BONUS EP: The Humane Side of Pork Production: From Farm to Fork with Indiana Farmers

Have you ever wondered what single animal would be your desert island food choice for survival? For our host, Chef Antonio, it's the pig—hands down. The remarkable versatility of pork and its countless preparation methods make it the ultimate survival protein, and this episode dives deep into why.

We're joined by the President of the Indiana Pork Producers, who offers a fascinating glimpse into modern pig farming. With 3,000 family farms across Indiana, the state plays a significant role in America's pork industry, even sending one in every four US-raised pigs to international markets. These global exports often face stricter standards than domestic sales, pushing farmers to maintain exceptional quality and sustainability practices.

The conversation dispels common misconceptions about industrial farming by highlighting the meticulous care given to pigs throughout their development. From employing specialized nutritionists who formulate 8-10 different feed rations for various growth stages to the "We Care" principle guiding humane treatment, today's pig farmers are combining traditional agricultural values with modern science. Tharp's own farm employs half a dozen people dedicated solely to animal care, underscoring that their livelihood depends directly on the quality of their stewardship.

What truly sets pork apart is its culinary versatility. Whether it's luxurious smoked pork belly, mouthwatering bacon, or tender pork butt, the possibilities seem endless. We explore how the World Food Championships showcased chefs transforming simple cuts into extraordinary dishes, proving that "a pork belly is not a pork belly everywhere—it's all in how it's prepared." This creative partnership between farmers who raise quality pork and chefs who prepare it creates a virtuous cycle of innovation and appreciation.

Ready to embrace the "pork life"? Listen now for a deeper connection to what's on your plate and the dedicated farmers bringing it from farm to fork.

Chefs...what is YOUR favorite meat? 

Learn more about Indiana's Farms and Production here: https://www.indianapork.org/

Thank you to the World Food Championships for connecting us!

Welcome to the show! Burnt Hands Perspective

Chapters

• 0:48 Desert Island Food Choice: Pork
• 1:39 Meeting Nick Tharp, Indiana Pork Leader
• 2:54 Humane Farming and Global Standards
• 4:46 Nutrition and Care for Pigs
• 5:50 The Versatility of Pork Preparation
• 7:17 Connecting Farmers and Chefs
• 8:13 Closing Thoughts on Pork Life

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:24

All right, listen here, kristen. This is a question was asked to me one time and it's so important because somebody asked me a question as a chef. I got rapid-fired with questions one time in an interview. Okay, so before we even introduce you, I want to tell the story of why you're here. Okay, I was rapid-fired one time as a chef saying if you could have one animal and you were on a desert island and you could only have one animal to cook and survive on the rest of your life, what would it be?

Speaker 1: 0:51

And I listen to people talk and a lot of people are saying the chicken, I got it. The beef, okay, yeah, you could Me instantly, without question a pig, hog pig, however you want to call it pork, and they're like, really, I'm like do you know what you can do with pork, how many ways you can make pork delicious and live off of it, right. So with us today is Nick. Take the mic my friend Nick.

Speaker 2: 1:14

come on, tell us what you're here. Yeah, my name is Nick Tharp and I'm president of the Indiana Pork Producers and serve the various pork farmers or pig farmers here in the state of Indiana.

Speaker 1: 1:25

And Indiana is a big state Farming. And Indiana is a big state Farming and you're one of what 3,000 certified registered farmers. Is that what you call?

Speaker 2: 1:32

it. Yeah, yeah. So one of the 3,000 family pig farmers here in the state of Indiana.

Speaker 1: 1:39

So you're not only. Your push for Indiana farming is to be able to bring the product all over the country or outside of that right? Yes, in our area. I'm very close and I work tight with the Smithfield Virginia. We're in Virginia Beach, so I'm sure you would call it a competitor, right? So I am involved with that, so I understand how much importance there is to the farming of it all. So what is it you guys are trying to do as a mission when it comes to bringing the product to people's table? What is that?

Speaker 2: 2:10

Yeah, so our goal is to provide a very safe product that, um, it's wholesome for people to consume, whether it be here in the state of indiana, uh, in the united states or across the world. Right now, one of every four pigs that produced here in the us is actually, uh, consumed in another country. Um, so, you know, not only are we you know farming in our own background want to make sure that we're being good stewards of god's resources, but also we're feeding a world that's hungry for pork and and.

Speaker 1: 2:39

With that being said, if you're going, let's be honest, I'll be honest. So the American standard of what they allow to happen isn't as good as some other countries. So if you guys are producing in these other countries, who have a higher standard of what they're importing and what they're serving their people, then you're done. You guys are focusing on a sustainable product in a state of sustainable animal that's going to be healthy and brought up right and humanely. That that's the biggest thing that really worries a lot of people, I think when they're going, switching over to being vegan or switching over to vegetarian stuff, a lot of it has to do with the humane raising and things like that. Does indiana farming find that to be a thing?

