Retired agricultural economist Glenn Grimes, professor emeritus at the University of Missouri, and former Iowa state senator and master pork producer John Soorholtz of Iowa were inducted into the National Pork Producers Council Hall of Fame on March 6 at the National Pork Industry Forum in Kansas City, MO.
Grimes was honored for pioneering pork industry economic outlooks, the pork demand index and practical application of gilt data. Grimes consulted with NPPC for 20 years and worked at the University of Missouri for more than 58 years.
Soorholtz was an integral part of the “Moline 90” group which provided resources to hire the first full-time executive secretary for NPPC. Soorholtz was also involved in the “Nickels for Profit” program that predated the pork checkoff and was piloted in Iowa and Illinois, focusing on promoting pork while educating consumers. He served as president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association in the ‘70s and in 1983 was elected to the Iowa Senate.
“Glenn Grimes and John Soorholtz are two of the giants of the U.S. pork industry,” says NPPC President Sam Carney, a pork producer from Adair, IA. “Their contributions to the industry have been invaluable.”