Photo: Mike Pont/WireImage
Eric Stonestreethas a few things he’d like to clear up about pigs — yes, pigs.
In honor of October’s National Pork Month, theModern Familyalum has teamed up with theNational Pork Boardto help correct some misconceptions about pig farming. Stonestreet, 50, grew up farming in rural Kansas, hence his involvement with the campaign.
“I thought it was a great opportunity to do a full-circle moment, where I’m able to use my name and face to help shine some positive light on the pork producers of America,” he tells PEOPLE. “So that’s where the relationship started, and what the goal is — busting some myths and just really educating people and hopefully inspiring them to have … an understanding of where their food comes from. I think people would be surprised so much about so many different things about a modern pig farm.”
For starters, Stonestreet says, there are the “little idioms that we all grew up saying in our vernacular.”
“Like, ‘sweating like a pig,’ or, ‘when pigs fly,’ or ‘pigsty,’ or, ‘slop in the pigs’ — things like that, that you don’t think really mean anything,” he says. “But to a pork producer and a pig farmer, they kind of can indicate sort of an untruth about the actual animal and about the operation of pig farming.”
He continues: “Let’s take ‘sweating like a pig’ — pigs don’t even sweat. They don’t have sweat glands. This notion that pigs sweating is some disgusting thing might lead someone to say, ‘Well, I don’t want to eat pigs because pigs are all sweaty.’ Well, that’s not true.”
As for the notion that pigs are dirty animals?
“Pigs naturally are very clean animals,” Stonestreet says. “And then when you add in the consciousness and care that farmers put into raising pigs on a moderate pig farm, they’re a very clean animal. They’re raised in temperature controlled barns with nutrition being paid attention to at the highest degree making sure that the pigs eating well-balanced meals daily.”
“I think pigs are an incredibly smart, intelligent, funny animal. And I have so many memories of just being in the pen with my pigs and taking pictures of them,” he says. “Looking back at all the good times I had working around the farm with my dad, with my friends, bringing my friends over and letting them see a sow farrow pigs. Most of my friends didn’t grow up in that environment. So being able to bring friends over and say, ‘Well, this pig’s three hours old,’ that’s new territory for a lot of [people].”
courtesy Eric Stonestreet
“So it was a challenge, but thank God that [we have] social media [to] stay in touch with a lot of the crew,” he adds. “Thank God for texting.”
BOB D’AMICO/ABC
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
And needless to say, he’s glad the show wrapped before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I just keep telling myself that had we been shootingModern Family, it wouldn’t have felt the same. It wouldn’t have been the same,” he says. “So we’re just lucky we got it in before the pandemic hit.”
Modern Familyran for 11 seasons on ABC from 2009 to 2020. The cast also includedTy Burrell,Sofía Vergara,Julie Bowen,Ed O’Neill,Jesse Tyler Ferguson,Sarah Hyland,Ariel Winter,Nolan GouldandRico Rodriguez.
Duringthe series finale, Stonestreet’s character uprooted his family with husband Mitch (Ferguson) to Missouri in pursuit of his coaching dreams.
“I think there was an opportunity for a spinoff,” Stonestreet tells PEOPLE. “But I think that window closed.”
For more information on National Pork Board’s pig farming myth-busting campaign, go toPork.org/RuralDictionary.
source: people.com
