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Mr. Van
Gilst is a Mahaska County pork producer and president of the Iowa
Pork Producers Association. Van Gilst was elected to the Association's
highest elected office by the board of directors this past November.
He assumed office during Iowa Pork Congress 2001. He previously served
as president-elect of the Association. Since 1995, Van Gilst has served
as District 15 director on the IPPA board of directors and served as
chair of the IPPA financial management committee. During 1998 and 1999,
he was a National Pork Board delegate and NPPC delegate. At the county
level, Van Gilst served as vice-resident and membership chairman. He
is a member of the Iowa Pork Council, a self-help group across Iowa.
Van Gilst is an owner and operator of V.G. Farms, Inc. a multi-generational family farm that includes his father, a brother, an uncle, and employees. Van Gilst's operation consists of a 1400 sow farrow-to-finish operation that markets 24,000 head annually. Row crops consist of 1400 acres divided equally between corn and soybeans. To address marketing concerns, Van Gilst and other family members created Vande Rose Farms, a value added initiative. He is a member of the Corn Growers and Soybean Associations, and of the Iowa Farm Bureau. |
