We recently traveled through north west Iowa. According to USDA Economic Research Service, “Iowa is the top producer of hogs in the United States. Other websites estimate that Iowa has around 24 million hogs. North Carolina and Minnesota follow in state rankings, each with around 9 million hogs, not even close to Iowa. During our Iowa travels, we did not see one pig. What’s up with that? Where are all these pigs?
Indoors
When you visit the National Pork Board (Office located in Des Moines Iowa) website, it doesn’t take long to figure out where all these pigs are. Glancing at a few of the photos from www.porkcheckoff.org, you realize most of these pigs live in buildings.
How did virtually all pigs end up indoors?
I will answer the question, how did virtually all pigs end up indoors, with one word, “EFFICIENCY”. When our agCULTURE shifted from Animal Husbandry to Animal Science, efficiency became the name of the game. Pigs, similar to chickens, just became a cog in the wheel of an efficient factory farm.
Justified by science
Years ago I read an article where grade school children visited a “hog barn” similar to those shown in the photo above. A university agent was quoted as explaining to the children that the pigs were kept in the buildings to keep them from bad germs that the pigs would encounter if they were allowed to dig in the dirt.
If you stop at one of these barns you will usually see “Bio Security” warning signs. The warnings are for the pigs. Since they never encounter “bugs” in the dirt, their immune systems cannot handle any “germs”. Please explain why this is “good” science. If you eat the meat from a immune deficient animal, does that lower your immunity?
Efficiency at all costs
A number of years ago, during a conservation tour, we visited a hog barn that was trying to implement a unique wood chip process to lower odor coming from the pigs confined to the indoor barn. A university staff member was explaining how the odor (Ammonium) is monitored in the barn. The odor levels must be maintained below a certain level for the human workers inside the barn. I asked a question about the odor levels related to the care of the pigs. The university staff replied that the level set for human health concerns was actually higher than what is best for pig health. The odor level was set to protect human workers, not the pigs confined to the building. In summary, the odor level was set at the most “efficient” level for production, even if overall pig health had to suffer.
Don’t you need to “dock” (cut off) their tales?
That was a question we had from a Concordia Ag student who told us that pigs raised in concrete confinement buildings have their tails cut off, otherwise they will chew on each other’s tails. Pigs in confinement buildings are probably looking for something to chew on, so if the only thing available is your neighbors tail, guess what, tails get chewed.
Raising pigs in a natural setting of pasture/forest have plenty of things to chew and root around with… they don’t need to chew on their neighbors tail. I have witnessed pasture pigs playing and expressing dominance (like all herd & flock animals) but have never seen “tail chewing”.
Have you ever seen a pig outdoors?
Pigs are usually a favorite of visitors to our farm. I really didn’t think much about this until recently. When I was growing up visiting my grandparents in Jefferson and Fillmore Counties, seeing a pig outdoor wasn’t unusual. I can remember hearing the “CLANK – CLANK” of outdoor hog feeders all during the day while visiting my grandparents. When I go to these places today, the only sound you may hear is the howl of a grain bin drier. There simply are few animals left on the land. To see a pig actually living outdoors these days is a rare site.
Have you ever eaten pork from a pig that lived outdoors?
Probably not. Since it is so rare to see a pig living outdoors these days, it is rare to be able to consume pork that was raised outdoors. Take one look at a pig and Natures God and common sense will tell you a pig is designed to have access to soil. A pig is a creature, just like you and I, so they were created with a purpose. That snoot is designed to dig and root.
You do have a choice.
We all have a choice as to how our food is raised. If you think it matters how your food is raised and would like to taste pork from a pig raised outdoors, take the effort to find one. Even though we didn’t see a pig in all our travels through Iowa, I know there are some pigs raised outdoors in every state.
Find a local farmer raising animals on pasture. It might not be the most efficient way to raise pigs according to the Science, but it will be the the right way to raise them according to their design.
