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Final four compete to be named America’s Pig Farmer of the Year

The National Pork Board has announced the final four contestants vying to be named America’s Pig Farmer of the Year.

The program awards one farmer each year who excels at raising pigs following the We Care ethical principles and who shares their farming story with the public.

The finalists are Thomas Titus of Elkhart, Illinois; Josh Linde of Manilla, Iowa; Doug Dawson of Delaware, Ohio; and Chris Hoffmann of McAlisterville, Pennsylvania.

Titus has a farrow-to-finish farm where animal care is his number one priority. Their multi-generation farm is run by immediate family and a few employees. They also raise a variety of other livestock, grain and their kids on their farm in Elkhart, Illinois.

Linde owns and operates his own farm in Manilla, Iowa, which markets 9,600 pigs annually. He also works full time for The Maschhoffs. Linde focuses on food safety and raising animals in a stress-free environment.

Dawson has been a full-time pig farmer since 1980 and has a farrow-to-finish operation that markets 44,000 pigs per year. His family farm, which was established in 1939, also produces grain and hay in Delaware, Ohio.

Hoffman focuses on animal well-being on his farrow-to-finish farm in McAlisterville, Pennsylvania. He has worked his way up to owner of the farm which sells 34,000 pigs each year. He also raises more than 235,000 broilers a year.

The finalists have produced videos on their farms and will be interviewed by a panel of judges in Chicago later this month. The public can also vote for their favorite finalist at www.americanpigfarmer.com. The winner will be chosen based on the judges’ scores and the online voting results.