Adams family honored as Master Pork Producers

   The Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA) has announced Chad and Renee Adams as 2024 Master Pork Producer award-winners.

   The award-winners embody the diversity of Iowa’s pig farms and the dedicated individuals who support pork producers. Nominated by their peers and neighbors, these honorees reflect strength and collaboration within the pork industry.

   Chad and Renee Adams, along with their five children, are the proud operators of Adams Sandy Creek Farm in Monticello. As fourth-generation farmers, they have dedicated their lives to continuing the family legacy, working alongside their children – the fifth generation – to manage their operation.

   Chad has been farming full-time since 1998, with Renee joining him on the farm full-time in 2013. They oversee a wean-to-finish operation, owning multiple sites and renting a few, while custom feeders manage additional sites.

   Chad is responsible for the daily caretaking tasks, including chores, vaccinating, sorting, and selling pigs. He also markets their hogs and manages the feed mill they built in 2018, which supplies feed to all their sites. Renee handles the book work and assists with vaccinating, sorting and selling pigs.

   Believing in the importance of direct consumer connections, the Adams family sells its pigs to area families, having them processed at the Edgewood Locker throughout the year.

   Chad and Renee are actively involved in their community, reflecting the We Care principles both on their farm and beyond. They participate in the Jones County Farm Bureau, where Chad is a former president and current board member, and the Jones and Delaware County Pork Producers.

   They volunteer at events like the annual Jones County Ag Breakfast, the Great Jones County Fair, and the pork tent at the Iowa State Fair.

   They also engage in local grillings, parades, the Bacon Buddies Show, and the annual Porker Ride through the Jones County Pork Producers.

   Chad serves as a church council board memer, and Renee is a church youth group leader at Sts. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church west of Monticello.

   “The master pork award showcase the best of pork production – celebrating those who are driven by passion and committed to feeding the world a safe, high-quality protein,” said IPPA producer outreach director Brielle Smeby.

   “As the top pork-producing state, Iowa’s success comes from our hard-working producers who face challenges head-on and continue to set the bar for excellence in the industry.”