Pork All American

The Pork All American Award was first given in 1969 by the National Pork Producers Council. Later the Iowa Pork Producers Association took responsibility for giving the award to a farmer, 40 years of age or younger, who had already received the Master Pork Producer designation, then had continued to demonstrate their leadership in the pork industry and their community. 

Meet the 2024 winner of the Pork All American Award below, or download the full list of past winners, where you can also link to videos of past winners.

 Steven Doeden - Cleghorn, Cherokee County

Steven Doeden grew up surrounded by pigs, but it wasn’t until the summer before sixth grade that he truly became passionate about them. At that time, his dad was managing a co-op, and a local farmer offered Steven a job. He started the next day, diving headfirst into a world of pig farming that included everything from breeding and selecting boars to grinding feed and loading out hogs.

Eventually, Steven transitioned to helping his dad, who had built several hog barns and begun pumping his own manure. The father-son team continues to work together, sharing employees but managing separate hog sites. Over the years, Steven has constructed multiple barns and currently serves as a contract grower with RC Family Farms. His sites are highly rated based on various performance metrics like mortality, feed conversion, and daily rate of gain. In 2022, Steven was recognized as a Master Pork Producer for his exceptional work in the industry.

Steven and his dad have significantly expanded their custom manure hauling business since Steven graduated from high school. They operate large tanks nearly nonstop during certain seasons, covering thousands of acres with manure. This extensive operation involves running two large tanks almost constantly from the time beans are harvested until the ground freezes, spreading tens of millions of gallons of manure over vast areas, primarily liquid hog manure and occasionally cattle manure. They also finish thousands of head of fat cattle each year, utilizing a minimum-till applicator with disk closers to ensure maximum coverage.

Beyond his farming endeavors, Steven is active in the Cherokee County Pork Producers and the Cherokee County Fair, often helping in the livestock area or during events like tractor pulls and rodeos. His commitment to his community is further exemplified by his more than eight years of service with the Meriden Community Fire & Rescue Department, where he served as a training officer for part of that time. Steven and his wife Rachel are parents to six children and are active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Cherokee.