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Jen Sorenson new National Pork Producers Council president
 
By Doug Schmitz 
Iowa Correspondent

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Jen Sorenson’s journey to being elected the new president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) is the culmination of hard work, and dedication to telling the story of American agriculture, which first started on her family farm in rural southeast Iowa.
“I went to a tiny school (Marquette High School in West Point), and we were all small-town farm kids,” Sorenson said. She was raised on a pig farm in Donnellson, Iowa, in Lee County, where her parents, Marv and Sue Holtkamp, still farm today.
“I graduated with 26 in my class, and at least half of us established careers in agriculture,” she added. “We didn’t have FFA at our school, and I was never involved in showing pigs.
Her dad, Marv, is a contract grower for Tri-Oak Foods. He also raises corn and soybeans, “and is a big Farmall restoration enthusiast,” said Sorenson, who lives in Ankeny, Iowa, with her husband, Josh, and daughter, Anna.
She said there was a time in high school when she became interested in writing and journalism. “I think I dabbled in writing some school announcements and short stories for the local paper, if I recall,” said Sorenson, who double majored in journalism and animal science at Iowa State University (ISU). “I went to ISU for journalism, but after a year or two, I ran into an animal science professor (Dr. Doug Keneally) who encouraged me to also look into animal science.
“And thankfully I did because I really loved being a part of the College of Agriculture, and especially the animal science field. I took every swine course I could, and loved the passion of Dr. Mark Honeyman, and the swine team at the college.”
Throughout her career, she said, “all of the communication teams she has worked on have been small but mighty, so I appreciate the broad range of experience. Every single area has been applicable. I really enjoy taking on communication challenges when you think about our industry’s labor needs, and the role of recruitment marketing.
“At any given time, I’m working on numerous education and awareness campaigns around topics like biosecurity, animal well-being, farm security and the whole gamut of production goals across the company,” added Sorenson, who has been communications director at Iowa Select Farms in West Des Moines for nine years.
The company is the nation’s largest family-owned hog producer, marketing more than 5 million hogs per year.
Right now, she said, there is a lot going on at the NPPC.
“We’re at starting stages of executing our long-range strategic plan,” she said. “We’re facing a growing number of governmental and marketplace issues impacting pork producers. We need to increase our stakeholder engagement and build strong coalitions to address legislative, regulatory, judicial, trade and targeted business issues.”
Among the council’s top issues this year, she said, are growing trade, and expanding market access for U.S. pork in Vietnam.
“Vietnam, a major pork-consuming nation, needs affordable sources of pork as its domestic pork production industry struggles with African swine fever,” she said. “The United States is the world’s lowest-cost source of pork, exporting nearly $8 billion in 2020.
“Vietnam consumes more pork than Mexico, where the United States shipped $1.1 billion of pork in 2020. U.S. pork exports to Vietnam in 2020 were valued at $54 million,” she added.
She said U.S. frozen pork faces tariffs of 15 percent in Vietnam. “Tariffs on pork from Canada, Chile and other U.S. pork competitors is a 7.5 percent tariff, giving them significantly more favorable market access through participation in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership,” she said.
She added U.S. pork exports to Vietnam doubled during the six-month period in 2020 when tariffs were temporarily reduced.
When it comes to social media, she said some things haven’t changed from her earlier days.
“We authentically tell our story of what it takes to raise pigs, the values we live by, and the efforts we’re making to get better every day,” she said. “Now we have social media to use as a tool. It’s getting easier to get a message out, and reach both broader and targeted audiences, but it’s not without challenges.
“And overall, we continue to have fewer and fewer people tied to agriculture, our audiences have shifted to younger, urban consumers and new generations want different things.”
She added, “We’re challenged to listen intently, understand what people want to know about modern agriculture, and find that common ground. I’d say in my 20 years of serving as an ag communicator, I have found that whenever farmers tell their story, it’s a very positive thing; sometimes, it just takes a little courage.”
In her new role as NPPC president, Sorenson is among a strong line of female presidents.
“The National Pork Producers Council has had several amazing female presidents: Barb Determan, Jill Appell, Joy Phillippi and Donna Rifschneider, who was the first female president of (the council) in 1998,” she said.
“Women have always been involved in agriculture, and we need to encourage more young women to look at agriculture as a place where they can get a terrific career, and grow into leadership roles,” she said. “At Iowa Select Farms, I work with hundreds of rock star ladies. They are senior leaders, veterinarians, trainers, farm managers and animal caretakers.”
Neil Dierks, NPPC CEO, said Sorenson’s dual background in both farming and communications will be a significant asset to the U.S. pork industry as she begins her tenure as president. “With Jen’s experience, the National Pork Producers Council remains well positioned to advocate for the public policy interests of America’s pork producers.”
5/10/2021