It is an interesting time to be president of a commodity organization, says Ben Slinger, a turkey and row crop farmer in Hamilton County who is wrapping up the first year of his two-year term as president of the Iowa Turkey Federation.

“As bad as things were in 2020, I think we’re just now seeing the real impact of the pandemic on our industry,” he said last week. “Looking at supply and demand concerns, transportation and worker shortages, we’re in for some trying times ahead.”

Slinger is part of a family farming operation, Circle Hill Farms, which also includes several of his wife’s relatives. They produce about 850,000 turkeys a year, all heavy toms, which are further processed by Iowa-based West Liberty Foods into various product offerings, including deli meat.

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