One-third of Iowa's cash farm income comes from hogs. Hogs sustain the state's economy. The most value to the farmer comes when animals are raised on the same farm that produces the feed. But the number of farmers raising hogs has declined dramatically. From 1992 to 1997, the number of Iowa farmers raising hogs decreased by 46 percent.
National statistics are similar.
But while the number of farmers raising hogs has decreased, the number of hogs has not. Fewer farmers are raising larger numbers of hogs. But the cycle is thrown off balance if animals and crops aren't raised together, or if the amount of manure generated is more than is required for crops. Regulations for hogs will soon be completed. The challenges of sustainability are intense because solutions are unique to each community and must be driven by its members.