From Humble Beginnings 

In 1989, Al Wulfekuhle started G&W Pork with just a single employee and a few thousand pigs. Today, the operation raises 50,000 pigs annually, in addition to 840 acres of soybeans and corn.

As his operation has grown, Al credits his employees who have been with him from the beginning. He hopes for his team to one day take over the operation and continue building his legacy.

“My vision with G&W is I help my employees, and someday they can buy it from me. I really believe they’ve earned the right to own G&W and take it on into the future,” he said.

Impact of Sustainable Practices 

Al started his journey in agriculture with sustainable farming practices. G&W was an early adopters of cover crops and using the manure from the pigs to grow corn.

Years ago, they made the decision to switch to strip till, a field tillage system that combines no-till and full tillage to produce row crops. This process allowed them to put the nutrients and nitrogen right underneath the strip where the corn is planted, so it utilizes all the nutrients fed into the soil.

Today, G&W is a carbon neutral hog operation.

“It’s a challenge doing all this, but then we’re trying to make the land better than when we bought it,” Al said.

Though they have seen great impact from practicing sustainable farming at their operation, Al and his team are no strangers to the difficulties that come with farming.

“We have to deal with Mother Nature all the time,” he said. “We have to worry about getting enough rainfall, the heat, the cold, we have to worry about pig health and diseases, the challenges are never ending.”

Through good times and bad, Farm Credit Services of America has worked with G&W Pork to sustain their operation and grow it into what it is today.

“Farm Credit’s been amazing when I’ve needed lending to buy a piece of farm ground, or if I found a hog building to buy, or if I thought it was time in the industry that it would be good to expand,” Al said.