Farmville woman honored by pork council
NORTH CAROLINA - Miriam Lewis has never kissed a pig. But she loves them all. And that's saying something, considering the 46-year-old has 6,840 swine on her Pitt County ranch near Farmville.The North Carolina Pork Council honored Lewis as the 2006 Outstanding Pork Producer during Wednesday's North Carolina Pork Conference at the Greenville Convention Center. The award recognized Lewis' lifetime contribution to the pork industry.
Close to 1,000 pork industry representatives were expected to attend the two-day conference, Deborah Johnson, the Council's chief executive officer, said.
"Kiss a pig? Nooooo," Lewis said. "I might rub them a little when the 4-H kids come to visit, but I've never kissed one."
Lewis has operated the farm with her husband, J.R., since 1983, the year the couple married. Lewis oversees the hog operation on the 500-acre site that also produces cattle, tobacco, corn, soy beans, peanuts and hay. Lewis raises her pigs under contract with Premium Standard Farm in Clinton.
She'd spent Wednesday morning preparing 1,400 of her larger hogs for transport to another facility, then hoofed it to the convention center in time to give a luncheon speech and receive her award.
Source: Reflector
17 February 2006
2 minute read
