In 1994, we were down to 29,000. In 1999, we are down to 14,500 producers. Kehrli says demand for pork and exports of pork are up. When the number of Iowa pork producers dropped from 29,000 to 14,500, this wasn t a loss of thousands of jobs, he says. It was a loss of 14,500 independent businesses.
Ledger stresses a different bottom line.
I guess our ultimate goal is to sell a product that s safe and had good quality to the consumer. If that doesn t happen, we are probably all in hot water. Domestically, the debate continues between pork producers. But in the international arena, U.S. producers often join ranks. Corn and soybean checkoffs contribute money to the U.S. Meat Export Federation, knowing exports of beef, pork, poultry and eggs require grain and oilseeds.