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Paul Willis, founder and manager of Niman Ranch Pork Company, is also the owner and operator of the Willis Free Range Pig Farm in Thornton, Iowa about 100 miles north of Des Moines. He still lives on the farm where he grew up. Paul earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Iowa.
Paul's passions have always included animals and taking care of the land. His passion led him to join the Peace Corp where he worked as the Young Farmers Club Organizer for the Nigerian Ministry of Agriculture. During his tenure, he grew the club's membership to over 10,000.
Willis has been raising pigs �the old fashioned way,� on open pasture and deeply bedded pens without the use of antibiotics or other artificial growth hormones since 1976. He sold his hogs in the conventional market, until he met Bill Niman in 1994.
Paul and Bill discovered their shared dedication to sustainable farming and strict animal husbandry standards, and the belief that the humane treatment of animals results in better tasting meat. Willis and Niman formed a partnership and in 1998 the Niman Ranch Pork Company was founded. A self-proclaimed �hog farming crusader,� Willis and more than 500 like-minded family farmers are proud to raise �free range pigs� for the Niman Ranch Pork Company.
Paul and his wife, Phyllis, along with their daughter, Sarah, raise mix heritage breed hogs including duroc, farmers� hybrid, chester white as well as berkshire, grown on non-GMO soybeans and corn for feed. They are active members of the local farm community and have worked closely with varous animal welfare and envrionmental groups as well as founding memebers of Food Democracy Now -a grassroots community dedicated to building a sustainable food system that protects our natural environment, sustains farmers and nourishes families.
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