In late 2008, a group of New Seasons Market Meat Managers joined forces with one of our local pork producers for an old-fashioned barn raising.

"We got a bunch of volunteers from New Seasons Market to come out and help us put up a new kind of structure for raising our hogs in," said Pacific Village Pork Producer Greg Rieben.

Greg takes pride in his level of involvement with his animals. He knows everything about how his pork is produced, from the first days of the piglet to the final delivery to our stores. The new structure he built together with New Seasons Market volunteers allows his hogs the room to roam outdoors, breathe fresh air and soak up some sunshine.

"When the pigs are happy and they're raised comfortably and treated well and taken care of then you're going to end up with a better quality product," said New Seasons Market Meat and Seafood Merchandising Assistant Tana Hickey.

Our Cedar Hills Crossing Meat Manager Ken Martin said it helped him to see where the animals are coming from and the conditions in which they are raised. "It's a cool thing that New Seasons gets out here and works with the farmers and the ranchers," he said.

Greg is like many of our producers who come from families with long histories of ranching and farming in the Northwest. Greg’s great-grandfather started his farm in 1889, beginning with a dairy and switching to hog farming in the 1970s.

Today, Greg is member of the Oregon Pork Producers Association, which educates consumers about the industry and provides support for small pork farmers throughout the state. He is also a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau, the state’s largest agricultural organization

"We work with growers," said New Seasons Market Meat and Seafood Merchandiser Alan Hummel. "We transition them, working with them, educating them and teaming up with them to make the changes that will make them the leaders in the industry. This hoop structure is one example of us doing that."