When you plant a tree, you plant a legacy. That’s also true at Golden Circle Pork, where Rod and Missy Bice maintain their family’s 100-year commitment to caring for the land.
“Golden Circle Pork is a name that helps remind us of the importance of keeping our farming operation sustainable,” says Missy Bice, who notes that the family’s farm near Woodward, Iowa, has been in the family for more than a century.
“We want to show people how we care for our animals and environment every day.”
The Bices have planted shrubs and evergreen trees to help control odor near their barns, where they raise 6,600 pigs each year. Another earth-friendly solution involves the manure from the farm, which helps fertilize the Bices’ 1,400 acres of corn and soybeans. With a special injector system, Rod puts the manure 8 to 10 inches deep into the soil, where plant roots will be able to take in the nutrients to help the crops produce more grain.
“Nutrients from our farm produce the corn that feed the pigs that provide food for people in our community and around the world,” says Missy, whose children (Jacoby, Savannah, Delaney and Brylee) help out on the farm.
The local town’s summer event, called Friends and Neighbors Day, offers a favorite way for the Bices to show their love of the land to the local community. They grill pork burgers that are enjoyed by those who attend.
“Producing pork isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life that’s been handed down to us,” Rod says. “It’s something we want to hand down to our children.”