Iowa has most hogs since 1955 By JERRY PERKINS REGISTER FARM EDITOR
December 27, 2006 The number of hogs on Iowa farms totaled 17.2 million head, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today, the most since September 1955. That's 4 percent more than Iowa hog producers had on their farms a year ago and well above the 1 percent increase in the U.S. hog herd that totaled 62.1 million head on Dec. 1, the USDA's quarterly hogs and pig report said. Iowa's hog producers have made money on each hog sold going back to February 2004, according to Iowa State University Extension estimates. Those profits have invested into a record building binge by Iowa's hog industry this year, said Kevin Baskins, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Permits issued by the department for the first 10 months of 2006 totaled 297, Baskins said, more than doubling the previous annual hog building permit record of 97 issued in 2005.
