Rich & Eddie Robinson | 2012

When Richard and Eddie Robinson were children, they were best friends who did everything and went everywhere together. So when an opportunity came to leave their agribusiness enterprises in California and come to Oklahoma to begin raising pigs, it was a natural decision to start this adventure together.

In 1993, Rich and Eddie learned of an opportunity to raise pigs under contract with Tyson Foods’ Pork Group. They called The Pork Group and discussed the growth of the pork industry in Oklahoma and decided this was a golden opportunity for them. After being accepted as contract producers, Rich and Eddie came to Oklahoma to buy the property that would become home to Robinson Family Farms, a 2,500 head sow farm near Holdenville.

Before they could even begin construction of the Robinson Farm, they ran into a major delay due to a moratorium on construction of new farms in Oklahoma. This delay lasted until 1998. Eddie came to Oklahoma and began working in the pork industry even before they began construction on their farm. Rich followed in early 1999 and the brothers worked together on the construction and start up of Robinson Family Farms.

By 2001, Rich and Eddie had decided they should expand their operation to include an additional farm. This desire for growth has continued throughout their time in Oklahoma as they evolved into Robinson Brothers Pork with 22,000 sows on 12 different farms. In addition to the remarkable growth of Robinson Brothers Hog Farms, Rich and Eddie helped recruit several families that relocated from California to Oklahoma to start hog farms of their own.

Giving back to their industry and their communities is very important to Rich and Eddie. They have been members of the Oklahoma Pork Council since arriving in the state. Their partnership allowed Rich to serve from 2005-2011 on the okPORK Board of Directors and to serve as president of okPORK in 2008. They are major supporters of the public schools and CareerTech systems near their farms through donations of money and their time. In the development of the modern Oklahoma Pork Industry, few people have played as large a role as Rich and Eddie Robinson. It is with great pride and appreciation that the Oklahoma Pork Council inducts Richard and Eddie Robinson into the Hall of Fame.