For Jesse Heimer, building for what’s next means preparing the farm, the pork industry and the next generation to move forward together.
Heimer is a third-generation pig farmer and a member of NPB’s Board of Directors. His family’s history in the industry stretches back to his grandfather’s purebred Hampshire operation, and his children now represent the fourth generation.
Building the Next Generation of the Pork Industry
Today, Heimer Hampshires is a 500-sow operation in northeast Missouri focused on raising competitive show pigs and producing Berkshire pork.
For Heimer, the farm’s impact extends beyond raising pigs. It helps young people find their place in agriculture.
“I’ve always passionately believed that the junior livestock program is the number one gateway to a career in agriculture,” Heimer said. “It was for me, and it was for a lot of the friends and colleagues I do business with today.”
Heimer and his team work alongside young exhibitors, teaching them how to feed pigs, protect their health and care for their well-being. He also wants them to understand what happens beyond the show ring.
“As an industry, we do an incredible job of teaching young people about pigs,” he said. “But I think we often fall short in teaching them about pork.”
Using Consumer Insights to Build Pork Demand
Heimer is also helping guide how the National Pork Board builds demand through the Taste What Pork Can Do® campaign. He sees the campaign as a foundational shift in how the industry connects with consumers.
Rather than relying on assumptions about what consumers want, the campaign uses data and business intelligence to better understand how people view pork, including the barriers that may keep them from choosing it more often. Those insights support the supply chain with product innovation, advertising and experiences that better fit consumers’ lives.
For Heimer, the first goal is making pork relevant to a new generation of consumers. If the industry can do that, he believes it will create a foundation for long-term demand.
Finding New Opportunity in Ground Pork
The pork industry often looks for the next big innovation to unlock growth. Heimer believes one of its strongest opportunities may already be familiar to consumers: ground pork.
Expanding the availability and visibility of ground pork could give consumers an approachable, versatile way to choose pork for more everyday meals.
“It’s hard for the average producer to believe that something simple could be so impactful,” said Heimer.
For Heimer, ground pork demonstrates that building demand does not always require inventing something entirely new. Sometimes, it means using consumer insights to recognize an overlooked opportunity and working across the supply chain to bring it to more shoppers.
Bringing More Perspectives to Pork Industry Leadership
That desire to connect different parts of the industry also shapes Heimer’s leadership on the board of directors. He wants to build greater awareness and understanding between the show pig and commercial sectors.
For Heimer, leadership doesn’t end in the show ring. He encourages producers interested in leadership to begin with their state pork association and consider programs such as the Pork Leadership Institute (PLI). His own experiences at the state level and in PLI helped him understand the industry’s national organizations and opened doors to new opportunities to serve.
“There’s no surplus of people willing to serve,” Heimer said. “Finding people who want to step up, step forward and lean into the conversation is going to be really important.”
Whether he is helping a young exhibitor understand the pork industry, bringing a new perspective into the boardroom or supporting smarter demand-building, Heimer’s focus remains the same: creating opportunities today that help pork producers succeed tomorrow.
