Built for What’s Next: Coleman Wagner Connects Farm, Community and Industry

Built for What's Next: Coleman Wagner Connects Farm, Community and Industry

On this page:

• Building a Competitive Pork Operation
• Leadership Begins by Saying Yes
• Collaboration Connects Pork with the Community
• Aligning State and National Efforts

According to Pennsylvania pork producer Coleman Wagner, building for what's next means strengthening every connection that helps the pork industry move forward, from the people working inside the barn to the consumers choosing what to put on their plates.

Wagner is the third generation of his family involved in pork production. His grandfather started White Oak Mills, a feed manufacturing company, in the 1970s and developed a pork production business alongside it. Wagner grew up loading pigs before school and working during summers before returning to the business full time after college in 2018.

Today, the family's pork production business, Ag Ventures, works with around 85 contract grower partners to finish pigs for local packers. Wagner partners with his father, brother and brother-in-law, taking on whatever role is needed to keep the operation moving forward.

Building a Competitive Pork Operation

Wagner knows the pork industry will always have challenges. For Ag Ventures, preparing for those challenges means becoming an expert at producing healthy, cost-effective pigs and raising and marketing them efficiently.

Remaining competitive also requires continued investment in the herd. Wagner said advances in genetics continue to improve productivity, making access to high-quality genetics increasingly important.

But the operation's success ultimately depends on the people doing the work each day.

"Investing back into your people, good management and a good team, you can't put a price tag on that," Wagner said.

That means finding the right team members, giving them opportunities to succeed and making sure the people side of the business receives the same attention as the production side. By investing in both its herd and its team, Wagner is preparing to remain competitive for the long haul.

Leadership Begins by Saying Yes

Wagner brings the same focus on people and progress to his role as president of the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council. He leads board meetings, participates in budgeting and planning, and makes himself available for events and opportunities to represent Pennsylvania producers.

His involvement began by being willing to say yes when opportunities arose, even when he did not have every answer.

"Don't let the fear of failure get in the way of putting yourself out there and giving your time," Wagner said. "You won't regret it at the end of the day."

Wagner's leadership experience also includes participating in the Pork Leadership Institute (PLI), which gives emerging pork leaders opportunities to learn about the industry beyond their own operations and build relationships with producers across the country. PLI is one way NPB invests in the next generation, helping producers develop the knowledge, perspective and confidence to lead at the state and national levels.

Wagner especially encourages younger producers to become involved. Their participation brings new energy to state organizations and gives them an opportunity to help shape the industry they will inherit.

For Wagner, volunteering is also a way to ensure producers help tell their own story and contribute to solutions.

"Be a part of the solution and let's try to move the needle forward in any little way we can together," he said.

Collaboration Connects Pork with the Community

One example of that impact came through Pennsylvania's first School Food Rocks program. The event brought school nutrition professionals together at a local high school to learn more about pork and its role in school meals.

Soon after the program, the local high school contacted the state association to ask how it could source local pork for its cafeteria.

While one school will not transform demand by itself, Wagner said the response demonstrated how education and personal connections can create meaningful opportunities.

"It was really cool to see that these efforts do make a difference," he said. "There is a desire out there for pork and for creating a closer connection to our food system."

Aligning State and National Efforts

Wagner believes collaboration between state pork associations and the National Pork Board helps producer dollars and industry resources go further.

National campaigns provide research, consumer insights and creative resources that would be difficult for individual states to develop independently. State associations can then apply those resources in ways that reflect their local audiences and markets.

"We know Pennsylvania better than anyone," Wagner said. "How can we take what the National Pork Board has created and stretch that dollar locally?"

That alignment is especially important as the industry works to build pork demand. Wagner believes producers must connect with consumers on a personal level, tell the story behind the product and help people see the value pork brings to their lives.

Whether he is improving production or representing producers, Wagner sees progress as the result of many people taking purposeful steps together. By investing in people, strengthening relationships and connecting national resources with local opportunities, he is helping build a stronger future for pork.