Posted on August 22, 2024 at 5:00 PM by Emily Saveraid
Larry McMullen’s interest in agriculture began at an early age. He grew up raising Berkshire hogs on the family farm. He received his B.S. in agricultural education and an M.S. in swine nutrition and then served as a vocational agriculture instructor in Illinois while concurrently crop farming. Throughout his 20-year tenure with ISU Extension and Outreach, he served as the O’Brien County Extension education director and the Jones County swine field specialist for nine counties in eastern Iowa until his retirement in 2010. Larry worked alongside the 4-H community, helping with county and state fair hog weigh-ins, scanning hogs, and running carcass data. He always enjoyed visiting with youth as they came through the weigh-in area. Through presentations and discussions, he encouraged ethical practices for successful youth county fair swine shows.
One specific way Larry reached producers of all ages was in his work conducting Pork Quality Assurance classes. His passion for improving swine production also resulted in conducting research in collaboration with Kirkwood Community College and fellow ISU Extension and Outreach colleagues. His collective research findings have been published in several articles worldwide.
Locally, Larry could be heard on local radio providing “Greetings and Salutations” to area agriculturists. Larry could be found helping his children raise crossbred and purebred Berkshire hogs, among other livestock projects. He volunteered as the assistant 4-H leader for their Fairview Thunderbolts Club and spent many hours in the role of “show dad,” “livestock trucker,” and “project supporter.” While now retired, the impact of Larry’s contributions to 4-H cannot be overstated.
