Sharing the Love … on a farm in Iowa

Seeing is believing, the old saying goes. And that is certainly true when it comes to our mission at Applegate.

That’s why each year we recognize a handful of employees who have exemplified our mission with a trip to see how our work gets done. Our 2024 “Share the Love” awardees are: Tyler Dehl, Sales Strategy Manager for Justin’s and Michael Fedorak, Applegate’s Senior Consumer Relations Manager. Our destination: an Iowa supplier that raises sows and their piglets on pasture.

The trip was inspiring; well, except for the fact that there were looming tornadoes that day! We were given the grand tour by five of the brothers who run the farm, which has been in the family since 1970. Their system is very different than other big hog farms. Instead of large, indoor barns, the sows live with their litters in small wooden huts. The pigs can come and go as they please and it was so sweet to see the little piglets running around and playing.

This type of system, like every kind, has its own challenges, of course. For one, it’s freezing in Iowa in the winter, and pigs can get sunburned in the summer. (This is why pigs love mud!) But the farmers talked about the benefits they see of raising animals outdoors: (free) fertilization of the pasture, heartier immune systems and maybe even more street smarts!

As senior director of mission and partnerships, I found it so rewarding to bring Michael and Tyler to this farm. If you have ever emailed Applegate customer service, or texted our help line, you probably got a response back from Michael, or someone on his team. Michael is truly passionate about sharing the Applegate mission with our consumers-- and he’s sure to get people the answers they need, fast.

And Tyler? His day job has him pouring over spreadsheets. But at the farm, his inner kid shined through. It was hilarious to see Tyler run around the field with the piglets and sit in the “captain’s” chair of every tractor he saw.

It is the dedication of people like Michael and Tyler that bring the Applegate mission to life. I am so glad they were able to meet our farmers who make our mission real every day.

Here are more photos from our trip – including me throwing a pitch at the official Iowa Field of Dreams!

Tyler Dehl checking out  all the farm machinery!

Shelly Mikel, Applegate’s land and animal stewardship manager, left, and Matt Nelsen, senior manager of Applegate’s supply of raw pork and beef

Yes, the Field of Dreams is real: We made a pit stop here to stand on the real-life ball field from the movie! Sadly, there was no corn up yet, but we did get to play some catch and run some bases

One of my favorite photos from the trip: Michael’s inspiring tattoo