Our search for one of the group member’s long lost relatives landed us in Essex Iowa, which is in the southwest part of the state. This connection landed us on the farm of Dennis Liljedahl, who is a member of the Pork Producers of Iowa. Along with being a Director on the Iowa Pork Producer’s Board, and having multiple hog barns, he also farms around 2800 acres of land. As a group, we were able to have a conversation with him before going to see his hog operation. During our conversation, there were a couple of points that I thought were very interesting and other points that echoed ideas mentioned in past presentations. One of the most interesting things that were said was that they were not happy that Trump was bailing out farmers again because of the low commodity prices resulting from the trade war. Mr. Liljedahl strikes me as someone who believes in open and free trade around the world with no tariffs. Another thing that was very interesting is that because of the landscape being so hilly, 98% of their farm is no-till, which is a stark difference from Radcliffe and Central Iowa which primarily till their land. The reason for this on Liljedahl’s farm is because it prevents run-off from the rolling hills which his farmland is located on. They also use terraces as another practice to prevent run-off.
After we finished our conversation, we headed over to the Liljedahl’s hog operation. Once we got inside the barns, I was surprised how the hogs were kept in very confined pens. The Liljedahl’s began to explain the reason behind this practice, stating that it leads to fewer deaths among hogs because they are a hierarchy among the group. This agrees with a study done that showed when given the option to be grass feed or feed in the creates most choose to be in the creation because they were guaranteed their food whereas in the pasture they would have to fight for the food.