Fierce.
Funny.
Fresh.
Farm Girl.
Fierce.
Funny.
Fresh.
Farm Girl.
“I am the Princess AND the Pig Farmer.”
No, it’s not a Hallmark movie: runaway royalty meets seasonal farmhand. It’s my life. Actually, it’s my calling. To be both.
2021
2021 PENNSYLVANIA ELITE MS. UNITED STATES AGRICULTURE
2021
2021 PA MISS AGRICULTURE ADVOCACY AMBASSADOR
Ag Biosecurity & Food Defense
Penn State University
BS | Animal Science | Animal Management & Production
Minor | Equine Science
Penn State University
AAS | Veterinary Technology
Harcum College
Advocating for Ag
The Princess | I have three ag industry crowns under my belt which has given me a national platform to advocate for modern agriculture, in particular, the pork industry.
The Pig Farmer | My husband and I operate a swine nursery barn and Hereford cow-calf operation. As a grower and an animal welfare officer, animal care and well-being are always at the top of my priorities. One of the biggest issues facing today’s farmer is misinformation, especially on social media, from anti-agriculture activists and ill-informed consumers. Our biggest tool as producers is to take opportunities to do interviews and podcasts, get on the radio, write opinion pieces, speak at ag-related events… be a transparent and public voice for what we do, why we do it, and how we do it.
“I love opportunities to collaborate or speak about agriculture. Whether it’s directly from the farm or in the grocery store, consumers need to know what goes into producing the food that fills their freezer.”
The Princess
This dedicated Pennsylvania pig farmer, animal welfare officer, and biomedical research expert is also the proud contestant and winner of two unique industry awards: 2021 Pennsylvania Elite Ms. United States Agriculture and 2021 PA Miss Agriculture Advocacy Ambassador.
Leveraging her titles, crown, and appearances to champion agribusiness, Heidi developed her Facebook page, The Princess and the Pig Farmer, to voice her opinions and stance as a producer, and to educate consumers on modern production agricultural practices. Expanding her social media platform, she founded PA Farm to Family Table, which grew to a 6,000+ member Facebook group during the pandemic. Heidi has a passion for educating and connecting farm-to-table producers with their consumers.
“I’ve been involved in various aspects of agriculture for the majority of my life – from my first job cleaning horse stalls, 4-H Club, and milking for a small dairy, to college for an animal science degree and becoming a farm owner and contract grower.”
The Pig Farmer
Heidi is a wife, mother, and muddy boots-on-the-ground co-owner of a swine nursery barn and Hereford cow-calf operation with her husband Steve. “At this point my professional role in the industry is as a grower maintaining the health and welfare of the animals that will be heading to the finisher from our farm, and as an outspoken advocate for modern agriculture. We want to set an example for other growers and encourage them to take the necessary time with their livestock in order to achieve better outcomes, including lower mortality, higher feed conversion, and greater average daily gain.”
As a producer, Heidi is focused on making sure animal agriculture has a public image that is not only positive but accurate. She works hard to inform legislators about the realities of modern ag practices and the burdens of overarching regulation. A special interest is educating consumers (adults and school groups), as well as young people interested in ag-related careers, on modern agribusiness practices and careers that combine science and agriculture.
Expertise
Speaker & Panel Topics
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Recent & Upcoming
Appearances
An informed, insightful, and inspiring storyteller and presenter, Heidi welcomes opportunities to speak in person and online at consumer and ag industry conferences, trade shows, and other ag-centric events.
“There’s a divide between consumers and agriculture. Our biggest tool as producers is to take opportunities to do the interviews and podcasts, get on the radio, write opinion pieces, speak at ag-related events – be a transparent and public voice for what we do, why we do it, and how we do it.”
Contact Heidi to explore appearances and presentations at your next agricultural event, conference, summit, workshop, or webinar.
Speaking Experience & Media Exposure
Check out highlights from Heidi’s keynote and expert panel experience and media exposure on behalf of the industry.
Guest Lecturer, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
Conference Speaker, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau AG Promotion TASK Conference 2022
Guest Lecturer, Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA) 2020-2021
Guest Panelist, Young Ag Professionals Growing with YAP Spring Mini Webinar Series : Ag Social Media with Heidi Flory and Jonathan Lawler
Session Panelist, 2022 CfB FacultyXchange Agenda Penn State Center for BioDevices 2022
Guest Speaker, 31st Annual Meeting of Academy of Surgical Research
PA Pork Ambassador, 30th Annual Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle Washington, D.C. 2022
Celebrity, Ag Jeopardy, PA Farm Show 2022
Guest Presenter, Ag Literacy Night elementary school, Hegins, PA, Heart research and animals
A session presenter, for PA Farm Bureau Events including the 2022 AG Promotion TASK Conference.
Farm Journal’s Porkbusiness.com What Drives You Every Day in the Pork Industry 2022 Pork Leadership Institute
Farm Journal’s Porkbusiness.com What Are the Greatest Threats to the Pork Industry: Leaders Speak Out 2022
Farm Journal’s Porkbusiness.com: Word on the Street: Best Advice from World Pork Expo 2022
LancasterFarming.com Heidi Flory Educates Consumers While Advocating for AG 2021
LancasterFarming.com Women No Longer An Anomaly in Ag (Opinion) 2021
PAGLC PA Grazing Lands Coalition PA Farm to Family Table podcast 19 2022
Republican Herald Vegetable Grower Makes Connection to Schuylkill County 2020
Access NEPA County Contestants Headed to National Agricultural Pageant 2020
LancasterFarming.com Women Succeed in Ag but Don’t Have to Be Just Like Men 2021, Heidi Flory
Keynote speaker, Farm to Table Gala Mifflin County Young Ag Professionals and The Women’s Committee at Brookmere Winery & Vineyard Inn. 2022
Achievements
- 2022 National Pork Leadership Institute
- 2021 Pennsylvania Elite Ms. United States Agriculture
- 2021 Miss Agriculture Advocacy Ambassador
- 2020 – Founder #PAFarmers4aCure Breast Cancer Fundraiser
Career
- Co-Owner/Operator, Deep Creek Ag Solutions, Pennsylvania. Oversee management of cow-calf, commercial nursery pig, and commercial organic broiler operations.
- Director of Resource and Compliance Management, Applied Biomedical Engineering, Penn State College of Medicine. Coordinate dynamic team of cardiac surgeons, biomedical engineers, veterinarians, and medical students that design and test artificial hearts and heart assist devices in calves and sheep, and our TETS coil in pigs.
- Owner, Farm To Family Table
Certifications
- Animal and Poultry Welfare Officer
- Odor Management Specialist
- Good Lab Practices
- Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative
- Essentials of Research Administration
- Responsible Conduct of Research
- FSMA Preventive Controls for Human Food Penn State University State
- Working with Cattle in Agriculture Settings
- Animals and Disasters: Awareness and Preparedness FEMA issued 2010
- Animals and Disasters: Community Planning FEMA issued 2010
- Licensed Veterinary Technician Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association (PVMA/PAVMA) 2000-2017
- Act 38 Nutrient Management Specialist -provisional Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
- Act 38 Odor Management Specialist -provisional Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
- Beef Quality Assurance Certification National Cattlemen’s Beef Association
- Dairy Animal Care Quality Assurance
- Pork Quality Assurance Plus
- Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)
- Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance (FSPCA)
- Transportation Quality Assurance