Speaker 2: 3:17

yeah, so as so as we look at it, you know, not only here in the state of Indiana and really across all the US, there's a commitment to the weep care principle. So we care for the animals, we care for the people that help us, because at our farm it's more than just my family that can care for our pigs.

Speaker 1: 3:37

How many people typically employed, or how many does it take to operate a common farm?

Speaker 2: 3:43

It really depends on the size and scale. How about yours? On ours, we have a group of a half a dozen people that help us each and every day, and it's you know we have several pigs, but it comes down that we're providing care for each and every pig there every day, and our livelihood depends on their good caretaking, and we want to provide the best environment that we can to give them the opportunity to do what they do.

Speaker 1: 4:09

So you're looking at their food, what they're being fed, all that stuff comes down to the waters they're drinking. Everything comes down to that, right, it all comes down to the final product. Really, the final product is the meat on the plate. Yeah, the meat on the plate.

Speaker 2: 4:20

that, right, it all comes down to the final product, really, the final product is the meat on the plate, yeah, the meat on the plate, that you know, whether that meat's served at my table each night or my neighbor's or someone across the world, that it matters. And you know you talked about the pig's nutrition. You know how often do you go see a nutritionist or have a nutritionist put specializes in pig nutrition, really, and in that as that pig develops, from when it's first born to when it reaches market weight, it may be fed eight, nine, ten different feed rations that meet its biological needs. During that time.

Speaker 1: 4:54

So I'm assuming safe to say your favorite animal to eat is big or do you have a preference?

Speaker 2: 5:00

oh you, know I got it. I'm a meat eater, um, no doubt. But you know, uh, what's near and dear to our family's heart, and our table is um pork, because we depend on uh, you know them to make our livelihood and they depend on us each day to provide the care that they need.

Speaker 1: 5:18

Preparing it. What's your favorite way? How does Indiana or how do you prepare pork? What's?

Speaker 2: 5:24

your style. Oh man, you can't beat. Pork off the smoker.

Speaker 1: 5:28

Everybody says that Is it the butt you like?

Speaker 2: 5:31

No, smoked pork, belly Pork, butt, there you go. I mean, everybody loves bacon, why not we're?

Speaker 1: 5:37

classing it up here. I love a good smoked pork belly. I know your time is limited here, but I just wanted to. We just want to talk about this and is there anything you want to say? In representing or or saying what you want to say here? What would you, what would your final words be if you had to?

Speaker 2: 5:51

say, uh, here at the world food championships and just watching the creativity of the chefs and what they can do with, you know, a simple cut of meat, and and a pork belly is not a pork belly everywhere, it's all in how it's prepared, and pork is such a versatile protein, and being able to see just why each one of these individuals are able to do with that protein to make a unique dish, that is just amazing. It's been very cool to see and, uh, you know, great uh for those that you know take in this competition to look and see, you know, what ways they can go home and prepare pork for their family and their table, uh, in a unique way. Um, that can really make it more than just eating been an experience sure so.

Speaker 1: 6:33

So when I go, lastly, here, when I I'm envisioning here that you're getting inspired, so when I need inspiration in Smithfield, we can go, I can go talk to the farmers, we can go to the farmers of vegetables and we can go get all this things that are that are indigenous to our area, and we get inspired to cook the product. So, as a farmer, though, when you come to something like this, you go home thinking, okay, these chefs, serious, they know what they're doing, they're really taking pride in what they're doing, and it must influence you a little bit to go deeper in what you're doing. Right, to give a better product?

Speaker 2: 7:03

I would, I would hope right, yeah, and just looking at the opportunity to bridge that gap of you know. Pairing with these chefs and really understanding you know what attributes of the pork you know that they desire to get the outcome that they want in that dish and that eating experience for their customers is very interesting and you know any way that we can increase the popularity of pork on people's dinner plates is pretty awesome, sure.

Speaker 1: 7:29

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here, chris. Do you have anything you want to ask the team?

Speaker 2: 7:32

I don't know, it's great to have you here and we got to have one of the winners of the bacon competition. It was on the show already so we've got to see some of those products.

Speaker 1: 7:40

You can't win with bad bacon.

Speaker 2: 7:41

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 7:43

Gotta love it. One of my favorite foods Awesome. Well, thank you so much for being here, man.

Speaker 2: 7:47

Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 1: 7:48

Thanks for having me here with us. So thanks again. Pork life, rolling pork life. Pork life, pork it up. All right, ciao for now. Thanks.