PORKtober is Here: It's Time to Share Your Story

Pumpkin spice, bonfires, chili, fall foliage and Pork Month. Who's excited for the best time of the year? PORKtober is here!

There’s no doubt that October is the perfect month to celebrate our favorite food – pork. But do you know how it first started? Years ago, October marked the time of year when hogs were traditionally marketed. Today, it serves as an opportunity to celebrate and show pork producers how much we appreciate the important role they play in feeding the world.

It’s also a great time to promote pork and the plethora of nutritional qualities, including amino acids, vitamins and protein, that pork offers. Decades of progress have resulted in the United States producing a safer, leaner and more nutritious product than ever before.

In addition to our practices becoming more efficient over the years, the expectations of consumers have increased, too. Pork producers are being called to demonstrate responsible business practices in a wide variety of areas from animal well being to sustainable stewardship.

Here at Farm Journal’s PORK, watch for #PORKtober in the PORK Daily e-newsletter, on social media and in the October issue of the magazine. Join us as we celebrate pork and thank pork producers for their hard work. Stay tuned for some exciting news, too!

Here are four ways you can join in on the fun on social media this month.

1. Share your story.

Face-to-face conversations will always be one of the greatest ways to share your story. But if that isn’t possible, consider how social media can help play a role. Use #PORKtober and have fun celebrating pork month with photos of pigs in your barn or showing how you use animal husbandry skills to care for your animals.

2. Use facts to enhance the conversation.

When people learn the facts about pork production, they become more confident that pork producers are committed to doing the right thing. Sprinkle in facts about 20% of the time about the how and the what of what you do.

3. Let them know you care.

People want to know that you care about things that they also care about. It’s OK to talk about how you do your job, but always base the conversation around the “why.” Confidence – values and ethics one holds and that can be shared with others – is three to five times more important than competence, facts or science alone when it comes to growing trust.

4. Get social.

If you haven’t joined us on social media, tune into Farm Journal’s PORK on Facebook and Twitter for our #PORKtober posts. Then, go share these bits of inspiration and fun with your friends.