Posted Nov. 12, 2014

The U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance today announced the winners of its second Faces of Farming and Ranching contest and one of the new faces is an Iowa hog farmer.

Erin Brenneman of Wellman in Washington County was one of five people selected after a nationwide search was concluded to help put real faces on agriculture for American consumers. The class will be active participants in the national dialogue about food production and set the record straight. These farmers and ranchers will share their personal stories and experiences through consumer-facing public appearances, events, media interviews and social media.

“I am excited to be a Face of Farming and Ranching because I know I will be able to help share agriculture’s story from a unique perspective of being a city-raised girl,” Brenneman said. “I feel that I am able to connect and see eye to eye with many consumers who may be confused about where their food comes from because I have lived on that side of the unknown.”

Brenneman Pork, Inc., is a family farrow-to-finish swine farm that has 20,000 sows over three sites – the main home in Southeast Iowa and two sow farms in Missouri. The operation was started by her husband’s parents, Rob and Char Brenneman, in 1981 with a few sows outside and today nearly all of their children and spouses work full time for the operation with nearly 700,000 pigs each year going to market. She and her family also farm 3,000 acres of corn and soybeans each year.

“I could not be more impressed with this year’s new Faces of Farming and Ranching,” said Nancy Kavazanjian, USFRA chairperson and a Wisconsin farmer director with the United Soybean Board. “The first Faces of Farming and Ranching had a positive impact on consumers across the country and we are sure this new class also will see success as they connect with consumers and share their stories about how food gets from their farm or ranch to our plates.”

Consumers, farmers and ranchers were asked to vote online for whom they believed best represented agriculture across the country. These votes were factored into the final decision to determine the Faces of Farming and Ranching. In addition to the public vote, a panel of judges interviewed and evaluated the finalists to help determine the new Faces of Farming and Ranching.