Ryan Preister, Nebraska Pork Producers Association President Ryan Preister is available from sunup to sundown. And during those hours, Preister is surrounded by pork. As President of the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, or NPPA, and a fourth-generation farmer who manages 30,000 hogs on nearly 1,800 acres of family land, the father of three boys makes time to educate and promote the power of pork to anyone who will listen.
A former University of Nebraska football player for two years and working for Landscapes Unlimited building golf courses for more than a decade, Preister found himself chucking his Christmas tree in the dumpster on a holiday morning 12 years ago in Lincoln and moving back home to Humphrey to help run the family farm. He and his wife, Megan, did not want to deprive their boys, Nathan, 13, Jacob, 11, and Dylan, 8, of the life experience of growing up on a farm. Ryan Preister and family “Plus, we need more ribs on the barbecue,” he said, referencing his work to promote the importance of “pork in our lives.
” Promoting pork involves educating consumers on its healthy nutritional aspects, ensuring hog farmers are up to speed on sustainable and ethical farming standards, and teaching youth where their food comes from. The NPPA also works with the University of Nebraska and other third-party entities to develop programs that help producers use improved methods to protect animal well-being, food safety and the environment. “We’re a big network for all.
