AURELIA —A young farmer and pork producer from Aurelia is the Iowa Pork Producers Association's 2013 Pork All-American award winner.
IPPA presented Paul Pingel with the award at the Iowa Pork Congress in Des Moines.
To be eligible for the Pork All-American title, the producer must be under the age of 40 and a Master Pork Producer. Paul, his brother, Wayne, and father, Myron, were named Master Pork Producers by IPPA in 2009.
The Pingel family farm dates back to the 1870s and has depended on a combination of crops and livestock for growth. The swine production enterprise has gradually increased over the years and the family now has a thriving wean-to-finish business. Annual swine production capacity was increased last year to about 17,000 with the addition of a new 1,200-head nursery and two finishers.
Paul returned to the farming business after graduating from Iowa State University in 1998 and immediately assumed partial management and production responsibilities.
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In 2008, the family installed an automated and stationary feed mill that can produce 80 tons of swine feed daily. The feed mill is producing about 500 tons of feed weekly for the Pingels' swine herd and a neighboring hog farmer.
The 2013 Pork All-American and his wife, Karrie, find time to be involved in their children's activities and support their community. The couple has three children —Alexis, Lance and Kassidy — and Paul and Karrie help coach their local youth basketball and softball team and contribute their time and talents to their church and school. Paul also has been on the local school board, and the Pingels have helped with the Cherokee County Fair 4-H shows and have participated in Extension demonstration research projects involving odor control.
The IPPA Pork All-American award was established in 1970 to honor young producers who have established themselves as community leaders and successful and dedicated businesspersons. It's the highest honor an individual pork producer can receive from IPPA.
