40 Under 40: Hollie Weeks
STAFF REPORT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 years, 2 months AGO
Hollie Weeks
There’s building a business from the ground up, then there’s LITERALLY building a business from the ground up.
Hollie Weeks and her husband started a show pig breeding business just that way with barns, a nursery and feeder pens built by them near Mattawa to hold their business, Weeks Premium Pigs.
“She wakes up at 3 a.m. every single morning to feed and clean the barns. Then does the same thing at 7 p.m. every day. She is the leading breeder in the field, and has a waiting list,” said Camille Woodward, who nominated Weeks for 40 under 40.
Weeks breeds about 400 piglets each year and sells out every time, Woodward said. Most of those baby pigs go to 4H and Future Farmers of America students so they can have a successful and profitable season in the show pens. While other breeders charge as much as $700 per piglet, Weeks sells hers for $350 to ensure students have access to solid livestock that help them learn and grow in animal husbandry.
“She is a woman pig farmer, and without a doubt, she can and will outwork any man in the business,” Woodward said.
Supporting youth is important to Weeks. In addition to raising pigs, she has started a youth sports organization called Mattawa Enrichment. The organization supports at-risk and is funded primarily through grants Weeks has applied for.
“Mattawa has a very heavily populated gang ring, and it’s Hollie’s hope that if the youth fall in love with sports more than they do crime, it’s a win-win for everyone,” Woodward said.
As if raising pigs and running a sports nonprofit weren’t enough, Weeks also works part-time at the Mattawa Community Medical Clinic and is the swine leader for the Liberty Livestock 4-H Club.
She and her husband also have about 120 acres of apple orchards, Woodward said.
“She is genuinely the hardest-working woman I’ve ever known,” Woodward concluded.
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