Growing up in California’s Central Valley and without an agriculture background, Hugo Rodriguez was hesitant to join the Reedley FFA Chapter and become involved in the agriculture industry. After receiving encouragement from his high school’s FFA advisors, Ronald Sa and Carlos A. López, however, he decided to show a Duroc barrow at the local fair during his junior year.
“I was nervous and excited,” Rodriguez says. “I’d never raised a pig in my life. I didn’t know what was going on, but I was ready to take on the challenge.”
After this experience, Rodriguez mentored fellow students and decided on his next chapter: enrolling at California State University, Fresno and majoring in animal science. Toward the beginning of his freshman year, Rodriguez started working at the campus swine unit as an intern, where he was later promoted to the role of senior student manager.
“We helped support FFA chapters with show pig projects,” Rodriguez says. “We also sold and marketed hogs to local stockyards and meat lockers.”
During his summers, Rodriguez expanded his skills by interning at a Smithfield Foods hog production unit in Utah and working at a Seaboard Foods processing plant in Oklahoma. He also competed as a member of the California State University, Fresno livestock judging team.
Hard Work Pays Off
These experiences proved worthwhile. After graduating college in 2020, Rodriguez began a full-time job with Sierra Nevada Farms, a fifth-generation pig farm in California. A year later, opportunity knocked again, and Rodriguez joined the staff at Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, located in northern Missouri. During his three years with the company, he’s held multiple positions and overseen multiple stages of production to ensure high-quality animal care.
“In my current role as assistant hog procurement manager, my team and I ensure we have enough hogs in our facility to produce the end products you see in grocery stores,” he says.
As an FFA Alumnus, Rodriguez encourages members looking to jump-start their careers to ask questions, find ways to get involved and say “yes” to new opportunities.
“Always keep an open mind and be curious about the endless opportunities the agriculture industry has to offer,” he adds. “Never be afraid to get in there and get dirty because you never know where it may take you.”
