Niman Ranch, a leader in sustainable agriculture and humane livestock practices, today celebrated the 20^th Annual Hog Farmer Appreciation Dinner in Des Moines by pledging to double their network and add more than 750 independent family farmers and ranchers in the next ten years. The company committed to supporting 1500 sustainable family farms in the next decade. The announcement will be followed by a recruitment effort to add additional farmers.

 “It took us 20 years to get here and now we’ll double it in ten. We have the opportunity to break away from being captive to the commodity markets,” said Jeff Tripician, general manager, Niman Ranch. “We’ve always said, ‘One farmer at a time’ and that is and was a victory for every rural community. Now we’ll do more. The market is ready and there are farmers out there that are ready for the stability that a premium meat company like Niman Ranch can provide.”