Katie Brown

Katie Brown is a 5th generation hog farmer, growing up on a sow farm but currently is a wean-to- finish contract grower in Christian County. Her parents and grandparents are all very active in the pork industry and that is where her love for the industry started. She is currently an Associate Director of Research and Development at the Maschhoffs. Katie has had the opportunity to travel the Midwest and work with producers on problems they face in everyday pork production. With this knowledge she is responsible for designing and implementing research projects that aid in solving those problems. Katie serves as the Treasurer of the Parents in Education Committee at her children’s school and takes an active role in her county’s Farm Bureau Young Leaders program. Katie and her husband Ethan have two sons, Andrew and Tyler.

Katie earned her bachelor’s and master's degrees in Animal Science from the University of Illinois.

 How do you believe the landscape of the industry has changed over the last five years? 

“Over the last five years we have seen drastic changes in the industry. From COVID to the struggle to find labor and bring people into the hog industry we have certainty seen some ups and downs. That being said what I have truly seen is how resilient hog farmers are. The landscape has shifted but we are adapting. We have found new avenues for labor; we figured out how to slow growth in pigs when supply chains shut down and came out once again caring for our pigs to the highest standard. Change has come in many different ways but the most exciting thing for me is the adaptation to technology. We have seen new controllers, applications that simplify sow farm data collection, and even camera systems that can count pigs on the run. I'm excited to see what the next 5 years hold!”

• 2009 IPPA State Ambassador
• IPPA Future Leader Program Member