acres of corn and 600 acres of soybeans.

Meinders is a member of the Kossuth County Pork Producers and helps weigh and paint pigs at the county fair.
He also serves on the church council and is a volunteer statistician for the local high school football team.

Gary and his wife, Sherill, have four children: Erin, 21; Scott, 20; Zach, 15 and Jake, 13.

Harlan and Janice Van Roekel Orange City, Sioux County, IPPA District 1

Pork producers for 36 years, the Van Roekels have an isowean-to-finish operation that sent 6,471 hogs to market in 2005. They market hogs on a grade and yield basis and also sell directly to the packer. The Van Roekels are PQA-certified.

Harlan and Janice started farming in 1970 and launched a farrow-to-finish operation with 20 sows they purchased. They gradually increased the sow herd to 250 before converting to the present operation in 1999. The Van Roekels have 1,200 nursery spaces and can finish 2,400 head at a time. They provide all of the labor and make all of the decisions for the operation.

The diversified farming operation also includes 120 acres of corn and 120 acres of soybeans.

Harlan and Janice are members of the Sioux County Pork Producers and are active in their local church by teaching Sunday School and Friendship Bible for many years.

The Van Roekels have three children.

Craig and Lynn Wright Brighton, Washington County, IPPA District 8

Craig and Lynn are PQA-certified producers who have been in the business for 26 years. They have three children and the entire family is involved in the 300-sow, farrow-to-finish operation. One employee also helps with the hog operation and other farm duties.

They have on-sight and off-sight finishing buildings and the nursery is all-in, all-out.

The Wrights farrowed 50 litters a month and they sold more than 4,000 hogs direct to the packer in 2005.

In addition to raising hogs, Craig and Lynn plant 300 acres of corn and 250 acres of soybeans each year.

The entire farm operation is in the 12,500-acre Lake Darling Watershed and the Wrights are committed to minimizing manure contamination. All manure is injected to eliminate runoff. Craig also is one of eight producer/partners in an environmental monitoring effort with IPPA, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the local conservation district on the Lake Darling Watershed. Through this project, Craig and other producers are providing valuable knowledge and experiences to improve statewide water quality efforts.

The Wrights are active members of the Washington County Pork Producers and Craig has served as vice president and secretary. They're also active in 4-H, church and school activities.

The Wright children are Amanda, 18; Macy, 15; and Brett, 11.